02-26 12:03 H.B. 507
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Legislative Water Development Commission Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Thomas W. Peterson
Senate Sponsor:
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LONG TITLE
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General Description:
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This bill addresses membership requirements on the Legislative Water Development
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Commission.
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Highlighted Provisions:
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This bill:
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▸ establishes a minimum number for commission membership; and
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▸ Ĥ→ [removes] modifies ←Ĥ the partisanship requirements for members on the
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Legislative Water
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Development Commission.
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Money Appropriated in this Bill:
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None
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Other Special Clauses:
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None
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Utah Code Sections Affected:
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AMENDS:
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73-27-102, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 229
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Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
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Section 1. Section 73-27-102 is amended to read:
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73-27-102 . Legislative Water Development Commission created.
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(1)(a) The Legislative Water Development Commission is created to determine the
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state's role in the protection, conservation, and development of the state's water
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resources.
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(b) For purposes of this chapter, "commission" means the Legislative Water
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Development Commission.
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(2)(a) The commission membership shall include:
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(i) [five ] a minimum of two members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the
H.B. 507 H.B. 507 02-26 12:03
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Senate[, no more than four of whom may be from the same political party] Ĥ→ ,
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with at least one member from the minority political party ←Ĥ ;
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(ii) [eight ] a minimum of two members of the House of Representatives, appointed
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by the speaker of the House of Representatives[, no more than six of whom may
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be from the same political party] Ĥ→ , with at least one member from the minority
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political party ←Ĥ ; and
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(iii) subject to Subsections (2)(b) and (c), [ ]nonvoting members, appointed by the
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Legislative Management Committee, from a list recommended by the cochairs of
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the commission described in Subsection (5).
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(b) If the Legislative Management Committee chooses to not appoint an individual on
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the list described in Subsection (2)(a)(iii), the Legislative Management Committee
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may ask the cochairs of the commission to submit an additional list of
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recommendations.
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(c) The Legislative Management Committee may not appoint an individual who is not
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recommended by the cochairs of the commission.
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(3)(a) The members appointed by the Legislative Management Committee under
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Subsection (2)(a)(iii) shall be appointed or reappointed to a two-year term.
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(b) When a vacancy occurs in the membership for any reason, the Legislative
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Management Committee, in consultation with the cochairs of the commission, shall
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appoint a replacement for the unexpired term.
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(4) The president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives shall, to the
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extent possible, appoint members under Subsections (2)(a)(i) and (ii) that represent both
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rural and urban areas of the state.
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(5)(a) The president of the Senate shall designate a member of the Senate appointed
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under Subsection (2)(a)(i) as a cochair of the commission.
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(b) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the House
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of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(a)(ii) as a cochair of the
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commission.
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(6) What constitutes a quorum of the commission is determined in accordance with
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Legislative Joint Rules, Title 7, Chapter 1, Part 2, Creation and Organization of
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Legislative Committees, except nonvoting members of the commission described in
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Subsection (2)(a)(iii) may not be considered for purposes of determining a quorum.
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(7)(a) Compensation and expenses of a member of the commission who is a legislator
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are governed by Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Legislative
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Compensation and Expenses.
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(b) Commission members who are employees of the state shall receive no additional
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compensation.
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(c) Other commission members shall receive no compensation or expenses for their
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service on the commission.
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(8) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support to
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the commission.
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Section 2. Effective Date.
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This bill takes effect on May 7, 2025.
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