S.J.R. 9 Enrolled

JOINT RULES RESOLUTION - CHANGES TO
BILL AND APPROPRIATION PROCESS
1997 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Lane Beattie
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE REVISING JOINT RULES;
IMPLEMENTING CAUCUS DECISIONS RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE'S
BILL AND APPROPRIATION PROCESS; MAKING TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS;
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
This resolution affects legislative rules as follows:
AMENDS:
JR-3.02
ENACTS:
JR-19.01
JR-19.02
JR-19.03
JR-19.04
JR-19.05
JR-19.06
REPEALS:
JR-4.37
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. JR-3.02 is amended to read:
JR-3.02. Joint Appropriations Committee.
(1) The Joint Appropriations Committee of the Legislature consists of all the members of
the Legislature.
(2) (a) The members of the Joint Appropriations Committee shall be divided into the
following subcommittees:
(i) Capital Facilities and Administrative Services;

(ii) Commerce and Revenue;
(iii) Economic Development and Human Resources;
(iv) Executive Offices, Criminal Justice, and Legislature;
(v) Health and Human Services;
(vi) Higher Education;
(vii) Physical Resources;
(viii) Public Education;
(ix) Retirement; and
(x) Transportation and Environmental Quality.
(b) The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House shall appoint their respective
members to each subcommittee.
(c) The Retirement Subcommittee shall have the same members as the Retirement Standing
and Retirement Interim Committees.
(3) (a) A majority of any committee or subcommittee constitutes a quorum for the
transaction of business. If a member of a committee fails, without giving prior notice of the reason
for his absence, to attend two consecutive meetings of the committee or subcommittee of which he
is a member, his membership in the committee or subcommittee may not be counted in determining
a quorum in any subsequent meeting that the committee member misses.
(b) In determining a committee or subcommittee quorum, a majority is at least 50% in one
house and more than 50% in the other.
(c) In all decisions of the subcommittees, a majority vote will prevail. A majority vote is
at least 50% of the members of one house and more than 50% in the other house in attendance.
(4) (a) There shall be an Executive Appropriations Committee consisting of 18 members
composed of:
(i) three members of the majority leadership of the Senate and four members of the majority
leadership of the House;
(ii) two members of the minority leadership of the Senate and three members of the minority
leadership of the House;

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(iii) the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the chair of the House
Appropriations Committee; and
(iv) (A) one member from the majority party of the Senate as appointed by the President of
the Senate or as chosen by the Senate majority caucus;
(B) two members from the minority party of the Senate as appointed by the Senate minority
leader or as chosen by the Senate minority caucus; and
(C) one member from the minority party of the House as appointed by the House minority
leader or as chosen by the House minority caucus.
(b) A member of the Executive Appropriations Committee, whose membership is
determined under Subsection (i) or (ii), may appoint a designee to permanently serve in that
individual's place with the approval of the Speaker or the President for any majority party member
or with the approval of the House or Senate minority party leader for any minority party member.
(c) In all decisions of the Executive Appropriations Committee, a majority vote prevails.
When a division is requested, that vote must include at least 50% of the members of one house and
more than 50% of the members of the other house in attendance.
(5) (a) The Executive Appropriations Committee shall meet no later than [the second week
of January] the third Wednesday in December to:
[(a)] (i) direct staff as to what revenue estimate to use in preparing budget recommendations;
[(b)] (ii) decide whether or not to set aside special allocations for the end of the session;
[(c)] (iii) set aside an appropriate amount for fiscal note bills;
[(d)] (iv) approve the appropriate amount for each subcommittee to use in preparing its
budget; and
[(e)] (v) set a budget figure.
(b) The chairs of each appropriation subcommittee are invited to attend this meeting.
(6) The Office of Legislative Fiscal Analyst shall prepare revised revenue estimates in
February.
(7) The Executive Appropriations Committee shall include in its consideration tax
collections and revenue policy, tax administration, and analysis of revenue sources.

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(8) (a) With the approval of the Executive Appropriations Committee, time schedules for
subcommittee meetings will be determined so that no conflict exists with the annual general sessions
or standing committee meetings of the Legislature. [No appropriations]
(b) Appropriations subcommittees [shall] may not meet while the Senate or House is in
session without special leave from the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.
(9) (a) (i) It is the duty of the appropriations chair of each house to receive the reports of the
subcommittees and to forward the reports to the Executive Appropriations Committee.
(ii) The Executive Appropriations Committee shall combine the reports into a total
appropriations bill.
(b) The Executive Appropriations Committee shall establish a liaison between their
committee and each of the appropriations subcommittees.
(10) All proposed items of expenditure to be included in the final appropriations bill,
including appropriations for the Legislature and its committees and staff, shall be submitted to one
of the subcommittees named in this rule for consideration and recommendation.
(11) (a) After receiving and reviewing subcommittee reports, the Executive Appropriations
Committee may refer the report back to an appropriations subcommittee with any guidelines the
Executive Appropriations Committee considers necessary to assist the subcommittee in producing
a balanced budget.
(b) The subcommittee shall meet to review the new guidelines and report the adjustments
to the chairs of the Executive Appropriations Committee as soon as possible.
(12) (a) After receiving the reports, the appropriations chairs will report them to the
Executive Appropriations Committee.
(b) That committee shall:
(i) make any further adjustments necessary to balance the budget; and
(ii) complete all decisions necessary to draft the final appropriations bill no later than the
38th day of the annual general session.
(13) (a) During the interim, the Executive Appropriations Committee shall meet at least
every other month on the day before interim meetings on alternating months between Legislative

