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SALT LAKE CITY -- When the Legislature adjourns Thursday, it will have left a lot of business on the table. Around 800 bills introduced in the session, and at the time of this posting, 355 have been passed.
That kind of ratio often leads to the question of whether the 45-day session is long enough to deal in reasonable detail with all of the matters the lawmakers find important enough to at least introduce.
Some might argue that more time would result in more thorough legislation. Others may counter that more time means more mischief. Either way, the notion of expanding the session surfaces from time to time.
There was a day in the not too distant past in which the Utah Legislature actually convened for different lengths of time in alternate years. There were 60-day sessions, followed by 20-day sessions. The shorter sessions were intended to primarily deal with the state budget. The longer sessions were meant to deal with the budget and a broad legislative agenda.
That changed in the early 1980s after lawmakers agreed the 20-day sessions were too hectic, and the 60-days sessions too much. The current 45-day stretch became the "Goldilocks," solution - neither too long nor too short, but "just right."
But interestingly, Utah has the shortest legislative session in the United States, shared by a handful of other states including New Mexico, Wyoming, North Dakota and Arkansas - all states that have so-called "citizen legislators."
Idaho, which also has a citizen legislature, meets for 90 days or more; sessions there last until they agree all of the work is done. In states with full-time assemblies, in which membership is essentially a full-time job, sessions last much longer. The California State Assembly is in session virtually year-round, averaging 280 days.
The average in the nation is round 75 days. If you're interested, a South Carolina organization has put [an interactive map](< http://www.scpolicycouncil.com/map/>) online with details on the various states.
E-mail: mailto:cpsarras@ksl.com">cpsarras@ksl.com
