SB 44 – State Commission Amendments
By Margaret Dayton
Utah State Senator
Utah is the only State in the nation that has a standing Constitutional Review Commission. Other states have a situation similar to what I am proposing, where the Commission is convened for specific instances by the Legislature, as opposed to the option of year-round meetings. In some states, the Committee meets only in certain pre-appointed years to make recommendations.
Currently the CRC and the TRC are filled by highly qualified volunteers, who have been appointed by Legislative leadership and the Governor. My bill does not eliminate these highly useful groups of advisors, but it does require Legislative approval to activate them. It is like freezing your credit card in a block of ice. It is still there when needed, but requires serious thoughts to activate it.
This bill makes it very easy for these commissions to be convened. I want to keep them available and organized as they presently stand, but encourage us to be judicious in utilizing their services.
Filed in: 2010
