Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 238 (2018GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Niederhauser, W.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/19/2018

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• provides that certain meetings of the following subcommittees of the Legislative Management Committee are not subject to the provisions of the Open and Public Meetings Act when they are meeting in relation to making an employment recommendation to the Legislature:
• the Research and General Counsel Subcommittee;
• the Budget Subcommittee; and
• the Audit Subcommittee; and
• classifies certain records relating to subcommittee employment recommendations of the Legislature as protected records.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

LEGISLATIVE HIRING PRACTICES AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Wayne L. Niederhauser
House Sponsor: 
Brad R. Wilson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies the Open and Public Meetings Act and the Government Records
Access and Management Act in relation to the employment recommendation process
for Legislative Management subcommittees.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ provides that certain meetings of the following subcommittees of the Legislative
Management Committee are not subject to the provisions of the Open and Public
Meetings Act when they are meeting in relation to making an employment
recommendation to the Legislature:
• the Research and General Counsel Subcommittee;
• the Budget Subcommittee; and
• the Audit Subcommittee; and
▸ classifies certain records relating to subcommittee employment recommendations of
the Legislature as protected records.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
52-4-103
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2017, Chapters 196, 277, and 441
63G-2-305
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2017, Chapters 374, 382, and 415
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
52-4-103
 is amended to read:
52-4-103.
Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Anchor location" means the physical location from which:
(a) an electronic meeting originates; or
(b) the participants are connected.
(2) "Capitol hill complex" means the grounds and buildings within the area bounded by
300 North Street, Columbus Street, 500 North Street, and East Capitol Boulevard in Salt Lake
City.
(3) "Convening" means the calling together of a public body by a person authorized to
do so for the express purpose of discussing or acting upon a subject over which that public
body has jurisdiction or advisory power.
(4) "Electronic meeting" means a public meeting convened or conducted by means of a
conference using electronic communications.
(5) "Electronic message" means a communication transmitted electronically, including:
(a) electronic mail;
(b) instant messaging;
(c) electronic chat;
(d) text messaging as defined in Section 
76-4-401
; or
(e) any other method that conveys a message or facilitates communication
electronically.
(6) (a) "Meeting" means the convening of a public body or a specified body, with a
quorum present, including a workshop or an executive session, whether in person or by means
of electronic communications, for the purpose of discussing, receiving comments from the
public about, or acting upon a matter over which the public body or specific body has
jurisdiction or advisory power.
(b) "Meeting" does not mean:
(i) a chance gathering or social gathering; or
(ii) a convening of the State Tax Commission to consider a confidential tax matter in
accordance with Section 
59-1-405
.
(c) "Meeting" does not mean the convening of a public body that has both legislative
and executive responsibilities if:
(i) no public funds are appropriated for expenditure during the time the public body is
convened; and
(ii) the public body is convened solely for the discussion or implementation of
administrative or operational matters:
(A) for which no formal action by the public body is required; or
(B) that would not come before the public body for discussion or action.
(7) "Monitor" means to hear or observe, live, by audio or video equipment, all of the
public statements of each member of the public body who is participating in a meeting.
(8) "Participate" means the ability to communicate with all of the members of a public
body, either verbally or electronically, so that each member of the public body can hear or
observe the communication.
(9) (a) "Public body" means:
(i) any administrative, advisory, executive, or legislative body of the state or its
political subdivisions that:
(A) is created by the Utah Constitution, statute, rule, ordinance, or resolution;
(B) consists of two or more persons;
(C) expends, disburses, or is supported in whole or in part by tax revenue; and
(D) is vested with the authority to make decisions regarding the public's business; or
(ii) any administrative, advisory, executive, or policymaking body of an association, as
defined in Section 
53A-1-1601
, that:
(A) consists of two or more persons;
(B) expends, disburses, or is supported in whole or in part by dues paid by a public
school or whose employees participate in a benefit or program described in Title 49, Utah State
Retirement and Insurance Benefit Act; and
(C) is vested with authority to make decisions regarding the participation of a public
school or student in an interscholastic activity as defined in Section 
53A-1-1601
.
