This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah legislators have set a new, all-time record for the number of bills introduced. But they also have tied a record for the fewest bills passed to this point in a general session.
They have introduced 738 bills, according to Senate Rules Committee Chairman John Valentine, R-Orem. "We have a historic high."
But, he added, they also tied the record for the least number of bills passed, 138, as of last Friday, six weeks into the session. "That's tied with 2007," he said.
Valentine gave guesses for reasons behind both records.
"Our legislative general counsel has been very efficient in getting bills drafted as they have been requested," he said, listing one reason for the record number introduced. "We've had a record number of requests as well. I think that this particular class of legislators has really been active in trying to look at ways to solve problems in the state."
Valentine said the number passed is down because the Legislature changed its procedures to work only on the budget during the first week of its 45-day session this year, so hearings and action on other bills were delayed by a week.
"We'll spend time here in the last two weeks," he said, "looking at legislation to decide which ones are going to be passing and which ones will be pushed off to a future legislature."