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Management Committee meetings.
(b) The first meeting of the Executive Appropriations Committee shall be in the month
following the first meeting of the Legislative Management Committee.
(c) The appropriations subcommittee chairs may attend these meetings and provide input
regarding their budget.
Section 2. Section JR-19.01 is enacted to read:
JR-19.01. Prioritization of Bills.
(1) Consistent with Joint Rule 4.27 on prefiling of bills, beginning 60 days after each annual
general session and ending December 1 of each year, each legislator may make an irrevocable and
nontransferable prioritization of up to three bills.
(2) (a) (i) When sufficient drafting information is available, priority bills and interim
committee bills shall be drafted first.
(ii) All other bills shall be drafted on a first-in, first-out basis.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in these rules, before numbering any bills, the Office of
Legislative Research and General Counsel shall reserve as many bill numbers as necessary to allow
all designated priority bills to be the first bills numbered.
(c) Because priority bills are among the first bills numbered, priority bills are the first bills
to receive fiscal notes.
Section 3. Section JR-19.02 is enacted to read:
JR-19.02. Requesting, Refiling, Approving, and Abandoning Bills.
(1) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (1)(c), a legislator may not file a request for
legislation with the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel after noon on the 11th day
of the annual general session.
(b) Except as provided in Subsection (1)(c), by noon on the 11th day of the annual general
session, each legislator shall, for each bill request for legislation on file with the Office of Legislative
Research and General Counsel, either approve the bill request for numbering or abandon it.
(c) A legislator may file a request for legislation or approve a bill for numbering any time
after noon on the 11th day of the annual general session if:

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(i) for House bills, the Representative makes a motion to request a bill for drafting and
introduction and that motion is approved by a constitutional majority of the House; or
(ii) for Senate bills, the Senator makes a motion to request a bill for drafting and introduction
and that motion is approved by a constitutional majority vote of the Senate.
Section 4. Section JR-19.03 is enacted to read:
JR-19.03. Fiscal Note Threshold -- Deadline for Passing Fiscal Note Bills.
(1) (a) The House shall refer any Senate bill with a fiscal note of $10,000 or more to the
House Rules Committee before giving that bill a third reading.
(b) The Senate shall table on third reading each House bill with a fiscal note of $10,000 or
more.
(2) (a) Before adjourning on the 33rd day of the annual general session, each legislator shall
prioritize fiscal note bills and identify other projects or programs for new or one-time funding
according to the process established by leadership.
(b) Before adjourning on the 40th day of the annual general session, the Legislature shall
either pass or defeat each bill with a fiscal note of $10,000 or more except constitutional amendment
resolutions.
Section 5. Section JR-19.04 is enacted to read:
JR-19.04. Bond Bills -- Availability and Deadline for Passage.
(1) Each legislator shall receive a copy of any bond bill by noon on the 40th day of the
annual general session.
(2) Before the calendared closing time of the 40th day of the annual general session, the
Legislature shall either pass or defeat each bond bill.
Section 6. Section JR-19.05 is enacted to read:
JR-19.05. Appropriations Bills and School Finance Bills -- Availability and Deadline
for Passage.
(1) Each legislator shall receive a copy of the General Appropriations bill, any Supplemental
Appropriations bill, and the School Finance bill by calendared floor time on the 43rd day of the
annual general session.

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(2) Before the calendared closing time of the 43rd day of the annual general session, the
Legislature shall either pass or defeat the General Appropriations bill, any Supplemental
Appropriations bill, and the School Finance bill.
Section 7. Section JR-19.06 is enacted to read:
JR-19.06. Second Supplemental Appropriations Bill.
(1) Each legislator shall receive a copy of the second supplemental appropriations bill by
calendared floor time on the 45th day of the annual general session.
(2) By noon on the 45th day of the annual general session, the Legislature shall either pass
or defeat the second supplemental appropriations bill.
Section 8. Repealer.
This act repeals:
Rule JR-4.37, No Request for Legislation May be Made Without the Approval of the
Rules Committee After the Eighteenth Day.
Section 9. Effective date.
This resolution takes effect upon approval by a constitutional two-thirds vote of all members
of the Senate and House of Representatives.

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