(b) "Public body" includes:
(i) as defined in Section 
11-13-103
, an interlocal entity or joint or cooperative
undertaking; and
(ii) as defined in Section 
11-13a-102
, a governmental nonprofit corporation.
(c) "Public body" does not include:
(i) a political party, a political group, or a political caucus;
(ii) a conference committee, a rules committee, or a sifting committee of the
Legislature;
(iii) a school community council or charter trust land council as defined in Section
53A-1a-108.1
; [
or
]
(iv) the Economic Development Legislative Liaison Committee created in Section
36-30-201
[
.
]
; or
(v) the following Legislative Management subcommittees, which are established in
Section 
36-12-8
, when meeting for the purpose of selecting or evaluating a candidate to
recommend for employment, except that the meeting in which a subcommittee votes to
recommend that a candidate be employed shall be subject to the provisions of this act:
(A) the Research and General Counsel Subcommittee;
(B) the Budget Subcommittee; and
(C) the Audit Subcommittee.
(10) "Public statement" means a statement made in the ordinary course of business of
the public body with the intent that all other members of the public body receive it.
(11) (a) "Quorum" means a simple majority of the membership of a public body, unless
otherwise defined by applicable law.
(b) "Quorum" does not include a meeting of two elected officials by themselves when
no action, either formal or informal, is taken on a subject over which these elected officials
have advisory power.
(12) "Recording" means an audio, or an audio and video, record of the proceedings of a
meeting that can be used to review the proceedings of the meeting.
(13) "Specified body":
(a) means an administrative, advisory, executive, or legislative body that:
(i) is not a public body;
(ii) consists of three or more members; and
(iii) includes at least one member who is:
(A) a legislator; and
(B) officially appointed to the body by the president of the Senate, speaker of the
House of Representatives, or governor; and
(b) does not include a body listed in Subsection (9)(c)(ii) 
or (9)(c)(v)
.
(14) "Transmit" means to send, convey, or communicate an electronic message by
electronic means.
Section 2. Section 
63G-2-305
 is amended to read:
63G-2-305.
Protected records.
The following records are protected if properly classified by a governmental entity:
(1) trade secrets as defined in Section 
13-24-2
 if the person submitting the trade secret
has provided the governmental entity with the information specified in Section 
63G-2-309
;
(2) commercial information or nonindividual financial information obtained from a
person if:
(a) disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in unfair
competitive injury to the person submitting the information or would impair the ability of the
governmental entity to obtain necessary information in the future;
(b) the person submitting the information has a greater interest in prohibiting access
than the public in obtaining access; and
(c) the person submitting the information has provided the governmental entity with
the information specified in Section 
63G-2-309
;
(3) commercial or financial information acquired or prepared by a governmental entity
to the extent that disclosure would lead to financial speculations in currencies, securities, or
commodities that will interfere with a planned transaction by the governmental entity or cause
substantial financial injury to the governmental entity or state economy;
(4) records, the disclosure of which could cause commercial injury to, or confer a
competitive advantage upon a potential or actual competitor of, a commercial project entity as
defined in Subsection 
11-13-103
(4);
(5) test questions and answers to be used in future license, certification, registration,
employment, or academic examinations;
(6) records, the disclosure of which would impair governmental procurement
proceedings or give an unfair advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contract or
agreement with a governmental entity, except, subject to Subsections (1) and (2), that this
Subsection (6) does not restrict the right of a person to have access to, after the contract or
grant has been awarded and signed by all parties, a bid, proposal, application, or other
information submitted to or by a governmental entity in response to:
(a) an invitation for bids;
(b) a request for proposals;
(c) a request for quotes;
(d) a grant; or
(e) other similar document;
(7) information submitted to or by a governmental entity in response to a request for
information, except, subject to Subsections (1) and (2), that this Subsection (7) does not restrict
the right of a person to have access to the information, after:
(a) a contract directly relating to the subject of the request for information has been
awarded and signed by all parties; or
(b) (i) a final determination is made not to enter into a contract that relates to the
subject of the request for information; and
(ii) at least two years have passed after the day on which the request for information is
issued;
(8) records that would identify real property or the appraisal or estimated value of real
or personal property, including intellectual property, under consideration for public acquisition
