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Legislative action that proposed this amendment: SJR3 2020 General Session
Disposition: This amendment took effect following voter ratification. You may read the resulting 2021 Utah Constitution here.
Amends Article VI sections 2 and 16.
6:2
(1) Annual general sessions of the Legislature shall be held at the seat of government and shall begin on the day in January designated by statute.
(2) A session convened by the Governor under Article VII, Section 6 and a session convened by the Legislature under Subsection (3) shall be held at the seat of government, unless convening at the seat of government is not feasible due to epidemic, natural or human-caused disaster, enemy attack, or other public catastrophe.
(3)
(a) The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall by joint proclamation convene the Legislature into session if a poll conducted by the President and Speaker of their respective houses indicates that two-thirds of all members elected to each house are in favor of convening the Legislature into session because in their opinion a persistent fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency in the affairs of the State necessitates convening the Legislature into session.
(b) The joint proclamation issued by the President and Speaker shall specify the business for which the Legislature is to be convened, and the Legislature may not transact any business other than that specified in the joint proclamation, except that the Legislature may provide for the expenses of the session and other matters incidental to the session.
(c) The Legislature may not be convened into session under this Subsection (3) during the 30 calendar days immediately following the adjournment sine die of an annual general session of the Legislature.
(d) In a session convened under this Subsection (3), the cumulative amount of appropriations that the Legislature makes may not exceed an amount equal to 1% of the total amount appropriated by the Legislature for the immediately preceding completed fiscal year.
(e) Nothing in this Subsection (3) affects the Governor's authority to convene the Legislature under Article VII, Section 6.
6:16
Except in cases of impeachment:
(1) no annual general session of the Legislature may exceed 45 calendar days, excluding state holidays and federal holidays;
(2) no session of the Legislature convened by the Governor under Article VII, Section 6 may exceed 30 calendar days; and
(3) no session of the Legislature convened by the Legislature under Article VI, Section 2, Subsection (3) may exceed 10 calendar days.
