Utah State Legislature
Encyclopedia
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state
of Utah
. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives
, with 75 Representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 State Senators. There are no term limits for either chamber.
The Legislature convenes at the Utah State Capitol
in the state capital of Salt Lake City on the fourth Monday of January for an annual 45 day session.
in Salt Lake City
. The Republicans
currently have super-majorities
in both the House
and Senate. They control the House by a margin of 55-20 and the Senate by 21-8. The current Senate President is Michael Waddoups (R - West Jordan
), and the Speaker of the House
is Becky Lockhart (R - Provo
).
are elected to a four-year term, and Representatives to a two-year term. All state House districts and half of all state Senate districts are up for election every two years. To be eligible for the office of a state Senator or Representative, a person must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 25 years of age, be a qualified voter in the district from which elected, and must be a resident of the State of Utah for three years and a resident of the district from which elected for six months.
body composed of a lower chamber which is the Utah House of Representatives with 75 members, and upper chamber which is the Utah Senate
, with 29 members. Senators serve four-year terms with half the seats in the Senate being up for election every two years and Representatives serve two-year terms with all the seats in the House being up for election every two years. Each body elects it own leadership and is responsible for determining its own rules of procedures.
The members of both houses of the Utah Legislature are elected on a partisan basis, and they conduct their proceedings including the elections of leadership according to membership in a party caucus
. Currently, the state of Nebraska
is the only state in the United States that is elected and conducted in a nonpartisan
manner.
and the Utah House elects a Speaker
, and each political party caucus in both houses elects party leadership including a Majority Leader
, Majority Whip
and Assistant Majority Whip by the Caucus with the most members in that house. The minority party caucus elects a Minority Leader
, Minority Whip, Assistant Minority Whip and includes one additional leadership position of Minority Caucus Manager to offset the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate who are traditionally members of the majority caucus yet are elected by the entire membership of their respective bodies.
Legislative committees serve an important function in the legislative process, as the majority of the debate and discussion of a bill is done in Committee and public comment is generally accepted at this point in the bill process. Amendments can be made to the bill and be given more consideration than they would on the Floor of the House or Senate. Utah has three types of legislative committees, these are: Appropriations Subcommittees, Standing Committees and Interim Committees.
was established by an act of Congress on Monday, September 9, 1850 which provided for a territorial government made up of a territorial governor chosen every four years, a territorial Assembly with a 13 member council chosen every second year and a 26 member House of Representatives chosen annually, and a territorial Judiciary made up of a Supreme Court, District Courts, Probate Courts, and justices of the peace. The creation of the Territory of Utah was part of the Compromise of 1850
seeking to preserve the political balance of power between the slave and free states.
Following the organization of the territory, Brigham Young
was inaugurated as its first governor on Sunday, February 9, 1851 and the first territorial assembly
met Monday, September 22, 1851 and continued to act as the legislative body of the Utah Territory
until 1896 with the successful passage of the Utah Constitution
and Utah achieving statehood
. The first President of the Utah Territorial Senate was Willard Richards
and the first Territorial Speaker of the House was William Wines Phelps. In 1870, the length of a Representative's term was extended to two years, and in 1896 the Utah Territorial Council became the Utah Senate
with a four year term.
Utah first petitioned for statehood starting in 1849, and a constitutional convention was called to draft a State Constitution for a proposed State of Deseret
on March 8, 1849 to be held in Salt Lake City
. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate
rejected the proposed state and followed up the rejection by creating the Territory of Utah. It wasn't for another six years before the Fifth Territorial Legislature passed an act on December 10, 1855 establishing a constitutional convention to make a second attempt at Statehood. This second constitutional convention was held on March 17, 1856 in Salt Lake City and a proposed constitution was created which was subsequently rejected by the U.S. Congress.
A third constitutional convention was held on January 20, 1862 in Salt Lake City and a proposed constitution was drafted and subsequently submitted to the U.S. Congress which rejected the petition for statehood. The Twentieth Territorial Legislature on January 31, 1872 would call for a fourth constitutional convention and again petitioned Congress for statehood yet this effort also failed and it wasn't until April and May 1882 that a fifth and final attempt at statehood was made prior to Congress passing the Utah Enabling Act in 1894.
