| Members Present: Sen. Daniel W. Thatcher, Chair Sen. Ronald M. Winterton, Co-Chair Rep. Calvin R. Musselman, Chair Sen. Don L. Ipson Sen. Jen Plumb Rep. Bridger Bolinder Rep. Scott H. Chew Rep. Kay J. Christofferson Rep. Sahara Hayes Rep. Thomas W. Peterson Rep. Val L. Peterson | Rep. Andrew Stoddard Rep. Douglas R. Welton Members Absent: Sen. David G. Buxton Rep. Stephanie Gricius Rep. Michael J. Petersen Staff Present: Adam J. Sweet, Policy Analyst Michael Cipriano, Associate General Counsel Thomas R. Vaughn, Managing Associate General Counsel Tracey Fredman, Administrative Assistant |
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| 1.Committee Business |
| Chair Musselman called the meeting to order at 1:46 p.m. |
| Sen. Thatcher, moved to approve the minutes of the November 15, 2023, meeting. |
| Adam Sweet, Policy Analyst, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, presented an overview of a new reporting tool that will be accessible soon on the Legislature's website for agencies to submit required reports. |
| 2.Adoption of Study Items |
| 2a - Proposed 2024 Interim Study Items (Source, OLRGC) |
| Chair Musselman presented the proposed 2024 interim study items list. |
| MOTION:Rep. Thomas Peterson moved to amend the proposed 2024 interim study items list by adding an additional study item to examine procedures and timelines for a state agency to act on a request for agency action.The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. T. Peterson Rep. A. Stoddard Sen. D. Thatcher Rep. D. Welton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. V. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Sen. R. Winterton |
| MOTION:Sen. Thatcher moved to approve the proposed 2024 interim study items list, as amended.The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. T. Peterson Rep. A. Stoddard Sen. D. Thatcher Rep. D. Welton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. V. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Sen. R. Winterton |
| MOTION:Sen. Thatcher moved to authorize the chairs to open committee bill files for items on the 2024 interim study list.The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. T. Peterson Rep. A. Stoddard Sen. D. Thatcher Rep. D. Welton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. V. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Sen. R. Winterton |
| 3.Purchasing From Community Rehabilitation Programs |
| 3A-5A - Presentation: Division of Purchasing and General Services |
| Wendy Aphayrath, Division Director, Division of Purchasing and General Services, presented an overview of the Purchasing from Community Rehabilitation Program. |
| 4.Prohibiting Terms in State Contracts |
| Wendy Aphayrath discussed enacting an indemnification provision and prohibiting specific terms in state procurement contracts where negotiations by the state or the vendor are not feasible. |
| 5.Procurement Code Modifications |
| Wendy Aphayrath discussed clarifying the definition of "award" in the procurement code. |
| MOTION:Sen. Thatcher moved to open a committee bill file to address issues raised by the Division of Purchasing and General Services related to purchasing from community rehabilitation programs, prohibiting terms in state contracts, and modifying the procurement code.The motion passed with a vote of 11-0-5. | |||
| Yeas - 11 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 5 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. T. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Rep. A. Stoddard Sen. D. Thatcher Rep. D. Welton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. V. Peterson Sen. R. Winterton |
| 6.Ballots From Utah Post Offices |
| Thomas Vaughn, Managing Associate General Counsel, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, provided background on the issue and explained that some delays in the delivery of ballots to Utah voters are due to the United States Postal Service moving its processing center for southern Utah from Provo to Las Vegas. |
| Brian McKenzie, Davis County Clerk, discussed the impact to five counties since the enactment of changes to Utah Code 20A-6-108 and requested consideration of a modification to the statute that would improve efficiency in those counties on delivery of ballots. |
| Ryan Cowley, Director of Elections, Lieutenant Governor's Office, discussed a modification to existing language in statute that would ensure ballots are mailed from within the state or the nearest processing facility, and responded to committee members' questions. |
| MOTION:Sen. Thatcher moved to open a committee bill file to address ballots mailed from a location outside of Utah.The motion passed with a vote of 10-1-5. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 1 | Abs- 5 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Sen. J. Plumb Rep. A. Stoddard Sen. D. Thatcher Rep. D. Welton | Rep. T. Peterson | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. V. Peterson Sen. R. Winterton |
| 7.Availability of Election Documents |
| Michael Cipriano, Associate General Counsel, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, gave an overview of the current law regarding what happens to election returns following an election. |
| Rep. Norm Thurston requested discussion about whether access to election-related documents should be made available to election officials for the purpose of research and analysis of election processes. |
| Brian McKenzie, spoke in support of discussing the issue. |
| The committee heard public comment on the issue from the following: |
| Marilyn Momeny; |
| Becki Wright, board member, Bolder Way Forward; |
| Mac Sims; and |
| Josh Daniels. |
| MOTION:Sen. Thatcher moved to open a committee bill file related to the availability of election documents to election officials for research purposes.The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. V. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Sen. D. Thatcher Sen. R. Winterton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. T. Peterson Rep. A. Stoddard Rep. D. Welton |
| 8.Other Items/Adjourn |
| MOTION: Rep. Hayes moved to adjourn the meeting.The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. B. Bolinder Rep. S. Chew Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. S. Hayes Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Rep. V. Peterson Sen. J. Plumb Sen. D. Thatcher Sen. R. Winterton | Sen. D. Buxton Rep. S. Gricius Rep. M. Petersen Rep. T. Peterson Rep. A. Stoddard Rep. D. Welton |
| Chair Musselman adjourned the meeting at 3:07 p.m. |