Senate advances Olympic coordination bill, greets USOC and Salt Lake City officials

The Utah Senate voted to advance House Bill 430, a package of changes to set up an Olympic and Paralympic coordinating committee and to give the governor limited authority to execute Games-related contracts subject to legislative management review. Sponsor Sen. Mike McHale said the measure would create a three-member House and three-member Senate committee and allow the state to be ‘‘part of the process for the Salt Lake City–Utah Olympics.’’

McHale told colleagues the bill would give the governor authority to enter contracts related to hosting while requiring those contracts to be reviewed by the Legislative Management Committee. The Senate suspended rules and moved both House Bill 430 and House Concurrent Resolution 8 for immediate consideration; the bills were advanced under suspension and will be returned to the House for signature procedures. Under the suspension of rules the chamber then took final action and the president directed signatures and transmittal back to the House.

The resolution, HCR 8, focuses on indemnification and describes the state’s past ski-Olympic efforts and intent to cooperate on a future bid. Sen. McHale said indemnification ‘‘is something we need to do as a state.’’ Under suspension of rules the Senate approved the resolution; roll-call lines indicate a unanimous or near-unanimous outcome and the president said the measures will be returned to the House for signatures.

Senators invited several Olympic movement officials into the chamber immediately after passage. Guests introduced by McHale included Catherine Rainey Norman (identified in the record as chair of the Salt Lake City Utah Committee for the Games), Fraser Bullock (president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Utah Committee for the Games), Sarah Hirshland (President and CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee), Jean Sykes (USOPC board chair), and Colin Hilton of the U.S. Olympic Legacy Foundation. Senate remarks welcomed the delegation and staged a group photo in the chamber.

Senator Bramble presented an Olympic pin from the 2002 Games to Fraser Bullock. Senate leaders said the committee and resolution align with past state work on Olympic hosting and emphasized Utah’s interest in participating as an Olympic site. The Senate recessed after announcements and a photo opportunity with Olympic guests.

The bills’ next procedural steps are transmittal to the House for signatures and any additional approvals required there.