How a Bill Becomes a Law in Utah: Floor Consideration

After a bill passes out of a Standing Committee, the bill moves to “the Board” (the electronic board at the front of each chamber that lists the bills) for consideration by the entire body. Bills receive one floor debate in the House and two in the Senate (a “Second Reading” and a “Third Reading”), though the Senate’s two-readings requirement often is suspended toward the end of the General Session. 

Bills are addressed in the order they appear on the Board. If a bill is “circled,” that means it will stay dormant on the Board until changes or agreements are made that allow the bill sponsor to “uncircled” the bill for debate. Debate on a bill can span days or weeks, if the bill is repeatedly debated and circled.

For the most part, Representatives can speak to any bill they want for as long as they want, provided the Speaker of the Housegives them the floor, which almost always is granted. Toward the end of the General Session, Representatives might face restrictions on the amount of time they are given to speak, though they can move for additional time, which also is almost always granted. At the very end of the General Session, the Speaker might not call on all Representatives wishing to talk, and members might not grant speakers additional time. Also, members might “Call the Question” on a bill, meaning that a majority can cut off debate and move directly to the vote. The motion suggests they’ve heard enough and they are ready to vote and move on to other bills.

Senators cannot be limited in the amount of time they speak to a bill. Because the Senate is a smaller body, bill sponsors enjoy greater opportunity to privately work through colleagues’ questions, disagreements, and uncertainties. Thus, Senate debates tend to yield fewer surprises than House debates.

Representatives push a green or red button to vote. Senators vote by vocal “aye” or “no” during a roll-call vote. Senators can “pass,” if they want to be skipped over to hear how other members vote. And, Senators can take time to explain their votes.

Representatives and Senators cannot refuse to vote on a bill, though they might miss a vote because of conflicting tasks (like privately meeting off the floor to work through issues on another important bill) or even intentionally skip a vote by walking off the floor. As citizen-legislators, members will have conflicts of interests on some bills (e.g., a teacher voting on education issues and salaries). The conflicts must be disclosed on a form on file with the House/Senate clerk or orally on the floor.

To pass, a bill must receive a constitutional majority (38 votes in the House and 15 votes in the Senate). If a bill fails to receive a majority, it dies. However, it can be brought back for reconsideration, if members vote to do so.