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Utah Senate clears a slate of rules, tax and funding measures; several bills sent to the House
Summary
The Utah Senate on Jan. 21, 1999 moved quickly through a broad set of measures — passing two rules resolutions and multiple bills on education, utilities, public safety and agriculture — and sent them to the House or placed them on the third-reading calendar.
The Utah Senate met in session Jan. 21, 1999, and approved several rules resolutions and a package of bills that the chamber said would now be sent to the House or advance to later consideration. The body approved Senate Rules Resolution 1 and Senate Rules Resolution 2, the latter creating a concurrence calendar and setting procedures for impeachment trials, and then cleared a series of bills spanning impact-fee arbitration, school-inspection rules, education technology and agricultural loan transfers.
Why it matters: The measures affect procedural rules for the legislature (SR 1 and SR 2), local government processes (impact-fee arbitration), school safety/oversight, some tax and research-credit rules to spur business investment, and targeted agricultural relief. Many of the bills include fiscal notes or interagency implementation requirements the House must now consider.
What passed and key details: SR 1 (rules changes) passed on a roll call with the Senate recording 26 aye votes; SR 2 (concurrence calendar and impeachment procedures) passed 27–2. Senate Bill 65 (impact-fee arbitration) passed 26–0 and was sent to the House. Senate Bills 67 and 68 (school building inspections and State Board oversight) passed with recorded aye tallies and will go to the House. SB 70 (Computers for Schools program governance) passed 27–0 and carries a fiscal note. SB 15 (electric restructuring study) passed and will reauthorize a deregulation task force. Senate Bill 81, which would appropriate $150,000 to compensate livestock owners for cougar and bear damage, passed and was placed on the third-reading calendar. SB 85 authorized an internal $2,000,000 transfer within the Department of Agriculture to bolster rural rehabilitation loans and passed after debate. SB 8 (research tax credit clarifications) moved to the third-reading calendar with a fiscal estimate of about $150,000 over two years.
Procedural notes: Several bills were “circled” (set aside) or amended on the floor. Senators also raised procedural questions when amendments changed short titles or appropriation language; staff were asked to hold certain bills for short periods to confirm proper recordkeeping.
What’s next: Bills that passed the Senate will proceed to the House for consideration or to the Senate’s third-reading calendar as indicated; several measures carry fiscal notes or require administrative implementation steps. The Senate adjourned to reconvene the following morning.
