A day after the Senate finalized a rule limiting media access to certain areas of the Capitol without permission, the House took a similar step by passing its own resolution.
HJR14 would, among other things, require journalists to obtain permission from a committee chairman before being allowed to stand behind the dais to take photos or videos. Unlike SR1, however, it does not deal with access to the floor of the house.
The resolution contains a number of other amendments to the legislative rules which are not related to access to the media. This would require standing committees to only consider bills from the opposite house during the last week of the general session and change what happens to bills that are not recommended by a committee at the last meeting. of a calendar year.
Sponsor representative Timothy Hawkes, R-Centerville, called the resolution a “comprehensive” review of the legislative rules to address a “lack of clarity.”
Regarding media access, Hawkes said the resolution would still grant media access, but would simply require prior authorization. Representative Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, asked Hawkes why the provision was included.
“It just seems weird to me,” she said.
Hawkes said he was not aware of any specific incidents where members of the media disrupted committee meetings.
“I don’t know of any specific case that led to this,” he said. “I think it’s just about allowing the presidents to handle this. … They have to get permission from the chair to be up there next to lawmakers, which seems like a reasonable thing to let the committee chair control when we go to some of these more contentious committee hearings.
During the debate over Senate rule, the safety of lawmakers was a primary reason for passing the change, although senators did not provide evidence that reporters were disrupting meetings or posing a threat.
The resolution passed on a majority partisan vote, although House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, voted in favour. As a joint resolution, HJR14 will head to the Senate, but is not subject to Governor Spencer Cox’s approval or veto.