before any rights to the property are acquired unless:
(a) public interest in obtaining access to the information is greater than or equal to the
governmental entity's need to acquire the property on the best terms possible;
(b) the information has already been disclosed to persons not employed by or under a
duty of confidentiality to the entity;
(c) in the case of records that would identify property, potential sellers of the described
property have already learned of the governmental entity's plans to acquire the property;
(d) in the case of records that would identify the appraisal or estimated value of
property, the potential sellers have already learned of the governmental entity's estimated value
of the property; or
(e) the property under consideration for public acquisition is a single family residence
and the governmental entity seeking to acquire the property has initiated negotiations to acquire
the property as required under Section 
78B-6-505
;
(9) records prepared in contemplation of sale, exchange, lease, rental, or other
compensated transaction of real or personal property including intellectual property, which, if
disclosed prior to completion of the transaction, would reveal the appraisal or estimated value
of the subject property, unless:
(a) the public interest in access is greater than or equal to the interests in restricting
access, including the governmental entity's interest in maximizing the financial benefit of the
transaction; or
(b) when prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity, appraisals or estimates of
the value of the subject property have already been disclosed to persons not employed by or
under a duty of confidentiality to the entity;
(10) records created or maintained for civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement
purposes or audit purposes, or for discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes, if
release of the records:
(a) reasonably could be expected to interfere with investigations undertaken for
enforcement, discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes;
(b) reasonably could be expected to interfere with audits, disciplinary, or enforcement
proceedings;
(c) would create a danger of depriving a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial
hearing;
(d) reasonably could be expected to disclose the identity of a source who is not
generally known outside of government and, in the case of a record compiled in the course of
an investigation, disclose information furnished by a source not generally known outside of
government if disclosure would compromise the source; or
(e) reasonably could be expected to disclose investigative or audit techniques,
procedures, policies, or orders not generally known outside of government if disclosure would
interfere with enforcement or audit efforts;
(11) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the life or safety of an
individual;
(12) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the security of governmental
property, governmental programs, or governmental recordkeeping systems from damage, theft,
or other appropriation or use contrary to law or public policy;
(13) records that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security or safety of a correctional
facility, or records relating to incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole, that would interfere
with the control and supervision of an offender's incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole;
(14) records that, if disclosed, would reveal recommendations made to the Board of
Pardons and Parole by an employee of or contractor for the Department of Corrections, the
Board of Pardons and Parole, or the Department of Human Services that are based on the
employee's or contractor's supervision, diagnosis, or treatment of any person within the board's
jurisdiction;
(15) records and audit workpapers that identify audit, collection, and operational
procedures and methods used by the State Tax Commission, if disclosure would interfere with
audits or collections;
(16) records of a governmental audit agency relating to an ongoing or planned audit
until the final audit is released;
(17) records that are subject to the attorney client privilege;
(18) records prepared for or by an attorney, consultant, surety, indemnitor, insurer,
employee, or agent of a governmental entity for, or in anticipation of, litigation or a judicial,
quasi-judicial, or administrative proceeding;
(19) (a) (i) personal files of a state legislator, including personal correspondence to or
from a member of the Legislature; and
(ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(a)(i), correspondence that gives notice of
legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section; and
(b) (i) an internal communication that is part of the deliberative process in connection
with the preparation of legislation between:
(A) members of a legislative body;
(B) a member of a legislative body and a member of the legislative body's staff; or
(C) members of a legislative body's staff; and
(ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(b)(i), a communication that gives notice of
legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section;
