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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill addresses staff support of legislative committees.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ requires a professional legislative office to provide staff support to a legislative
13 committee if the committee chair is required to be a legislator, with certain
14 exceptions;
15 ▸ designates the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel as the staffing
16 entity for the Ethnic Studies Commission; and
17 ▸ makes conforming changes.
18 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
19 None
20 Other Special Clauses:
21 None
22 Utah Code Sections Affected:
23 AMENDS:
24 63C-28-201, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 472
25 ENACTS:
26 36-12-23, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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28 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
29 Section 1. Section 36-12-23 is enacted to read:
30 36-12-23. Legislative committees -- Staffing.
31 As used in this section:
32 (1) "Chair" means a presiding officer or a co-presiding officer of a legislative
33 committee.
34 (2) "Committee" means a standing committee, interim committee, subcommittee,
35 special committee, authority, commission, council, task force, panel, or board in which
36 legislative participation is required by law or legislative rule.
37 (3) "Legislative committee" means a committee:
38 (a) formed by the Legislature to study or oversee subjects of legislative concern; and
39 (b) that is required by law or legislative rule to have a chair who is a legislator.
40 (4) "Legislator" means a member of either house of the Legislature.
41 (5) "Professional legislative office" means the Office of Legislative Research and
42 General Counsel, the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, or the Office of the Legislative
43 Auditor General.
44 (6) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (7), a professional legislative office shall
45 provide staff support to a legislative committee.
46 (b) If a law or legislative rule does not designate which particular professional
47 legislative office shall provide staff support to a legislative committee, that office shall be the
48 Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
49 (7) This section does not apply to:
50 (a) the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority created in Section 11-59-201;
51 (b) the Utah Broadband Center Advisory Commission created in Section 36-29-109;
52 (c) the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force created in Section 36-29-110;
53 (d) the Criminal Justice Data Management Task Force created in Section 36-29-111;
54 (e) the Constitutional Defense Council created in Section 63C-4a-202;
55 (f) the Women in the Economy Subcommittee created in Section 63N-1b-402;
56 (g) the House Ethics Committee established under Legislative Joint Rule JR6-2-101; or
57 (h) the Senate Ethics Committee established under Legislative Joint Rule JR6-2-101.
58 Section 2. Section 63C-28-201 is amended to read:
59 63C-28-201. Ethnic Studies Commission created.
60 (1) There is created the Ethnic Studies Commission to:
61 (a) consider and review the contributions of Utahns of diverse ethnicities to the state;
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63 (b) make recommendations to the state board for incorporating ethnic studies into core
64 standards.
65 (2) The commission consists of the following members:
66 (a) five members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate, one of whom
67 the president of the Senate shall designate to serve as co-chair of the commission;
68 (b) five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the
69 House of Representatives, one of whom the speaker of the House of Representatives shall
70 designate to serve as co-chair of the commission; and
71 (c) two members appointed by the governor.
72 (3) (a) A majority of the members of the commission constitutes a quorum of the
73 commission.
74 (b) The action by a majority of the members of a quorum constitutes the action of the
75 commission.
76 (4) (a) The salary and expenses of a commission member who is a legislator shall be
77 paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
78 Legislator Compensation.
79 (b) A commission member who is not a legislator may not receive compensation or
80 benefits for the member's service on the commission, but may receive per diem and
81 reimbursement for travel expenses incurred as a commission member at the rates established by
82 the Division of Finance under:
83 (i) Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107; and
84 (ii) rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
85 63A-3-107.
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87 (5) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
88 to the commission.