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H.B. 462

             1     

CONSTITUTIONAL DEFENSE COUNCIL AMENDMENTS

             2     
2012 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Joel K. Briscoe

             5     
Senate Sponsor: John L. Valentine

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill amends provisions in Title 63C, Chapter 4, Constitutional Defense Council,
             10      relating to water.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    amends the duties of the Constitutional Defense Council;
             14          .    amends the purposes for which money from the Constitutional Defense Restricted
             15      Account may be used; and
             16          .    makes technical changes.
             17      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             18          None
             19      Other Special Clauses:
             20          None
             21      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             22      AMENDS:
             23          63C-4-102, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 252
             24          63C-4-103, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapters 252 and 303
             25     
             26      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             27          Section 1. Section 63C-4-102 is amended to read:


             28           63C-4-102. Duties.
             29          (1) The Constitutional Defense Council is a council to assist the governor and the
             30      Legislature on the following types of issues:
             31          (a) the constitutionality of federal mandates;
             32          (b) when making recommendations to challenge the federal mandates and regulations
             33      described in Subsections (1)[(e)](f)(i) through (v), the rationale for and effectiveness of those
             34      federal mandates or regulations;
             35          (c) legal and policy issues surrounding state and local government rights under R.S.
             36      2477;
             37          (d) legal issues relating to the rights of the School and Institutional Trust Lands
             38      Administration and its beneficiaries; [and]
             39          (e) a disagreement with another state regarding the use or ownership of water; and
             40          [(e)] (f) the advisability, feasibility, estimated cost, and likelihood of success of
             41      challenging:
             42          (i) federal court rulings that:
             43          (A) hinder the management of the state's prison system and place undue financial
             44      hardship on the state's taxpayers;
             45          (B) impact a power or a right reserved to the state or its citizens by the United States
             46      Constitution, Amendment IX or X; or
             47          (C) expand or grant a power to the United States government beyond the limited,
             48      enumerated powers granted by the United States Constitution;
             49          (ii) federal laws or regulations that reduce or negate water rights or the rights of owners
             50      of private property, or the rights and interest of state and local governments, including
             51      sovereignty interests and the power to provide for the health, safety, and welfare, and promote
             52      the prosperity of their inhabitants;
             53          (iii) conflicting federal regulations or policies in land management on federal land;
             54          (iv) federal intervention that would damage the state's mining, timber, and ranching
             55      industries;
             56          (v) the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency and Congress to mandate
             57      local air quality standards and penalties; and
             58          (vi) other issues that are relevant to this Subsection (1).


             59          (2) The council shall:
             60          (a) provide advice to the governor, state planning coordinator, and the public lands
             61      policy coordinator concerning coordination of:
             62          (i) state and local government rights under R.S. 2477; and
             63          (ii) other public lands issues;
             64          (b) approve a plan for R.S. 2477 rights developed in accordance with Section
             65      63C-4-104 ; and
             66          (c) review, at least quarterly:
             67          (i) financial statements concerning implementation of the plan for R.S. 2477 rights;
             68      and
             69          (ii) financial and other reports from the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office
             70      concerning its activities.
             71          (3) The council chair may require the attorney general or a designee to provide
             72      testimony on potential legal actions that would enhance the state's sovereignty or authority on
             73      issues affecting Utah and the well-being of its citizens.
             74          (4) The council chair may direct the attorney general to initiate and prosecute any
             75      action that the council determines will further its purposes, including an action described in
             76      Section 67-5-29 .
             77          (5) (a) Subject to the provisions of this section, the council may select and employ
             78      attorneys to implement the purposes and duties of the council.
             79          (b) The council chair may, in consultation with the council, direct any council attorney
             80      in any manner considered appropriate by the attorney general to best serve the purposes of the
             81      council.
             82          (c) The attorney general shall negotiate a contract for services with any attorney
             83      selected and approved for employment under this section.
             84          (6) The council chair may, only with the concurrence of the council, review and
             85      approve all claims for payments for:
             86          (a) legal services that are submitted to the council;
             87          (b) an action filed in accordance with Section 67-5-29 ; and
             88          (c) costs related to a constitutional defense plan approved in accordance with Section
             89      63C-4-104 that are submitted by:


