H.B. 307 Enrolled

LEGISLATIVE INTERIM COMMITTEES
2000 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Raymond W. Short
AN ACT RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE; DEFINING LEGISLATIVE INTERIM
COMMITTEES; AND OUTLINING THEIR DUTIES.
This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
AMENDS:
36-12-1, as last amended by Chapter 47, Laws of Utah 1985
36-12-5, as last amended by Chapter 226, Laws of Utah 1998
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 36-12-1 is amended to read:
36-12-1. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
[(5) ] (1) (a) "Interim committees" means legislative committees that are formed from the
membership of each house to function between sessions of the Legislature in order to study subjects
of legislative concern.
(b) "Interim committees" includes a commission, committee, council, task force, board, or
panel, in which legislative participation is required by law, which committee functions between
sessions of the Legislature.
(2) "Legislative director" means the director of the Office of Legislative Research and
General Counsel, the legislative fiscal analyst, or the legislative auditor general.
[(1)] (3) "Major political party" means either of the two political parties having the greatest
number of members elected to the two houses of the Legislature.
[(3)] (4) "Professional legislative staff" means the legislative directors and the members of
their staffs.
[(4)] (5) "Standing committees" means legislative committees organized under the rules
of each house of the Legislature for the duration of the legislative biennial term to consider
proposed legislation[, but for the purposes of]. As used in this chapter, "standing committees"

excludes appropriations committees, appropriations subcommittees, and rules committees [on rules].
Section 2. Section 36-12-5 is amended to read:
36-12-5. Duties of interim committees.
(1) [It] Except as otherwise provided by law, it is the duty of each interim committee:
(a) to receive study assignments by resolution from the [appropriate house of the]
Legislature;
(b) to receive study assignments from its corresponding Senate or House Management
Committee, created under Section 36-12-6 ;
(c) to place matters on its study agenda [upon notification to] after requesting approval of
the study from its Senate or House Management Committee[. If a study], which request [has], if not
[been] disapproved [by the appropriate management committee] within 30 days of receipt of the
request, the interim committee shall consider it approved and may proceed with the requested study;
(d) to request research reports from the professional legislative staff pertaining to the
committee's agenda of study;
(e) to investigate and study possibilities for improvement in government services within its
subject area;
(f) to accept reports from the professional legislative staff and make recommendations for
legislative action with respect to such reports; and
(g) to prepare and recommend to the Legislature a legislative program in response to the
committee's study agenda.
(2) [Reports] Except as otherwise provided by law, reports and recommendations of the
interim committees shall be completed and made public prior to any legislative session at which the
reports and recommendations are submitted. A copy of the reports and recommendations shall be
mailed to each member or member-elect of the Legislature, to each elective state officer, and to the
state library.

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