Utah Eagle Forum

Here is the basic course on how a bill becomes law:

If it originates in the House, it is numbered with:

HB = House Bill

HR = House Resolution

HJR = House Joint Resolution

HCR = House Concurrent Resolution

It is introduced in the House and it goes to the House rules committee for prioritizing and assignment to a standing House committee.

The assigned Committee hears testimony on the bill and votes to pass it out favorably or to table it or to hold it.

If the bill passes out favorably, it goes to the House floor. Every bill must be "read" 3 times before a final vote. The introduction of the bill counts as one, when it comes out of Committee it is placed on the 2nd reading calendar and it is "read" again and placed on the 3rd reading calendar.

Once a bill is on the 3rd reading calendar, 3 things can happen: 1-Negative vote and it is defeated, 2-Positive vote and it is sent to the Senate to repeat the entire process in the Senate, or 3-"Circled" which means it is placed on hold indefinitely.

The same thing happens in the Senate. Bills are numbered with SB, SR, SCR, SJR when they originate in the Senate

Senate bills must pass the Senate first and then the House.

Once a bill has passed in BOTH houses it goes to the Governor. He can either sign it into law or veto it.

A vetoed bill can still become law IF, the legislature holds a Veto Override Session in May and votes for the bill with a 2/3 majority.