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MINUTES OF THE

HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING

Room 20, West Office Building

March 7, 2013

MEMBERS PRESENT:    Rep. Kay L. McIff, Chair
                Rep. Lee B. Perry,Vice Chair
                Rep. Patrice Arent                
                Rep. LaVar Christensen
                Rep. Brian M. Greene
                Rep. Craig Hall
                Rep. Eric K Hutchings
                Rep. Brian S. King
                Rep. V. Lowry Snow
                
        
STAFF PRESENT:        Ms. Chelsea Lloyd, Policy Analyst
                Ms. Linda Black, Committee Secretary
    

NOTE:    A list of visitors and a copy of handouts are filed with the committee minutes.

Chair McIff called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.

MOTION:    Rep. Snow moved to approved the minutes for March 4, 2013. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Arent, Rep. Christensen, Rep. Hall, and Rep. Hutchings absent for the vote.

S.B. 204S01    Judiciary Amendments (Sen. L. Hillyard)

Sen. Hillyard presented the bill to the committee.

Spoke to the bill:    Mr. Rick Schwermer    Administrative Office of the Courts

MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Arent, Rep. Hall, and Rep. Hutchings absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to place S.B. 204S01 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Arent, Rep. Hall, and Rep. Hutchings absent for the vote.

S.B. 155S01    Open Adoption (Sen. L. Hillyard)

Sen Hillyard presented the bill to the committee.

MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Hall absent for the vote.

S.B. 102S01    Contractor Licensing Amendments (Sen. W. Harper)

Sen. Harper presented the bill to the committee.


MOTION:    Rep. Greene moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Hall absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to place S. B. 102S01 on the Consent Calendar. The motion failed, with Rep. Arent voting in opposition.

S.C.R. 4S01    Standing with Israel Concurrent Resolution (Sen. C. Bramble)

Sen. Bramble presented the resolution to the committee.

MOTION:     Rep. Arent moved to pass the resolution our favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Hall and Rep. Snow absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. King moved to place S.C.R. 4S01 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Hall and Rep. Snow absent for the vote.

H.B. 383    Taxpayer Funded Lobbyist Prohibition Act (Rep. P. Ray)

Rep. Ray presented the bill to the committee.

MOTION:    Rep. Greene moved to amend the bill as follows:


1.    Page 2, Line 33 :    

             33          (c) "Public official
  ,       "        notwithstanding Section 36A-11-102,       is as defined in Section 20A-11-1202 .



The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Snow absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. Green moved to further amend the bill as follows:    


1.    Page 2, Lines 34 through 35 :    

             34          (2) A governmental entity may not use public funds to hire, contract, or otherwise
             35      engage a lobbyist for the purpose of influencing the action of a public official
  of the state or of a political subdivision       .


The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Snow absent for the vote.

Spoke in favor
of the bill:        Mr. Derek Monson    Sutherland Institute
            Mr. Connor Boyack    Libertas Institute

    
Spoke in opposition
to the bill:        Mr. Adam Trupp    Association of Counties


MOTION:    Rep. Christensen moved to further amend the bill.

SUBSTITUTE
MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to return the bill to the Rules Committee for interim study. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. King and Rep. Snow absent for the vote.

H.B. 339    Indigent Defense in Justice Courts (Rep. B. Greene)

Rep. Greene presented the bill to the committee.

Rep. Greene moved to amend the bill as follows:


1.    Page 1, Lines 20 through 22 :    

             20      AMENDS:
             21          77-32-202, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 180
             22          
{   77-32-302, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 180   }


2.    Page 3, Line 88 through Page 4, Line 120 :    
         Delete line 88 through line 120

3.    Page 5, Lines 130 through 132 :    

             130          (iii) adequate funding
{   to defend   }        and procedures to provide for the defense of       all persons charged with      {   a [public offense]   }      {   crime for

             131      which incarceration is a permissible penalty upon conviction, and   }
  an offense for which there is a substantial probability that the penalty to be imposed is confinement in either jail or prison upon conviction, and       who are determined by the

             132      justice court to be indigent under Title 77, Chapter 32, Indigent Defense Act;

The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Snow and Chair McIff absent for the vote.

Spoke to the bill:    Mr. Rick Schwermer        Administrative Office of the Courts

Spoke in favor
of the bill:        Mr. Adam Trupp        Association of Counties
            Mr. John Mejia            ACLU


Spoke in opposition
to the bill:        Mr. Sean Hullinger        Criminal Defense Lawyers
            Mr. Jeremy Roberts         (against the amendment)

MOTION:    Rep. Hutchings moved to strike the amendment, and to return the bill to its original form.

SUBSTITUTE
MOTION:    Chair McIff moved to hold the bill.

Rep. Hutchings and Chair McIff withdrew their motions.

MOTION:    Rep. Arent moved to pass the bill out favorably, as amended. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

H.B. 397    Property Tax Increase Amendments (Rep. J. Nielson)

Rep. Nielson presented the bill to the committee.


Spoke in favor
of the bill:        Mr. Ronald Mortensen

Spoke in opposition
to the bill:        Ms. Barbara Smith        Davis County School Board
            Mr. Jay Blaine            Utah Education Association
            Mr. Arie Van De Graaff    Utah Association of Counties

MOTION:    Rep. Arent moved to proceed to the next item on the agenda. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

S.B. 105    Board of Pardons and Parole Revisions (Sen. D. Thatcher)

Sen. Thatcher presented the bill to the committee, with the assistance of Ms. Jacey Skinner, Utah Sentencing Commission.

MOTION:    Rep. Arent moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. Hall moved to place S.B. 105 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

S.B. 159    Theft Amendments (Sen. D. Thatcher)

Sen. Thatcher presented the bill to the committee.

Spoke to the bill:    Ms. Jacey Skinner, Director        Utah Sentencing Commission

MOTION:    Rep. Arent moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

MOTION:    Rep. Hall moved to place S.B. 159 on the Consent Calendar. The motion failed with Rep. Arent voting in opposition.

MOTION:    Rep. Perry moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Christensen and Rep. King absent for the vote.

Chair McIff adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
            

    

        





                                                                         ______________________________________
                        Kay L. McIff, Chair