             90          (i) the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office;
             91          (ii) the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration; or
             92          (iii) the Office of the Attorney General.
             93          (7) Within five business days' notice, the council chair may, with the concurrence of
             94      the council, order the attorney general or an attorney employed by the council to cease work to
             95      be charged to the fund.
             96          (8) (a) At least 20 calendar days before the state submits comments on the draft
             97      environmental impact statement or environmental assessment for a proposed land management
             98      plan of any federal land management agency, the governor shall make those documents
             99      available to:
             100          (i) members of the council; and
             101          (ii) any county executive, county council member, or county commissioner of a county
             102      that is covered by the management plan and that has established formal cooperating agency
             103      status with the relevant federal land management agency regarding the proposed plan.
             104          (b) (i) Council members or local government officials receiving the documents may
             105      make recommendations to the governor or the governor's designee concerning changes to the
             106      documents before they are submitted to the federal land management agency.
             107          (ii) Council members or local government officials shall submit recommendations to
             108      the governor or the governor's designee no later than 10 calendar days after receiving the
             109      documents under Subsection (8)(a).
             110          (c) Documents transmitted or received under this Subsection (8) are drafts and are
             111      protected records pursuant to Subsection 63G-2-305 (22).
             112          (9) The council shall submit a report on December 1 of each year by electronic mail
             113      that summarizes the council's activities to each legislator.
             114          Section 2. Section 63C-4-103 is amended to read:
             115           63C-4-103. Creation of Constitutional Defense Restricted Account -- Sources of
             116      funds -- Uses of funds -- Reports.
             117          (1) There is created a restricted account within the General Fund known as the
             118      Constitutional Defense Restricted Account.
             119          (2) The account consists of money from the following revenue sources:
             120          (a) money deposited to the account as required by Section 53C-3-203 ;


             121          (b) voluntary contributions;
             122          (c) money received by the council from other state agencies; and
             123          (d) appropriations made by the Legislature.
             124          (3) The Legislature may annually appropriate money from the Constitutional Defense
             125      Restricted Account to one or more of the following:
             126          (a) the council for the council's or Federalism Subcommittee's duties established in this
             127      chapter;
             128          (b) the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office to carry out its duties in Section
             129      63J-4-603 ;
             130          (c) the Office of the Governor, to be used only for the purpose of asserting, defending,
             131      or litigating:
             132          (i) an issue arising with another state regarding the use or ownership of water; or
             133          (ii) state and local government rights under R.S. 2477, in accordance with a plan
             134      developed and approved as provided in Section 63C-4-104 ;
             135          (d) a county or association of counties to assist counties, consistent with the purposes
             136      of the council, in pursuing issues affecting the counties; or
             137          (e) the Office of the Attorney General, to be used only:
             138          (i) for public lands counsel and assistance and litigation to the state or local
             139      governments including asserting, defending, or litigating state and local government rights
             140      under R.S. 2477 in accordance with a plan developed and approved as provided in Section
             141      63C-4-104 ;
             142          (ii) for an action filed in accordance with Section 67-5-29 ; [or]
             143          (iii) to advise the council and Federalism Subcommittee[.]; or
             144          (iv) for asserting, defending, or litigating an issue arising with another state regarding
             145      the use or ownership of water.
             146          (4) (a) The council shall require that any entity that receives money from the
             147      Constitutional Defense Restricted Account provide financial reports and litigation reports to
             148      the council.
             149          (b) Nothing in this Subsection (4) prohibits the council from closing a meeting under
             150      Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act, or prohibits the council from complying
             151      with Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act.






Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-8-12 2:13 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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