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Speaker defends giving voters more information on judges; bill to revert amendment-language drafting draws questions
Summary
The Speaker said a House bill would return the process for drafting constitutional amendment language to its prior form and defended HP 512 as intended to give voters more information about judges; reporters raised concerns about the Legislature 'putting a thumb on the scale.'
Reporters questioned whether the Legislature's bills on judiciary issues — including a measure cited as "HP 5 12" in the transcript — would improperly influence voter information about judges. The Speaker said the Legislature has constitutional authority to provide checks and added that the impetus for HP 512 is widespread public demand for more information about judges on ballots.
On a separate bill about who writes constitutional amendment language, the Speaker said the proposal is intended to restore the pre-change drafting process after a change last year produced problems. "We made a mistake, and changing that last year... I feel like we want to take it back to the way it was before," he said. A questioner pointed out that an alternative proposal would have impartial counsel write descriptions and asked whether the current bill still envisions control by legislative counsel and presiding officers; the Speaker said it restores the prior process, and "we're not gonna be able to control what's said."
Reporters also asked whether the debate commission has been criticized and whether a new UVU committee might host general-election debates. The Speaker said the debate commission has faced criticism in the past and suggested universities could play a larger role, listing several university institutes as potential partners.
The transcript records discussion and intent but does not provide final bill text, amendments, or vote outcomes for the judiciary measures; the Judicial Council's letter and alternative options (linking to a website instead of ballot text) were discussed as part of ongoing deliberations.