(20) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Research and
General Counsel, that, if disclosed, would reveal a particular legislator's contemplated
legislation or contemplated course of action before the legislator has elected to support the
legislation or course of action, or made the legislation or course of action public; and
(b) notwithstanding Subsection (20)(a), the form to request legislation submitted to the
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel is a public document unless a legislator
asks that the records requesting the legislation be maintained as protected records until such
time as the legislator elects to make the legislation or course of action public;
(21) research requests from legislators to the Office of Legislative Research and
General Counsel or the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and research findings prepared
in response to these requests;
(22) drafts, unless otherwise classified as public;
(23) records concerning a governmental entity's strategy about:
(a) collective bargaining; or
(b) imminent or pending litigation;
(24) records of investigations of loss occurrences and analyses of loss occurrences that
may be covered by the Risk Management Fund, the Employers' Reinsurance Fund, the
Uninsured Employers' Fund, or similar divisions in other governmental entities;
(25) records, other than personnel evaluations, that contain a personal recommendation
concerning an individual if disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy, or disclosure is not in the public interest;
(26) records that reveal the location of historic, prehistoric, paleontological, or
biological resources that if known would jeopardize the security of those resources or of
valuable historic, scientific, educational, or cultural information;
(27) records of independent state agencies if the disclosure of the records would
conflict with the fiduciary obligations of the agency;
(28) records of an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
Section 
53B-1-102
 regarding tenure evaluations, appointments, applications for admissions,
retention decisions, and promotions, which could be properly discussed in a meeting closed in
accordance with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act, provided that records of
the final decisions about tenure, appointments, retention, promotions, or those students
admitted, may not be classified as protected under this section;
(29) records of the governor's office, including budget recommendations, legislative
proposals, and policy statements, that if disclosed would reveal the governor's contemplated
policies or contemplated courses of action before the governor has implemented or rejected
those policies or courses of action or made them public;
(30) records of the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst relating to budget analysis,
revenue estimates, and fiscal notes of proposed legislation before issuance of the final
recommendations in these areas;
(31) records provided by the United States or by a government entity outside the state
that are given to the governmental entity with a requirement that they be managed as protected
records if the providing entity certifies that the record would not be subject to public disclosure
if retained by it;
(32) transcripts, minutes, or reports of the closed portion of a meeting of a public body
except as provided in Section 
52-4-206
;
(33) records that would reveal the contents of settlement negotiations but not including
final settlements or empirical data to the extent that they are not otherwise exempt from
disclosure;
(34) memoranda prepared by staff and used in the decision-making process by an
administrative law judge, a member of the Board of Pardons and Parole, or a member of any
other body charged by law with performing a quasi-judicial function;
(35) records that would reveal negotiations regarding assistance or incentives offered
by or requested from a governmental entity for the purpose of encouraging a person to expand
or locate a business in Utah, but only if disclosure would result in actual economic harm to the
person or place the governmental entity at a competitive disadvantage, but this section may not
be used to restrict access to a record evidencing a final contract;
(36) materials to which access must be limited for purposes of securing or maintaining
the governmental entity's proprietary protection of intellectual property rights including patents,
copyrights, and trade secrets;
(37) the name of a donor or a prospective donor to a governmental entity, including an
institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 
53B-1-102
, and other
information concerning the donation that could reasonably be expected to reveal the identity of
the donor, provided that:
(a) the donor requests anonymity in writing;
(b) any terms, conditions, restrictions, or privileges relating to the donation may not be
classified protected by the governmental entity under this Subsection (37); and
(c) except for an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
Section 
53B-1-102
, the governmental unit to which the donation is made is primarily engaged
in educational, charitable, or artistic endeavors, and has no regulatory or legislative authority
