SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s legislative leaders are reversing course on a law passed last year that gave the state’s Senate president and House speaker the authority to draft ballot summaries for proposed constitutional amendments.
House Speaker Mike Schultz (R–Hooper) introduced a new bill aiming to restore that responsibility to nonpartisan legislative attorneys. While discussing the bill in committee, Schultz acknowledged that last year’s change “may not have been the best approach” and emphasized that the new measure would reinstate the previous system.
“This bill restores the process to how it was before, ensuring that nonpartisan legislative research attorneys are the ones drafting the language that appears on ballots for proposed initiatives,” Schultz explained.
The proposed legislation, H.B. 563, titled “Ballot Title Amendments,” assigns the task to the legislative general counsel. However, the bill notes that the general counsel operates under the guidance of legislative leadership, leaving some uncertainty about the extent of involvement House and Senate leaders may have in future ballot language.
The bill passed unanimously in the House Government Operations Committee with no objections from lawmakers or the public and now advances to the full House for further discussion.
This shift follows a Utah Supreme Court ruling that struck down Amendments A and D, citing concerns about misleading ballot language. In its decision on Amendment D, Justice Diana Hagan noted that the summary, written by Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams (R–Kaysville), failed to disclose the significant changes the amendment sought, ultimately preventing voters from making an informed decision.
Schultz did not explicitly state whether the Supreme Court’s ruling influenced his decision to propose the bill. However, he clarified that the original change in ballot-writing authority was made “well before Amendment D was even on the radar.”
This legislative adjustment aims to restore confidence in the ballot process and ensure clarity for Utah voters in future elections .
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