Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the SB 126 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes State Personnel Management Act changes, removing reappointment register
Summary
The Senate approved a first-substitute of Senate Bill 126 to eliminate the reappointment register and replace it with an ongoing preference-point system for displaced state employees; a technical amendment adding an immediate effective date (two-thirds + governor) was adopted and the bill passed 27–0 with two absent.
The Utah Senate approved first-substitute Senate Bill 126 on Feb. 10, 2009, moving to eliminate the reappointment register and replace automatic reappointments with a permanent preference system for state employees who are laid off, the bill sponsor told the chamber.
A floor amendment (Amendment 1) offered by Senator Kilpack added an immediate effective date provision contingent on a two-thirds vote and the governor’s signature; the body approved that amendment by voice vote. The sponsor described the bill as a compromise reached with the Utah Public Employees Association (UPEA) and said it preserves preference points for displaced employees in perpetuity while giving departments discretion to interview and hire the best-qualified candidate rather than being forced to appoint the individual at the top of a reappointment register.
Senators questioned whether merit-system protections or who ends up on a reduction-in-force list would change; the sponsor clarified the bill does not alter merit-system determinations or who is placed on the reduction list — it only replaces automatic appointment with preference points applied in interviews. Supporters described the measure as balancing employee protections with departmental hiring needs.
Under suspension of the rules, the Senate considered first-substitute SB126 for second and third readings and final passage. A roll-call vote recorded 27 yeas, 0 nays and 2 absent; President announced the bill passes the Senate and will be forwarded to the House for further action.
Next steps: the House will receive the Senate’s action and consider the first substitute. The amendment providing for an immediate effective date requires a two-thirds vote in a later step and the governor’s signature to take effect immediately.
