HR 1

Enrolled Copy  H.R. 1
1House Rules Resolution - Amendments to House Rules
  2026 GENERAL SESSION
  STATE OF UTAH
  Chief Sponsor: James A. Dunnigan
2
3  LONG TITLE
4  General Description:
5This resolution modifies House rules.
6  Highlighted Provisions:
7This resolution:
8▸ defines "minority leader" and "minority party";
9▸ clarifies the dates on which the House convenes;
10▸ removes the requirement that the House Rules Committee, when meeting to refer or sift
11  legislation, prepare minutes of the committee's meeting;
12▸ modifies the process by which a standing committee chair allows a response to motions;
13  and
14▸ makes technical and conforming changes.
15  Money Appropriated in this Bill:
16None
17  Other Special Clauses:
18None
19  Legislative Rules Affected:
20  AMENDS:
21HR1-3-102
22HR1-5-101
23HR3-1-102
24HR3-1-104
25HR3-2-101
26HR3-2-313
27HR3-2-314
28HR5-1-101
29
H.R. 1  Enrolled Copy
30   Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the state of Utah:
31Section 1. HR1-3-102 is amended to read:
32HR1-3-102 . Duties of the speaker.
33   (1) The general duties of the speaker are to:
34(a) call the House to order at the time scheduled for convening, and proceed with the
35daily order of business;
36(b) announce the business before the House in the order that it is to be acted upon;
37(c) receive and submit in the proper manner all motions and proposals presented by
38representatives;
39(d) put to a vote all questions that arise in the course of proceedings, and announce the
40results of the vote;
41(e) enforce the House Rules governing debates;
42(f) enforce observance of order and decorum;
43(g) inform the House on any point of order or practice;
44(h) receive and announce to the House any official messages and communications;
45(i) sign all acts, orders, and proceedings of the House;
46(j) appoint the members of committees;
47(k) assign responsibilities to, and supervise the officers and employees of, the House;
48(l) assign places and determine access for news media representatives; and
49(m) represent the House, declaring its will and obeying its commands.
50   (2) The speaker shall:
51(a) sign, or authorize a designee to sign, all requisitions on the Division of Finance to
52pay House expenses; and
53(b) give final approval of all expenditure requests as authorized by the majority leader
54and the minority [leaders of the House] leader, as defined in HR3-2-101, including
55compensation and reimbursement for expenses for in-state and out-of-state travel on
56legislative business.
57Section 2. HR1-5-101 is amended to read:
58HR1-5-101 . Convening -- Hour of meeting.
59   (1) In addition to the dates provided in JR1-2-101, the House shall convene on the date set
60by proclamation of the speaker that convenes the House into an extraordinary session.
61   (2) During the regular general session, the House shall meet at 10:00 a.m. daily except
62Saturdays and Sundays, unless otherwise announced by the presiding officer.
63Section 3. HR3-1-102 is amended to read:
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64HR3-1-102 . House Rules Committee -- Assignment duties.
65  (1) The presiding officer shall submit all legislation introduced in the House of
66      Representatives to the House Rules Committee.
67  (2) For all legislation not specified in HR3-1-103 that is referred to the House Rules
68      Committee, the committee shall examine the legislation for proper form, including fiscal
69      note and committee note, if any, and either:
70      (a) refer the legislation to the House with a recommendation that the legislation be:
71(i) referred to a standing committee for consideration; or
72(ii) read the second time and placed on the third reading calendar if the legislation:
73(A) has received a favorable recommendation from a House standing committee;
74(B) is exempted from the House standing committee review requirements under
75HR3-2-401; or
76(C) has received a favorable recommendation from the House Rules Committee
77meeting as a standing committee as permitted under HR3-1-101; or
78      (b) hold the legislation.
79  (3) In carrying out the House Rules Committee's functions and responsibilities under this
80      rule, the committee may not:
81      (a) table legislation without the written consent of the sponsor;
82      (b) report out any legislation that has been tabled by a standing committee;
83      (c) amend legislation without the written consent of the sponsor; or
84      (d) substitute legislation without the written consent of the sponsor.
85  (4) The House Rules Committee may recommend a time certain for floor consideration of
86      any legislation when the legislation is reported out of the House Rules Committee, or at
87      any other time.
88  (5) When the House Rules Committee is carrying out the committee's functions and
89      responsibilities under this rule, the committee shall:
90      (a) when the Legislature is in session, give notice of the committee's meetings according
91to the requirements of HR3-1-106;
92      (b) when the Legislature is not in session, post a notice of meeting at least 24 hours
93before the meeting convenes; and
94      (c) have as the committee's agenda all legislation in the committee's possession for
95assignment to committee or to the House calendars[; and] .
96[(d) prepare minutes that include a record, by individual representative, of votes taken.]
97  (6) House Rules Committee meetings are open to the public, but comments and discussion
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98are limited to members of the committee and [the committee's] committee staff.
99Section 4. HR3-1-104 is amended to read:
100HR3-1-104 . Rules committee duties during sifting.
101   (1) Upon motion from the floor, the House Rules Committee shall prioritize legislation for
102floor action and review and update this priority as necessary for the calendars.
103   (2) The House Rules Committee may recommend a time certain for floor consideration of
104any legislation when it is reported out of the House Rules Committee, or at any other
105time.
