§ 20A-7-204.1. Public hearings to be held before initiative petitions are circulated -- Changes to an initiative and initial fiscal impact estimate.

(1)

(a) After issuance of the initial fiscal impact estimate by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget and before circulating initiative petitions for signature statewide, sponsors of the initiative petition shall hold at least seven public hearings throughout Utah as follows:

(i) one in the Bear River region -- Box Elder, Cache, or Rich County;

(ii) one in the Southwest region -- Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, or Washington County;

(iii) one in the Mountain region -- Summit, Utah, or Wasatch County;

(iv) one in the Central region -- Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, or Wayne County;

(v) one in the Southeast region -- Carbon, Emery, Grand, or San Juan County;

(vi) one in the Uintah Basin region -- Daggett, Duchesne, or Uintah County; and

(vii) one in the Wasatch Front region -- Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele, or Weber County.

(b) Of the seven meetings, at least two of the meetings shall be held in a first or second class county, but not in the same county.

(2) At least three calendar days before the date of the public hearing, the sponsors shall:

(a) provide written notice of the public hearing to:

(i) the lieutenant governor for posting on the state's website; and

(ii) each state senator, state representative, and county commission or county council member who is elected in whole or in part from the region where the public hearing will be held; and

(b) publish written notice of the public hearing detailing its time, date, and location:

(i) in at least one newspaper of general circulation in each county in the region where the public hearing will be held; and

(ii) on the Utah Public Notice Website created in Section 63F-1-701.

(3)

(a) During the public hearing, the sponsors shall either:

(i) video tape or audio tape the public hearing and, when the hearing is complete, deposit the complete audio or video tape of the meeting with the lieutenant governor; or

(ii) take comprehensive minutes of the public hearing, detailing the names and titles of each speaker and summarizing each speaker's comments.

(b) The lieutenant governor shall make copies of the tapes or minutes available to the public.

(4)

(a) Within 14 days after conducting the seventh public hearing required by Subsection (1)(a) and before circulating an initiative petition for signatures, the sponsors of the initiative petition may change the text of the proposed law if:

(i) a change to the text is:

(A) germane to the text of the proposed law filed with the lieutenant governor under Section 20A-7-202; and

(B) consistent with the requirements of Subsection 20A-7-202(5); and

(ii) each sponsor signs, attested to by a notary public, an application addendum to change the text of the proposed law.

(b)

(i) Within three working days of receipt of an application addendum to change the text of the proposed law in an initiative petition, the lieutenant governor shall submit a copy of the application addendum to the Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

(ii) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget shall update the initial fiscal impact estimate by following the procedures and requirements of Section 20A-7-202.5 to reflect a change to the text of the proposed law.

Amended by Chapter 310, 2013 General Session