Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 556 (2023GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Wilcox, R.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/20/2023

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• requires a professional legislative office to provide staff support to a legislative committee if the committee chair is required to be a legislator, with certain exceptions;
• designates the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel as the staffing entity for the Ethnic Studies Commission; and
• makes conforming changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE STAFF REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Ryan D. Wilcox
Senate Sponsor: 
 Kirk A. Cullimore
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill addresses staff support of legislative committees. 
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ requires a professional legislative office to provide staff support to a legislative
committee if the committee chair is required to be a legislator, with certain
exceptions;
▸ designates the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel as the staffing
entity for the Ethnic Studies Commission; and
▸ makes conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63C-28-201
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 472
ENACTS:
36-12-23
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
36-12-23
 is enacted to read:
 36-12-23.
Legislative committees - Staffing.
As used in this section:
(1) "Chair" means a presiding officer or a co-presiding officer of a legislative
committee.
(2) "Committee" means a standing committee, interim committee, subcommittee,
special committee, authority, commission, council, task force, panel, or board in which
legislative participation is required by law or legislative rule.
(3) "Legislative committee" means a committee:
(a) formed by the Legislature to study or oversee subjects of legislative concern; and
(b) that is required by law or legislative rule to have a chair who is a legislator.
(4) "Legislator" means a member of either house of the Legislature.
(5) "Professional legislative office" means the Office of Legislative Research and
General Counsel, the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, or the Office of the Legislative
Auditor General.
(6) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (7), a professional legislative office shall
provide staff support to a legislative committee.
(b) If a law or legislative rule does not designate which particular professional
legislative office shall provide staff support to a legislative committee, that office shall be the
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
(7) This section does not apply to:
(a) the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority created in Section 
11-59-201
;
(b) the Utah Broadband Center Advisory Commission created in Section 
36-29-109
;
(c) the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force created in Section 
36-29-110
;
(d) the Criminal Justice Data Management Task Force created in Section 
36-29-111
;
(e) the Constitutional Defense Council created in Section 
63C-4a-202
;
(f) the Women in the Economy Subcommittee created in Section 
63N-1b-402
;
(g) the House Ethics Committee established under Legislative Joint Rule 
JR6-2-101
; or
(h) the Senate Ethics Committee established under Legislative Joint Rule 
JR6-2-101
.
Section 2. Section 
63C-28-201
 is amended to read:
63C-28-201.
Ethnic Studies Commission created.
(1) There is created the Ethnic Studies Commission to:
(a) consider and review the contributions of Utahns of diverse ethnicities to the state;
and
(b) make recommendations to the state board for incorporating ethnic studies into core
standards.
(2) The commission consists of the following members:
(a) five members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate, one of whom
the president of the Senate shall designate to serve as co-chair of the commission;
(b) five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the
House of Representatives, one of whom the speaker of the House of Representatives shall
designate to serve as co-chair of the commission; and
(c) two members appointed by the governor.
(3) (a) A majority of the members of the commission constitutes a quorum of the
commission.
(b) The action by a majority of the members of a quorum constitutes the action of the
commission.
(4) (a) The salary and expenses of a commission member who is a legislator shall be
paid in accordance with Section 
36-2-2
 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
Legislator Compensation.
(b) A commission member who is not a legislator may not receive compensation or
benefits for the member's service on the commission, but may receive per diem and
reimbursement for travel expenses incurred as a commission member at the rates established by
the Division of Finance under:
(i) Sections 
63A-3-106
 and 
63A-3-107
; and
(ii) rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 
63A-3-106
 and
63A-3-107
.
[
(5) The state board shall provide staff support to the commission.
]
(5) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
to the commission.