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Utah Senate advances dozens of measures on water, taxes, elections and mining during day two
Summary
The Utah State Senate advanced a broad slate of bills on the second day of the 2011 session — moving multiple measures to third reading, circling bills pending fiscal notes, and recording roll‑call passage on water‑rights changes, tax‑collection updates and election administration rules.
The Utah State Senate spent its second day moving a wide range of bills forward, placing most on the third‑reading calendar and setting aside others for later consideration.
Senators voted on dozens of measures, advancing bills that address water rights and groundwater recharge, tax‑collection processes, election administration, corporate tax cleanups and reclamation bonding for small mining operations. Several bills were "circled" — effectively put on hold — because sponsors asked more time or fiscal notes were not yet complete.
Among the advances: SB10 (local district amendments) and SB20 (management of water rights amendments) were advanced after debate on how local districts and the state engineer will handle over‑appropriated water supplies and groundwater recharge. SB17, a measure using a depository institution data‑match to streamline levies on delinquent taxpayers, was projected by its sponsor to yield roughly $1.3 million in collections for fiscal 2012. SB15, which standardizes the calculation of reclamation bonds for small mining operations (including quarries), passed after questions about how the bond would be calculated and a senator’s declaration of a possible conflict of interest.
Several bills were circled for later consideration, including SB16 and SB30; senators noted missing fiscal notes or asked for additional drafting time before third reading. New bills were introduced and referred to the Rules Committee for first reading.
The Senate concluded with routine announcements, a Rules Committee meeting scheduled five minutes after adjournment, and adjournment until 10:00 a.m. the following day.
Votes at a glance: where vote tallies were recorded in the transcript, the Senate reported unanimous or near‑unanimous support on the measures called for third reading, with common tallies such as 26‑0 or 27‑0 in favor and a small number of absentees noted on each roll call.
The session will reconvene tomorrow morning, when some circled bills may be returned to the calendar pending fiscal notes or amendments.
