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Senate accelerates final-day business, passes multiple bills and transmits many measures to the House
Summary
On the final day of the 1996 session the Utah Senate moved many second-reading items under suspension of the rules, approved multiple bills (including tax, public-safety and environmental measures) and transmitted them to the House for signature or further action.
The Utah State Senate used suspension of the rules to expedite the second-reading calendar on Feb. 28, considering numerous measures and returning a slate of bills to the House for signature or further action.
Clerk communications and floor announcements showed a steady flow of interhouse messages: the House transmitted several senate bills for the president’s signature (e.g., S.B. 9; S.B. 99; S.B. 117 substitute; S.B. 125; S.B. 161; S.B. 216; S.B. 225; S.B. 232; S.B. 243; S.B. 252; S.J.R. 17 substitute; S.C.R. 7). The body also considered and passed many House-origin bills on the second-reading calendar under suspension of the rules and sent them back to the House for final signature and enrolling.
Examples of measures considered or passed in the morning session include:
- First Substitute S.B. 233 (election law amendments): motion to concur carried; reported passage back to the House with '26 aye votes, no nay votes, and 3 absent.'
- S.B. 296 (juvenile justice task force): concurrence adopted after amendment adding two public citizen members; announced tally '25 aye votes, no nay votes, 4 absent.'
- S.B. 292 (executive and judicial compensation): explained as a 4% across-the-board adjustment for executive salaries; motion to remove circle and move forward adopted and roll call passed the bill for transmittal.
- House Bill 36 (agriculture protection area amendments): passed (28 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent) and returned to the House with amendments.
- House Bill 1-81 (railroad property amendments): passed with 27 aye votes and no nay votes; designed to allow public officers to access railroad property when performing official duties.
Several measures were 'circled' (held for further technical or fiscal review) during the calendar, including a handful of bills with fiscal notes or pending technical corrections. The presiding officer also announced distribution of the appropriations bill to members for review prior to an early-afternoon vote.
Why it matters: Final-day acceleration of bills and suspension-of-rule procedures shape which measures complete the legislature’s work and which require further negotiation. Many enacted items were technical or housekeeping bills; others (tax measures, compensation and environmental rules) carry fiscal implications that staff will monitor during house action.
What’s next: Bills passed by the Senate under suspension of the rules will be returned to the House for their signature or further action; the Senate planned additional consideration of appropriations and RDA-related bills after lunch.
