SALT LAKE CITY - A little more than a year after the Utah Credit Union League, at the height of their field-of-membership legislative fight with the Utah Bankers Association, collected more than 104,000 signatures from residents in six weeks on an initiative bill that would have allowed credit unions to maintain their existing FOMs, the Republican-controlled Utah legislature on Feb. 2 moved to make it more difficult for state residents to exercise direct democracy through ballot initiatives. In a surprise action on the state House floor, legislators passed by a vote of 49-20 substitute bill-H.B. 220-sponsored by Speaker of the House Rep. Mel Brown (R-Murray) that requires petitions from voters from each of Utah's 29 counties, rather than the current requirement of 20 counties, to put a proposed change of law on the ballot. The measure also eliminates the ability of residents to force the legislature to deal with an issue through initiative petition. Current law requires petitions signed by 5% of votes in the latest gubernatorial election to put an initiative before the legislature, and 10% to place it on the general-election ballot. "There is a strong sense in the state legislature that initiatives usurp the power of the legislature," said Tracie Kenyon Karls of the Utah Credit Union League. "This is a clear reflection of that attitude." Utah is one of only 28 states that allow lawmaking through initiatives bills. The right is guaranteed by the state Constitution, but details on how many signatures are needed and from how many counties is addressed only in statute. "The Utah Credit Union League is a well organized group, but can you imagine what could happen with a smaller, less organized group?" Karls asked. "If Rep. Brown's bill passes, securing the required number of signatures for an initiatives bill could prove to be so costly that it would be considered a luxury, instead of a citizen's right." At press time, H.B. 220 was in the Senate and Karls said the Utah CU League has met with the sponsor of the bill on the Senate side - Sen. Michael Waddoups (R-6). She explained that the senator has made assurances to the league that he is in favor of keeping the number of required counties at 20 and has promised he will kill the amendment if he cannot pull the number back. "At this time we don't want to do anything to impact our relationship with Senator Waddoups," said Karls. "We have a solid relationship with him and we believe his word is valid. The league will continue to monitor the bill and if it becomes necessary, we will issue a call to all credit unions for action. Right now, as the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Waddoups has the ability to kill it and there is no reason at this time for us to doubt his word." -
ekingoff@cutimes.com
