Tag Archives: vetting

New data show how little time the Legislature spends per bill

The median bill enacted in 2018 received a total of only seven minutes of House and Senate floor debate before passage. Today the Utah Legislature concludes the fifth week of its seven-week General Session. The pace is about to pick … Continue reading

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The 2017 Utah Legislature passed a record number of bills but slightly improved vetting time

We’re not back to the good old days of 2007-2008, but legislators definitely did better this year at getting their bills out earlier Back in January, I heard a lot of chatter that this would be one of the busiest sessions ever. … Continue reading

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The 2016 Legislature: Slowing down while speeding up

Legislators introduced 177 bills in the session’s final three weeks. Despite being limited to only 45 lawmaking days, Utah’s Legislature sure passes a lot of bills–2 to 3 times as many bills per year as Congress. After last year’s record … Continue reading

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The 2015 Legislature passed 528 bills in 45 days

Though there were 87 more bills introduced in 2015 than 2008 overall, there were 84 fewer introductions within the first two weeks. By the time the Utah Legislature concluded its seven-week General Session last Thursday, legislators had passed 528 bills (including resolutions). I’ve … Continue reading

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The closest votes in the 2014 Utah Legislature

Close votes are rare in the Utah Legislature. Instead, the typical bill passes with over 90% of legislators voting the same way. There are exceptions to every rule, of course. Here, I’ve listed the 20 closest votes in each chamber … Continue reading

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The 2014 Legislature: Slow out of the gate, frantic in the stretch

Clearly, something caused the Legislature to fall behind in its bill processing this year. Utah legislators introduced 786 bills and resolutions in the 2014 session—fewer than the 800 we saw in 2009, but still higher than usual. However, a procedural … Continue reading

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Did changing the calendar create a major crunch day in the Legislature?

Legislators can either rush bills through the process with minimal debate in order to clear the backlog, or they can take a more methodical pace even if it means some good bills don’t get to come to a vote before … Continue reading

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How quickly were bills passed in 2013?

Something changed around 2009 or 2010 that led legislators to introduce their bills later and, as a result, process them more quickly. In 2013, the Utah Legislature passed more bills than it’s passed since I started keeping track (in 2007). … Continue reading

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The closest votes in the 2013 Legislature

Most votes in the Utah Legislature pass with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. It has long been tradition that floor votes in the Utah Legislature pass with overwhelming majorities taking the same side. Democrats and Republicans alike tend to get behind … Continue reading

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Context for Sen. Osmond’s proposed rules changes

Bills were introduced later and passed faster in 2012. It seems Sen. Osmond wants to reverse this trend. The news reports that Sen. Aaron Osmond wants to change the legislature’s rules to ban so-called “boxcar” bills, thereby increasing transparency in … Continue reading

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