FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Where do I find information about committees?

Search for a specific committee or view all legislative committees .

2. Where do I find a committee's upcoming agendas?

Search by Upcoming Agendas, Calendar, or Committees.

3. How do I find my legislators? Which legislative district do I live in?

View the House and Senate maps, Legislator Look-up or call your county clerk.

4. When should I contact my legislator about something I'd like changed in law?

Start communicating now. Contact your legislator months in advance of the General Session, which convenes every year on the 3rd Monday in January.

5. How can I communicate my ideas or concerns that need to be resolved?

A positive approach leads to mutual respect and consideration for any issue at hand. Provide your legislator with credible information, research, statistical data (if available), and possible solutions to help resolve an issue.

6. How do I track a bill during session?

Use our Bill Tracking Service and Reading Calendar that provide the information as it is happening.

7. Can you help me with these audio/video issues?

Where are links to meetings currently in session?
Committee links for live audio appear on our home page www.le.utah.gov when a meeting starts. Meetings may not begin on time. Press the refresh button on your browser to make links appear sooner while you are waiting and watching for a meeting to begin.

Where are links to floor debates currently in session?
Live floor debate video/audio links appear when the legislators begin scheduled floor time. Floor time may begin sooner or later than originally scheduled. Press the refresh button on your browser to make links appear sooner while you are waiting and watching for floor time to begin.

Where are audio links to bills previously discussed in meetings and on the floor?
Links to archived audio can appear anytime. The House and Senate staff publish links as soon as they finish preparing them. Links to specific discussion items appear as soon as staff can add them. Archived audio is available on committee pages from July 1, 2005 - current. Archived floor debates can be accessed from our home page under "Quick Links" and "Legislative Histories." Digitized formats of floor debates will eventually be available from 1990 - current. Senate floor debates are available from the Senate back to 1965. House floor debates 1957 - 1990 can be listened to at the Utah History Research Center.

Can I download the audio?
Currently, MP3 versions of the audio are not available on our Web site. Contact the House or Senate offices for copies of the audio of committee meetings.

Why do I get an error message when I click on an audio/video link?
A program that can play real audio files may not be installed and configured properly on your computer. Streaming audio/video, .smil files and .rm files need to be associated with a player that can play these files. In RealPlayer you can set these from the Tools menu - preferences-content-media types. This program also must work properly with the browser you use. With RealPlayer, the newest version sometimes will not work until it is uninstalled then reinstalled. Some companies block streaming audio/video at their firewalls, and you need to work with their IT staff or your ISP provider to resolve the issue. We do not provide technical support.

Where can I find a player that will allow me to listen to the audio/video provided by your website?
A free player can be downloaded from real.com. Other players are available at player.helixcommunity.org.

8. How do I find voting records for legislators?

Links to official voting records are on the Bill Status page for each bill.

The Bill Status page provides dates, actions taken, locations, and votes. Committee votes are linked to committee reports showing how each committee member present voted. Floor votes are linked to the House and Senate Journal pages showing how each House and Senate member present voted.

You may also search the Journals by keyword for official votes, or contact the House and Senate offices for a legislator's voting history.

9. How do I know if a section of the Utah Code has been affected by legislation?

Click on Passed Bills under Bills on our home page, select the applicable year, then click on Sections Passed Report. You can also use the link to see Sections Affected in .pdf on each session page, or link to a bill from the chapter number at the bottom of each .html Utah Code section.

10. How do I reserve a legislative room and obtain communicative and interpretive assistance in the House Building?

The Legislative Management Committee policy allows an organization or person to reserve legislative rooms in the House Building at the State Capitol Complex (with exceptions in (3) of the policy). To reserve a legislative room, fill out a request form and e-mail to staff indicated on the form or contact the Office at Legislative Research and General Counsel at 801-538-1032.

How do I capture audio recordings?
You may capture audio in a legislative room with your own recording equipment. Executive and judicial branch offices may obtain recordings by submitting a request form to Cassandra Bauman and paying the fee (see Technical Assistance, (3)(b)) established by the Legislative Management Committee.

How do I receive communicative aids and interpretive services?
To receive auxillary communicative aids for official legislative meetings, contact the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel at 801-538-1032, TTY at 801- 326-1634, or e-mail Cassandra Bauman. Please request this service at least three working days in advance. During a legislative session, please request this service as soon as possible. To receive interpretive services for an official legislative meeting, submit a completed Request Form for Interpretive Services to the staff indicated on the form.

11. How does a bill become law?

12. How can I find out more about the Utah State Legislature?

13. How can I get involved in the legislative process?

14. How do I find what laws exist in Utah?