The Utah Territory preceded to hold a constitutional convention on March 4, 1895 which ended on March 6, 1895 and the proposed Constitution was ratified by the voters Tuesday, November 5, 1895. The first election was also held on this day and state officials were elected. The First Utah State Legislature
convened on January 13, 1896 and preceded to conduct the business of organizing the state.
Over the years there have been many changes to the structure of the legislature, the number of Senators and Representatives, and the location of the Capitol, the Salt Lake Council Hall
served as the meeting place for the Utah Territorial legislature, and in 1896 the Utah State Legislature designated Fillmore
, Millard County, Utah
, as the state capital.
The Fillmore Capitol was abandoned and the Utah Legislature met in Salt Lake City at various locations including The Council House
(Main and South Temple streets), the Social Hall (Social Hall Avenue), the old Salt Lake County Courthouse (Second South and Second West streets), the Salt Lake City Hall (First South near State Street), and the present Salt Lake City and County Building
(Fourth South and State streets).
After, being admitted to the Union as a State on January 4, 1896 by an act signed into law by President Grover Cleveland
, the first official act of statehood was the swearing in of State officials at the Salt Lake Tabernacle
on January 6, 1896 as Utah did not have an official State Capitol. Acting upon the recommendation of Governor John C. Cutler the Utah Legislature finally approved a plan to build a State Capitol in 1909 yet construction on the Capitol did not start until December 26, 1912 and it wasn't completed and dedicated until October 9, 1916.
The Utah Capitol Building
was undergoing renovations and seismic upgrades beginning in 2002 and was finished in 2008. The State Legislature met in the West Administration Building at the Capitol Complex while the Governor's and Lt. Governor's Offices were located in the East Administration Building during the time of renovation.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district contains an average population of 35,000 people...
, with 75 Representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 State Senators. There are no term limits for either chamber.
The Legislature convenes at the Utah State Capitol
Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
in the state capital of Salt Lake City on the fourth Monday of January for an annual 45 day session.
Composition of Senate
The current party composition of the Utah Senate is:| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Party Utah Republican Party The Utah State Republican Party works to nominate and support the election of Republican candidates in partisan races for public office in the state of Utah... |
22 | |
| Democratic Party Utah Democratic Party The Utah State Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to office in the state of Utah. The Utah Democratic Party, like other national, state, and county parties, maintains a party platform that lists general principles or issues of importance to members of the Utah Democratic Party and maintains... |
7 | |
| Total | 29 | |
| Government Majority | 15 | |
Composition of House of Representatives
The current party composition of the Utah House is:| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Party Utah Republican Party The Utah State Republican Party works to nominate and support the election of Republican candidates in partisan races for public office in the state of Utah... |
58 | |
| Democratic Party Utah Democratic Party The Utah State Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to office in the state of Utah. The Utah Democratic Party, like other national, state, and county parties, maintains a party platform that lists general principles or issues of importance to members of the Utah Democratic Party and maintains... |
17 | |
| Total | 75 | |
| Government Majority | 35 | |
Background
The Utah State Legislature meets in the Utah State CapitolUtah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The Republicans
Utah Republican Party
The Utah State Republican Party works to nominate and support the election of Republican candidates in partisan races for public office in the state of Utah...
currently have super-majorities
Supermajority
A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority . In some jurisdictions, for example, parliamentary procedure requires that any action that may alter the rights of the minority has a supermajority...
in both the House
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district contains an average population of 35,000 people...
and Senate. They control the House by a margin of 55-20 and the Senate by 21-8. The current Senate President is Michael Waddoups (R - West Jordan
West Jordan, Utah
West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. West Jordan is a rapidly growing suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 103,712, placing it as the fourth most populated in the state. The city occupies the...
), and the Speaker of the House
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district contains an average population of 35,000 people...
is Becky Lockhart (R - Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
).
Districts
The state is divided into 29 Senate districts, each representing approximately 77,000 people and the House is divided into 75 House districts, each representing approximately 29,800 people. Senate districts overlap House districts allowing two legislators for each constituency in Utah.Qualifications and term of office
SenatorsState Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
are elected to a four-year term, and Representatives to a two-year term. All state House districts and half of all state Senate districts are up for election every two years. To be eligible for the office of a state Senator or Representative, a person must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 25 years of age, be a qualified voter in the district from which elected, and must be a resident of the State of Utah for three years and a resident of the district from which elected for six months.