over the donor, a member of the donor's immediate family, or any entity owned or controlled
by the donor or the donor's immediate family;
(38) accident reports, except as provided in Sections 
41-6a-404
, 
41-12a-202
, and
73-18-13
;
(39) a notification of workers' compensation insurance coverage described in Section
34A-2-205
;
(40) (a) the following records of an institution within the state system of higher
education defined in Section 
53B-1-102
, which have been developed, discovered, disclosed to,
or received by or on behalf of faculty, staff, employees, or students of the institution:
(i) unpublished lecture notes;
(ii) unpublished notes, data, and information:
(A) relating to research; and
(B) of:
(I) the institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section
53B-1-102
; or
(II) a sponsor of sponsored research;
(iii) unpublished manuscripts;
(iv) creative works in process;
(v) scholarly correspondence; and
(vi) confidential information contained in research proposals;
(b) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to prohibit disclosure of public
information required pursuant to Subsection 
53B-16-302
(2)(a) or (b); and
(c) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to affect the ownership of a record;
(41) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General
that would reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit prior to the
date that audit is completed and made public; and
(b) notwithstanding Subsection (41)(a), a request for a legislative audit submitted to the
Office of the Legislative Auditor General is a public document unless the legislator asks that
the records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General that would
reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit be maintained as
protected records until the audit is completed and made public;
(42) records that provide detail as to the location of an explosive, including a map or
other document that indicates the location of:
(a) a production facility; or
(b) a magazine;
(43) information:
(a) contained in the statewide database of the Division of Aging and Adult Services
created by Section 
62A-3-311.1
; or
(b) received or maintained in relation to the Identity Theft Reporting Information
System (IRIS) established under Section 
67-5-22
;
(44) information contained in the Management Information System and Licensing
Information System described in Title 62A, Chapter 4a, Child and Family Services;
(45) information regarding National Guard operations or activities in support of the
National Guard's federal mission;
(46) records provided by any pawn or secondhand business to a law enforcement
agency or to the central database in compliance with Title 13, Chapter 32a, Pawnshop and
Secondhand Merchandise Transaction Information Act;
(47) information regarding food security, risk, and vulnerability assessments performed
by the Department of Agriculture and Food;
(48) except to the extent that the record is exempt from this chapter pursuant to Section
63G-2-106
, records related to an emergency plan or program, a copy of which is provided to or
prepared or maintained by the Division of Emergency Management, and the disclosure of
which would jeopardize:
(a) the safety of the general public; or
(b) the security of:
(i) governmental property;
(ii) governmental programs; or
(iii) the property of a private person who provides the Division of Emergency
Management information;
(49) records of the Department of Agriculture and Food that provides for the
identification, tracing, or control of livestock diseases, including any program established under
Title 4, Chapter 24, Utah Livestock Brand and Anti-Theft Act, or Title 4, Chapter 31, Control
of Animal Disease;
(50) as provided in Section 
26-39-501
:
(a) information or records held by the Department of Health related to a complaint
regarding a child care program or residential child care which the department is unable to
substantiate; and
(b) information or records related to a complaint received by the Department of Health
from an anonymous complainant regarding a child care program or residential child care;
(51) unless otherwise classified as public under Section 
63G-2-301
 and except as
provided under Section 
41-1a-116
, an individual's home address, home telephone number, or
personal mobile phone number, if:
(a) the individual is required to provide the information in order to comply with a law,
ordinance, rule, or order of a government entity; and
(b) the subject of the record has a reasonable expectation that this information will be
kept confidential due to:
(i) the nature of the law, ordinance, rule, or order; and
(ii) the individual complying with the law, ordinance, rule, or order;
(52) the name, home address, work addresses, and telephone numbers of an individual
that is engaged in, or that provides goods or services for, medical or scientific research that is:
(a) conducted within the state system of higher education, as defined in Section
53B-1-102
; and
(b) conducted using animals;
(53) an initial proposal under Title 63N, Chapter 13, Part 2, Government Procurement
Private Proposal Program, to the extent not made public by rules made under that chapter;
(54) in accordance with Section 
78A-12-203
, any record of the Judicial Performance
