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Utah Senate opens 2006 session, confirms membership and lists dozens of bills for Rules Committee
Summary
On the first day of Utah’s 2006 legislative session the Senate certified membership, declared a quorum, adopted prior joint rules and the practice of reading short titles only, introduced a long list of bills for first reading, and recessed until the afternoon.
Salt Lake City — The Utah State Senate formally opened its 2006 general session on Monday, certifying membership and declaring a quorum before taking a series of procedural steps to begin the 45-day session.
Gary R. Herbert, the lieutenant governor, certified the elected and appointed members of the Senate for the 2006 session. The chief secretary called roll and President John L. Valentine declared a quorum present.
Senator Michael Wadipes moved that the Senate adopt the same joint rules used in the prior legislature, with the understanding the rules may be amended; the motion was placed and passed. Senator Wadipes also moved — invoking the Utah Constitution and legislative rules — that the Senate continue its practice of reading only the short title of bills and resolutions when they are introduced and considered on the Senate calendar unless a sponsor requests otherwise; that motion required a two-thirds vote and was passed.
The reading clerk then announced a lengthy set of bills and resolutions for first reading and filing with the Rules Committee. The list included, among many others, Senate Bill 1 (state agency and higher education budget appropriations), SB3 (minimum school program budget amendments), SB6 (health and human services sunset and reporting amendments), SB7 (child protection amendments), SB8 (care of students with diabetes in school), SB9 (open and public meetings act revisions), SB10 (provisional ballot amendments), SB13 (commercial driver's license amendments), SB19 (clean air act amendments), SB24 (weapons amendments), SB29 (sales and use tax exemption telecommunications), SB30 (semiconductor manufacturing tax exemptions), SB39 (general fund surplus appropriation for water development projects), SB43 (minimum wage amendments), SB57 (telehealth for rural Utah), and many additional bills and resolutions. The clerk said all items read would be filed with the Rules Committee.
Senators also introduced internal personnel: Senator Greg Bell presented returning and new Senate staff and the body voted to employ them for the session. The Senate briefly resolved to the Committee of the Whole for a special presentation (Miss Barbara) and later for the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission. The body dissolved the Committee of the Whole and recessed for lunch; the Senate planned to reconvene at 2:30 p.m.
Procedural motions requiring formal votes — including spreading several ceremonial remarks upon the Senate Journal and the rules-adoption motion — were recorded as passing by voice vote or unanimous consent during the session.