Sessions
The annual General Session is held for 45 calendar days, convening on the fourth Monday in January. The General Session must conclude by midnight on the 45th day according to the Utah State Constitution. The Governor may by proclamation convene the Legislature in Special Session, to transact legislative business, but no legislative business can be conducted except that which is expressed in the proclamation or other legislative business that the Governor shall call attention to. These special sessions, except in the cases of impeachment, cannot exceed 30 calendar days. The House may convene for the purpose of impeachment if two-thirds of the members are in favor of convening for that purpose. The Speaker of the House shall determine by poll whether there is a sufficient number of members to convene for an Impeachment Session outside of the General Session. If the House impeaches the Senate is required to convene to try that impeachment.Structure and organization
The Utah Legislature is a bicameral, partisanPolitical Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
body composed of a lower chamber which is the Utah House of Representatives with 75 members, and upper chamber which is the Utah Senate
Utah State Senate
The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
, with 29 members. Senators serve four-year terms with half the seats in the Senate being up for election every two years and Representatives serve two-year terms with all the seats in the House being up for election every two years. Each body elects it own leadership and is responsible for determining its own rules of procedures.
The members of both houses of the Utah Legislature are elected on a partisan basis, and they conduct their proceedings including the elections of leadership according to membership in a party caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
. Currently, the state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
is the only state in the United States that is elected and conducted in a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
manner.
Committees and leadership
The Utah Senate elects a President of the SenatePresident of the Senate
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
and the Utah House elects a Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
, and each political party caucus in both houses elects party leadership including a Majority Leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
, Majority Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and Assistant Majority Whip by the Caucus with the most members in that house. The minority party caucus elects a Minority Leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
, Minority Whip, Assistant Minority Whip and includes one additional leadership position of Minority Caucus Manager to offset the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate who are traditionally members of the majority caucus yet are elected by the entire membership of their respective bodies.
Legislative committees serve an important function in the legislative process, as the majority of the debate and discussion of a bill is done in Committee and public comment is generally accepted at this point in the bill process. Amendments can be made to the bill and be given more consideration than they would on the Floor of the House or Senate. Utah has three types of legislative committees, these are: Appropriations Subcommittees, Standing Committees and Interim Committees.
Standing committees
There are 11 Senate standing committees and 15 House standing committees. A standing can take one of the following actions on a bill after it is assigned to the committee. These are: 1) amend the bill, 2) hold the bill, 3) table the bill, 4) return bill to the Senate Rules Committee, 5) substitute the bill, 6) vote the bill out of Committee with a favorable recommendation, or 7) vote the bill out of Committee with an unfavorable recommendation.Interim committees
Interim Committees fulfill essentially the same functions as Standing Committees and are differentiated from Standing Committees in that they meet during the interim between General Sessions to discuss bills, and to study issues, and to recommend bills to the Senate or House for consideration. Interim committees may take the same actions on a bill as a Standing Committee.History
Utah Territorial Assembly
The Utah TerritoryUtah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
was established by an act of Congress on Monday, September 9, 1850 which provided for a territorial government made up of a territorial governor chosen every four years, a territorial Assembly with a 13 member council chosen every second year and a 26 member House of Representatives chosen annually, and a territorial Judiciary made up of a Supreme Court, District Courts, Probate Courts, and justices of the peace. The creation of the Territory of Utah was part of the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
seeking to preserve the political balance of power between the slave and free states.
Following the organization of the territory, Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
was inaugurated as its first governor on Sunday, February 9, 1851 and the first territorial assembly
1st Utah Territorial Legislature
The 1st Utah Territorial Legislature convened on September 22, 1851 and ended on March 6, 1852.-Sessions:* General Session: September 22, 1851 - February 18, 1852* Special Session: February 19, 1852 - March 6, 1852-Members:...
met Monday, September 22, 1851 and continued to act as the legislative body of the Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
until 1896 with the successful passage of the Utah Constitution
Utah Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Utah is the state constitution of Utah. It defines the basic form and operation of state government.- History :The Utah Constitution was drafted at a convention that opened on March 4, 1895 in Salt Lake City...
and Utah achieving statehood
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. The first President of the Utah Territorial Senate was Willard Richards
Willard Richards
Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to church president Brigham Young in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death.Willard Richards was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to...
and the first Territorial Speaker of the House was William Wines Phelps. In 1870, the length of a Representative's term was extended to two years, and in 1896 the Utah Territorial Council became the Utah Senate
Utah State Senate
The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
with a four year term.