Evaluation Commission concerning an individual commissioner's vote on whether or not to
recommend that the voters retain a judge including information disclosed under Subsection
78A-12-203
(5)(e);
(55) information collected and a report prepared by the Judicial Performance
Evaluation Commission concerning a judge, unless Section 
20A-7-702
 or Title 78A, Chapter
12, Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission Act, requires disclosure of, or makes public,
the information or report;
(56) records contained in the Management Information System created in Section
62A-4a-1003
;
(57) records provided or received by the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office in
furtherance of any contract or other agreement made in accordance with Section 
63J-4-603
;
(58) information requested by and provided to the 911 Division under Section
63H-7a-302
;
(59) in accordance with Section 
73-10-33
:
(a) a management plan for a water conveyance facility in the possession of the Division
of Water Resources or the Board of Water Resources; or
(b) an outline of an emergency response plan in possession of the state or a county or
municipality;
(60) the following records in the custody or control of the Office of Inspector General
of Medicaid Services, created in Section 
63A-13-201
:
(a) records that would disclose information relating to allegations of personal
misconduct, gross mismanagement, or illegal activity of a person if the information or
allegation cannot be corroborated by the Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services
through other documents or evidence, and the records relating to the allegation are not relied
upon by the Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services in preparing a final investigation
report or final audit report;
(b) records and audit workpapers to the extent they would disclose the identity of a
person who, during the course of an investigation or audit, communicated the existence of any
Medicaid fraud, waste, or abuse, or a violation or suspected violation of a law, rule, or
regulation adopted under the laws of this state, a political subdivision of the state, or any
recognized entity of the United States, if the information was disclosed on the condition that
the identity of the person be protected;
(c) before the time that an investigation or audit is completed and the final
investigation or final audit report is released, records or drafts circulated to a person who is not
an employee or head of a governmental entity for the person's response or information;
(d) records that would disclose an outline or part of any investigation, audit survey
plan, or audit program; or
(e) requests for an investigation or audit, if disclosure would risk circumvention of an
investigation or audit;
(61) records that reveal methods used by the Office of Inspector General of Medicaid
Services, the fraud unit, or the Department of Health, to discover Medicaid fraud, waste, or
abuse;
(62) information provided to the Department of Health or the Division of Occupational
and Professional Licensing under Subsection 
58-68-304
(3) or (4);
(63) a record described in Section 
63G-12-210
;
(64) captured plate data that is obtained through an automatic license plate reader
system used by a governmental entity as authorized in Section 
41-6a-2003
;
(65) any record in the custody of the Utah Office for Victims of Crime relating to a
victim, including:
(a) a victim's application or request for benefits;
(b) a victim's receipt or denial of benefits; and
(c) any administrative notes or records made or created for the purpose of, or used to,
evaluate or communicate a victim's eligibility for or denial of benefits from the Crime Victim
Reparations Fund;
(66) an audio or video recording created by a body-worn camera, as that term is
defined in Section 
77-7a-103
, that records sound or images inside a hospital or health care
facility as those terms are defined in Section 
78B-3-403
, inside a clinic of a health care
provider, as that term is defined in Section 
78B-3-403
, or inside a human service program as
that term is defined in Subsection 
62A-2-101
(19)(a)(vi), except for recordings that:
(a) depict the commission of an alleged crime;
(b) record any encounter between a law enforcement officer and a person that results in
death or bodily injury, or includes an instance when an officer fires a weapon;
(c) record any encounter that is the subject of a complaint or a legal proceeding against
a law enforcement officer or law enforcement agency;
(d) contain an officer involved critical incident as defined in Subsection
76-2-408
(1)(d); or
(e) have been requested for reclassification as a public record by a subject or
authorized agent of a subject featured in the recording; [
and
] 
(67) a record pertaining to the search process for a president of an institution of higher
education described in Section 
53B-2-102
, except for application materials for a publicly
announced finalist[
.
]
; and
(68) records submitted by or prepared in relation to an applicant seeking a
recommendation by the Research and General Counsel Subcommittee, the Budget
Subcommittee, or the Audit Subcommittee, established under Section 
36-12-8
, for an
employment position with the Legislature.