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Utah Senate agrees to suspend notice rule to consider governor’s slate of appointees
Summary
The Senate moved to suspend a 15‑day notice rule and took up a long list of gubernatorial appointments and reappointments covering state departments, boards and commissions; senators deferred some confirmations pending review of resumes and will return later for advise-and-consent votes.
Senators on March 2 moved quickly to clear procedural hurdles so they could consider a lengthy list of appointments transmitted by Governor Michael O'Leavitt.
The clerk read letters from the governor naming appointees and reappointments across multiple state agencies, including the Departments of Administrative Services, Community and Economic Development, Environmental Quality, Transportation, Human Services and Commerce, the State Board of Regents and various water and resource boards. After the reading, Senator Craig Peterson moved to suspend the 15‑day notice rule so the Senate could consider the nominees without the usual waiting period; the motion passed by voice vote.
Several senators asked that printed lists and resumes be distributed and reviewed before the body advised and consented to confirmations. Senator Marine and others said nominees had been vetted by legal research staff and committee chairs but that some senators wanted time to review the materials; the Senate agreed to defer final advise-and-consent votes until later in the day and asked nominees to remain nearby.
Why it matters: the confirmations, if approved, would fill senior executive positions across state government and several board seats, including trusteeship changes on the Technology Finance Corporation and the State Board of Regents. The Senate’s decision to suspend the notification rule accelerated the process but left some confirmations pending as senators requested time to review applicants’ qualifications.
What’s next: the Senate clerk will circulate the appointment lists to members; final advise-and-consent votes were deferred to a later floor session that afternoon.
Quotes: “There are a few on the list that the governor was not able to make that deadline…we agreed with him that we would suspend that rule,” Senator Craig Peterson said during floor proceedings. “If there's any question…feel free to step off the floor and chat with them,” the presiding officer added as senators asked for time to review resumes.
Ending: Senators thanked the nominees for appearing and left confirmations pending until senators had an opportunity to examine the printed materials and raise any concerns.