Petitions for Statehood
State of Deseret
The State of Deseret was a proposed state of the United States, propositioned in 1849 by Latter-day Saint settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never recognized by the United States government...
on March 8, 1849 to be held in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
rejected the proposed state and followed up the rejection by creating the Territory of Utah. It wasn't for another six years before the Fifth Territorial Legislature passed an act on December 10, 1855 establishing a constitutional convention to make a second attempt at Statehood. This second constitutional convention was held on March 17, 1856 in Salt Lake City and a proposed constitution was created which was subsequently rejected by the U.S. Congress.
A third constitutional convention was held on January 20, 1862 in Salt Lake City and a proposed constitution was drafted and subsequently submitted to the U.S. Congress which rejected the petition for statehood. The Twentieth Territorial Legislature on January 31, 1872 would call for a fourth constitutional convention and again petitioned Congress for statehood yet this effort also failed and it wasn't until April and May 1882 that a fifth and final attempt at statehood was made prior to Congress passing the Utah Enabling Act in 1894.
The Utah Territory preceded to hold a constitutional convention on March 4, 1895 which ended on March 6, 1895 and the proposed Constitution was ratified by the voters Tuesday, November 5, 1895. The first election was also held on this day and state officials were elected. The First Utah State Legislature
1st Utah State Legislature
The 1st Utah State Legislature was elected Tuesday, November 5, 1895 and convened on Monday, January 13, 1896.-Make-up:-Members:-Make-up:-Members:...
convened on January 13, 1896 and preceded to conduct the business of organizing the state.
Utah State Capitol
Salt Lake City Council Hall
The Salt Lake City Council Hall is currently home to offices for the Utah Office of Tourism and The Utah Film Commission and is located on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah...
served as the meeting place for the Utah Territorial legislature, and in 1896 the Utah State Legislature designated Fillmore
Fillmore, Utah
Fillmore is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Millard County. It is named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore....
, Millard County, Utah
Millard County, Utah
Millard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. In 2010, its population was 12,420. It was named for Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. Its county seat is Fillmore and the largest city is Delta.-Geography:...
, as the state capital.
Council House (Salt Lake City)
The Council House, often called the State House, was the first public building in Utah; being constructed in 1849-1850. The building stood in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the corner of Main Street and South Temple Street...
(Main and South Temple streets), the Social Hall (Social Hall Avenue), the old Salt Lake County Courthouse (Second South and Second West streets), the Salt Lake City Hall (First South near State Street), and the present Salt Lake City and County Building
Salt Lake City and County Building
The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the "City-County Building", is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. The historic landmark formerly housed offices for Salt Lake County government as well, hence the name.- History :...
(Fourth South and State streets).
After, being admitted to the Union as a State on January 4, 1896 by an act signed into law by President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
, the first official act of statehood was the swearing in of State officials at the Salt Lake Tabernacle
Salt Lake Tabernacle
The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah along with the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and Salt Lake Temple.-History:...
on January 6, 1896 as Utah did not have an official State Capitol. Acting upon the recommendation of Governor John C. Cutler the Utah Legislature finally approved a plan to build a State Capitol in 1909 yet construction on the Capitol did not start until December 26, 1912 and it wasn't completed and dedicated until October 9, 1916.
The Utah Capitol Building
Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
was undergoing renovations and seismic upgrades beginning in 2002 and was finished in 2008. The State Legislature met in the West Administration Building at the Capitol Complex while the Governor's and Lt. Governor's Offices were located in the East Administration Building during the time of renovation.
See also
- List of Utah State Legislatures
- Utah CapitolUtah State CapitolThe Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
- Utah House of Representatives
- Utah SenateUtah State SenateThe Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...