Utah House approves substitute extending state flag task force timeline and designating current flag as governor's flag
November 10, 2021 | 2021 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah
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The Utah House of Representatives on Nov. 10 adopted a first substitute to Senate Bill 2,003 that extends the timeline for the state flag task force and formally designates the current state flag as the governor’s flag.
Sponsor Representative Handy told the House the substitute "extends for 1 year the dates associated with the state flag task force," moving several deadlines and the task force sunset date to allow more public engagement and deliberation. The bill amends the task force schedule, setting the new member term end date to Nov. 30, 2023; the deadline to select proposed flag designs to Sept. 15, 2022; the date to submit a report to the interim Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee to Nov. 1, 2022; and a task force sunset of Jan. 1, 2024.
Representative Donovan questioned whether the bill’s language—designating the current flag as the governor’s flag—would effectively remove that design from consideration as the state flag. "So by designating this the governor's flag, does that kind of take it off the table as consideration as the state flag?" Donovan asked. Handy replied, "Well, everything's everything would still be open," saying the legislature would still see recommendations and could decide whether to keep or change the flag.
Several lawmakers pressed for preserving the legislature’s full option. Representative Kristofferson offered the substitute to remove language that would eliminate the option to decide the state flag after the task force’s work. Representative Hawkes and others supported keeping options open so the process would proceed as initially presented to the legislature.
Representative Waite, a task force member, warned of an unintended interim consequence: if the current flag is reclassified as a governor’s flag, there could be a period "months" without an official state flag in certain military or multijurisdictional displays because the governor’s flag does not substitute for an official state flag in all contexts. That concern was raised as a reason to approve the substitute, which sponsors said preserves legislative choice and avoids a gap in official status.
The House voted to adopt the first substitute to Senate Bill 2,003; the clerk reported the substitute passed the House "with 70 yes votes and 0 no votes." The bill will return to the Senate for further consideration.
The measure and its substitute drew debate centered on process and the potential symbolic and procedural consequences of designating a design as a governor’s flag while a task force continues consideration of alternatives. The House recessed following the vote and returned to other calendar business and caucus meetings.
Sponsor Representative Handy told the House the substitute "extends for 1 year the dates associated with the state flag task force," moving several deadlines and the task force sunset date to allow more public engagement and deliberation. The bill amends the task force schedule, setting the new member term end date to Nov. 30, 2023; the deadline to select proposed flag designs to Sept. 15, 2022; the date to submit a report to the interim Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee to Nov. 1, 2022; and a task force sunset of Jan. 1, 2024.
Representative Donovan questioned whether the bill’s language—designating the current flag as the governor’s flag—would effectively remove that design from consideration as the state flag. "So by designating this the governor's flag, does that kind of take it off the table as consideration as the state flag?" Donovan asked. Handy replied, "Well, everything's everything would still be open," saying the legislature would still see recommendations and could decide whether to keep or change the flag.
Several lawmakers pressed for preserving the legislature’s full option. Representative Kristofferson offered the substitute to remove language that would eliminate the option to decide the state flag after the task force’s work. Representative Hawkes and others supported keeping options open so the process would proceed as initially presented to the legislature.
Representative Waite, a task force member, warned of an unintended interim consequence: if the current flag is reclassified as a governor’s flag, there could be a period "months" without an official state flag in certain military or multijurisdictional displays because the governor’s flag does not substitute for an official state flag in all contexts. That concern was raised as a reason to approve the substitute, which sponsors said preserves legislative choice and avoids a gap in official status.
The House voted to adopt the first substitute to Senate Bill 2,003; the clerk reported the substitute passed the House "with 70 yes votes and 0 no votes." The bill will return to the Senate for further consideration.
The measure and its substitute drew debate centered on process and the potential symbolic and procedural consequences of designating a design as a governor’s flag while a task force continues consideration of alternatives. The House recessed following the vote and returned to other calendar business and caucus meetings.
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