106   (3) When the House Rules Committee is carrying out [its] the committee's functions and
107responsibilities under this rule, the committee shall:
108(a) during a legislative session, give notice of [its] the committee's meetings by either:
109(i) providing oral notice from the floor of the time and place of [its] the committee's
110next meeting; or
111(ii) when oral notice is impractical, post written notice of [its] the committee's next
112meeting;
113(b) when the Legislature is not in session, post a notice of meeting at least 24 hours
114before the meeting convenes; and
115(c) have as [its] the committee's agenda all legislation in [its] the committee's possession[;
116and] .
117[(d) prepare minutes that include a record, by individual representative, of votes taken.]
118   (4) Anyone may attend a meeting of the rules committee, but comments and discussion are
119limited to members of the committee and committee staff.
120Section 5. HR3-2-101 is amended to read:
121HR3-2-101 . Definitions.
122      As used in this chapter:
123   (1) "Chair" means:
124(a) the chair of a standing committee; or
125(b) a standing committee member who is authorized to act as chair under HR3-2-202.
126   (2) "Committee" means a standing committee created under HR3-2-201.
127   (3) "Dispose of legislation" refers to a committee action that transfers ownership of
128legislation to the House Rules Committee, to another standing committee, or to the
129House floor.
130   (4) "Favorable recommendation" or "favorably recommend" refers to a committee action
131that transfers ownership of legislation to the House second reading calendar.
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132  (5) "Legislation" means a Senate bill, House bill, Senate resolution, House resolution, joint
133      resolution, or concurrent resolution.
134  (6) "Legislative sponsor" means:
135      (a) the chief sponsor; or
136      (b) the legislator designated by the chief sponsor to be the opposite chamber floor
137sponsor.
138  (7) "Majority vote" means a majority of a quorum as provided in HR3-2-203.
139  (8) "Minority leader" means the highest ranking individual elected to lead the minority
140      party.
141  (9) "Minority party" means the political party in the Legislature with the second most
142      members.
143  [(8)] (10) "Original motion" means a non-privileged motion that is accepted by the chair
144      when no other motion is pending.
145  [(9)] (11) "Pending motion" refers to a motion starting when a chair accepts a motion and
146      ending when the motion is withdrawn or when the chair calls for a vote on the motion.
147  [(10)] (12)(a) "Privileged motion" means a procedural motion to adjourn, set a time to
148      adjourn, recess, end debate, extend debate, or limit debate.
149      (b) Privileged motions are not substitute motions.
150  [(11)] (13) "Substitute motion" means a non-privileged motion that is made when an
151      original motion is pending.
152  [(12)] (14) "Under consideration" means the time starting when a chair opens a discussion
153      on a subject or piece of legislation that is listed on a committee agenda and ending when
154      the committee disposes of the legislation, moves on to another item on the agenda, or
155      adjourns.
156Section 6. HR3-2-313 is amended to read:
157HR3-2-313 . Chair to allow response to motions before placing motions for a vote.
158  (1) After the chair accepts an original motion, and before the chair places the original
159      motion for a vote, the chair shall permit, in the following order:
160      (a) except as provided in Subsection (3), the [chief] legislative sponsor of the legislation
161that is affected by the original motion to respond to the original motion;
162      (b) committee members to debate the original motion;
163      (c) the legislative sponsor of the legislation that is affected by the original motion to
164respond to the debate; and
165      [(c)] (d) the committee member who placed the original motion to have the final word on
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166the motion.
167   (2) After a chair accepts a substitute motion, and before the chair places the substitute
168motion for a vote, the chair shall permit, in the following order:
169(a) the committee member who placed the original motion to respond to the substitute
170motion;
171(b) except as provided in Subsection (3), the [chief] legislative sponsor of the legislation
172that is affected by the substitute motion to respond to the substitute motion;
173(c) committee members to debate the substitute motion;
174(d) the legislative sponsor of the legislation that is affected by the substitute motion to
175respond to the debate; and
176[(d)] (e) the committee member who placed the substitute motion to have the final word
177on the motion.
178   (3) For a motion or substitute motion to favorably recommend, permitting the legislative
179sponsor to respond under Subsections (1)(a) and (2)(b) is at the chair's discretion.
180Section 7. HR3-2-314 is amended to read:
181HR3-2-314 . Chair to place motion for vote.
182      After the chair has permitted a committee member to [sum on] have the final word on a
183   motion as required under [HR3-2-313(4)] HR3-2-313, the chair shall place the motion for a
184   vote unless the motion is withdrawn subject to the requirements of HR3-2-511.
185Section 8. HR5-1-101 is amended to read:
186HR5-1-101 . Definitions.
187      As used in this [House Rule] title:
188   (1)(a) "Government official" means:
189(i) an individual elected to a position in state or local government when acting within
190the individual's official capacity; and
191(ii) an individual appointed to or employed in a full-time or part-time position by
192state or local government when acting within the scope of employment or within
193the individual's official capacity.
194(b) "Government official" does not mean a member of the legislative branch of state
195government.
196   (2) "Lobbyist" has the meaning identified in Utah Code [Subsections] [36-11-102(11)(a)
197and (b)] Section 36-11-102.
198   (3) "Minority leader" means the same as that term is defined in HR3-2-101.
199   (4) "Minority party" means the same as that term is defined in HR3-2-101.
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200  [(3)] (5)(a) "Volunteer lobbyist" means a person not registered as a lobbyist who engages
201      in lobbying within the meaning of Utah Code [Subsection 36-11-102(10)] Section
202      36-11-102.
203      (b) "Volunteer lobbyist" does not mean an individual who appears on the individual's
204own behalf to engage in lobbying within the meaning of Utah Code [Subsection
20536-11-102(10)] Section 36-11-102.
206Section 9. Effective Date.
207  This resolution takes effect upon a successful vote for final passage.
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