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Senate confirms Ryan Harris to Court of Appeals and approves broad slate of gubernatorial appointments
Summary
The Utah Senate consented to Ryan Harris's appointment to the Court of Appeals (23–0, 6 absent) and voted to approve a long list of governor-transmitted appointments to state boards and commissions during an extraordinary July 2017 session.
The Utah State Senate consented to Governor Gary R. Herbert's appointment of Ryan Harris to the Utah Court of Appeals and then approved a broader slate of gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions.
The Senate recorded a roll-call vote on Harris's confirmation, after a unanimous recommendation from the judicial confirmation committee. The secretary announced, "With 23 yays and 0 nays, 6 being absent," and President Niederhauser congratulated Judge Harris. In remarks to the chamber, Harris praised Utah's merit selection process and recounted advice from the governor: "If you do 2 things, you'll succeed as a judge... work hard and stay humble." He pledged to "discharge [his] duties in the future with diligence and humility."
Following the judicial confirmations, the secretary read a long list of appointments transmitted by the governor under Utah Code (cited in the transcript as "Utah code 67 dash 1 dash 1 and 2"). Appointments included reappointments and replacements across multiple bodies: the State Money Management Council, the Drinking Water Board, the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors, the Board of Tourism Development, and others named in the governor's communication.
Committee chairs reported favorable recommendations for several nominees. Senator Knudson moved that the Senate consent to the appointments as read; after members responded 'Aye,' the secretary announced, "With a vote of 23 yays, 0 nays, 6 being absent, the senate's consented to the governor's appointments."
The transcript does not record substantive debate or amendments to those board and commission appointments. The extraordinary session was convened specifically to address these nominations; the Senate also resolved into a committee of the whole to allow the newly confirmed judges to speak and introduce family and colleagues.
The transcript lists the individual appointees and the boards to which they were nominated; where the record did not specify additional details about term lengths or effective start dates, those items are recorded as "not specified."
