The Utah legislature adjourned March 3. The Senate did not pass HB 393, or vote on it, even though the bill had passed the House in February. The bill would have provided that if a candidate for a party nomination gets at least 70% support at a party convention, no primary would be held for that office. The bill’s failure is good news for Senator Mitt Romney, who is up for re-election in 2024 and who is not popular with Republican Party officials in the state.
The Senate also didn’t take up HJR 17, a proposed constitutional amendment that had passed the House, and would have amended the Constitution to say that initiatives that raise taxes must pass by 60%.