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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill addresses the sunset date for the Justice Court Reform Task Force.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ extends the sunset date for the Justice Court Reform Task Force from July 1, 2025,
13 to December 31, 2026.
14 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
15 None
16 Other Special Clauses:
17 None
18 Utah Code Sections Affected:
19 AMENDS:
20 36-29-112, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 475
21 63I-1-236, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 112, 139, 228, and 475
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23 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
24 Section 1. Section 36-29-112 is amended to read:
25 36-29-112. Justice Court Reform Task Force.
26 (1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Justice Court Reform Task Force
27 created in Subsection (2).
28 (2) There is created the Justice Court Reform Task Force consisting of the following
29 members:
30 (a) two members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate;
31 (b) two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the
32 House of Representatives;
33 (c) the state court administrator or the state court administrator's designee;
34 (d) the executive director of the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice or
35 the executive director's designee;
36 (e) one member representing municipalities, appointed by the Utah League of Cities
37 and Towns;
38 (f) one member representing counties, appointed by the Utah Association of Counties;
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40 (g) one attorney representing the Utah State Bar, appointed by the Utah State Bar.
41 (3) (a) The president of the Senate shall designate a member of the Senate appointed
42 under Subsection (2)(a) as a cochair of the task force.
43 (b) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the House
44 of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) as a cochair of the task force.
45 (4) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the task force described in Subsection (2),
46 the member shall be replaced in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
47 (5) (a) A majority of the members of the task force constitutes a quorum.
48 (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
49 (6) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall be
50 paid in accordance with:
51 (a) Section 36-2-2;
52 (b) Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 2, Lodging, Meal, and Transportation
53 Expenses; and
54 (c) Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3, Legislator Compensation.
55 (7) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
56 (a) may not receive compensation for the member's work associated with the task
57 force; and
58 (b) may receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses incurred as a member
59 of the task force at the rates established by the Division of Finance under Sections 63A-3-106
60 and 63A-3-107.
61 (8) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
62 to the task force.
63 (9) The task force shall review the court system of this state and make
64 recommendations regarding:
65 (a) the structure and organization of the court system of this state;
66 (b) appeals from the justice court to the district court;
67 (c) qualifications and requirements for justice court judges;
68 (d) the procedures and practices for small claims cases and infractions; and
69 (e) other changes related to justice courts.
70 (10) On or before November 30 of each year that the task force is in effect, the task
71 force shall provide a report, including any proposed legislation, to:
72 (a) the Judiciary Interim Committee; and
73 (b) the Legislative Management Committee.
74 (11) The task force is repealed [
75 Section 2. Section 63I-1-236 is amended to read:
76 63I-1-236. Repeal dates: Title 36.
77 (1) Title 36, Chapter 17, Legislative Process Committee, is repealed January 1, 2028.
78 (2) Title 36, Chapter 28, Veterans and Military Affairs Commission, is repealed
79 January 1, 2025.
80 (3) Section 36-29-108, Criminal Code Evaluation Task Force, is repealed July 1, 2028.
81 (4) Section 36-29-112, Justice Court Reform Task Force, is repealed [
82 December 31, 2026.
83 Section 3. Effective date.
84 This bill takes effect on May 1, 2024.