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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah House Republicans voted in a closed caucus meeting Monday to repeal a highly controversial law they passed just 17 days ago.
The move comes as they're getting a torrent of criticism from the public and news organizations.
Related
Governor calls for repeal of HB477
Gov. Gary Herbert called Monday for the repeal of HB477, saying he considered a veto for its "symbolic value" but decided against it because the bill had passed with "veto-proof margins."After the meeting went on for three hours, lawmakers finally emerged and announced it was time to take a step back and repeal the law known as HB477.
Most decline comment after the meeting, though one says the atmosphere around the issue has become "toxic" and it's time to "start from scratch."
"A large portion of our body felt that we needed to take a second look at 477," said Rep. Jeremy Peterson, R-Ogden. "Most of us agreed to repeal it."
The top two leaders in the House say they've been hearing from their constituents.
House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart said, "There was concern expressed that we wanted to give the public an opportunity to be more involved in the process. We understood their frustrations and continue to listen to their concerns."
When asked if the Legislature made a mistake with this law, Lockhart responded no.
"We didn't break any of the rules. This is the legislative process," she said.
Sponsors:
- Bill Sponsor: John Dougall
- Senate Floor Sponsor: Lyle Hillyard
- Cosponsors
- House Votes:
- Senate Votes:
A new KSL-TV/Deseret News poll by Dan Jones found most Utahns -- 84 percent of those polled -- feel the issue of keeping government records open is important. Only 13 percent say it's not.
Gov. Gary Herbert issued a press release saying he expects lawmakers will "repeal and replace" the bill, saying the "process and substance" of 477 has "resulted in a loss of public confidence."
Shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, Herbert notified legislative leaders that he will call a special session to repeal HB477 on Frida, March 25.
In the meantime, the state elections office began processing signature packets for a referendum campaign to repeal 477, called SaveGRAMA.org.
"Right now, we've done a couple thousand packets," said Mark Thomas, Director of Elections. "Each of them has a hundred signature lines in it."
The Senate on Monday released the list of a 25-person HB477 working group to be headed by Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie, a former lawmaker.
Also Monday, the ACLU announced it plans to file a lawsuit if 477 isn't "repealed as soon as possible."
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
