Series 409

LEGISLATURE. SENATE. [609]

JOURNALS, 1882-[ongoing]

DESCRIPTION: These volumes constitute the published minutes of the senate from territorial days to the present. The legislature began keeping journals with the creation of the territory in 1851. At first the senate, then known as the Legislative Council, published its journal mixed with that of the House (see LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY JOURNALS). By 1882 the journals were kept separately, although the 1892 edition was bound jointly with the separate journal of the House.

Each day's entry covers a standard order of business. The place and date is entered: there is note of the call to order and roll, a prayer, reading of the journal entry from the previous day, legislative business, adjournment, and, until 1896, a closing benediction. While the activities are noted, details are not. The beginning day of each session usually lists all members answering to roll call; thereafter the entries just specify if a quorum is present. Often a separate table of members is included toward the start of the volume; by 1975, their photographs are included. Many of the volumes have the appropriate sections of the constitution and the senate rules recorded toward the beginning which specify the order of business and clarify procedures.

Legislative business is only slightly more detailed. Petitions, if any, are the first order of new business. These are requests from citizens for various actions and are most frequently referred to the appropriate committee. Other communications, from agencies, groups, or individuals, might also be read into the record at this time.

Committee reports are the next order of daily business. The reports recommend the passage or rejection of particular legislation. If the entire committee is not in agreement, a minority report might be presented. Initially, letters and reports from various state agencies were often entered into the record as part of a committee report. However, by the 1920s, committee reports were confined strictly to a statement recommending passage or rejection of legislation. During the 1960s, brief reasons for the recommendation were included, although not as detailed as in the early reports. These again are dropped by the 1970s, with rare exceptions such as the report of the reapportionment committee in 1981 which is recorded in full. Committee members are appointed at the beginning of the session, and may also be listed in tables at the beginning or end of many volumes.

The process of enacting legislation via bills and resolutions is the most frequent business recorded. The title of the bill is noted along with its status: which reading it is at, whether or not it is passed, whether it has been referred back to committee, what amendments or rewrites are motioned for, etc. The contents of the bills are not recorded, although brief summaries of the contents along with the actions taken are recorded in separate tables in 1977 and 1979. The names of individuals motioning for particular actions are specified, and after 1884, individual names also are recorded on the final vote on a bill or resolution.

Messages from the opposing chamber, usually relating to a joint session or the passage of a bill in that house, are recorded in full. Messages from the governor also report passage, veto, or objections to portions of particular bills. Senate confirmations of gubernatorial appointees are recorded as well. Speeches related to statehood are prevalent in 1896 and 1897. Memorial tributes to deceased notables occur intermittently. Other miscellaneous business includes such things as invitations to visit or attend various civic functions, a poem read into the record by a senator, etc.

Minutes from joint sessions are entered in the journals of both houses. From statehood in 1896 to 1913, the joint session elected U.S. senators, so much time is noted recording candidate speeches and numerous ballots. The governor's opening message was also presented in joint session and printed in full, detailing topics of concern in the state and recommending legislative action. Initially, several agency reports, particularly those of the auditor and treasurer, accompanied the governor's address; later these were simply summarized in his message. Joint memorials to Congress, pleading for federal action (or inaction), commonly appear in the joint sessions of the 1880s, but are shorter and less frequent after statehood when Utah gained more autonomy.

ARRANGEMENT: Arrangement is chronological by session with daily entries thereunder.

RELATED RECORDS: Unpublished journals are available from 1858-1882 as COUNCIL JOURNAL RECORD BOOKS, series 3167. Before 1880, the council journals were published jointly with those of the house as the LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY JOURNALS, series 3145. The LAWS OF UTAH, series 83155, and the lieutenant governor's LEGISLATIVE BILLS, series 4076, contain the final version of bills and resolutions passed. Working bills for the senate during the territorial period are in series 3150, TERRITORIAL LEGISLATIVE RECORDS; after 1896 in Senate WORKING BILLS, series 428.

After statehood, the annual REPORTS which the governor summarized usually exist separately for individual agencies. For example, those of the Auditor are in series 1623 and those of the Treasurer in series 526.

FINDING AIDS: The 1882 volume and most after 1899 contain indices to bills and resolutions acted on during the session. The bills and resolutions are listed by number and cite the appropriate page numbers in the volume. An index to reports, communications, and miscellaneous business may also be included; these are divided by type of business and then arranged chronologically. A subject index was introduced in 1955. Arranged alphabetically by subject, this index cited the bill number and was meant to use in conjunction with the bill index.

PROCESSING NOTE: Parts were microfilmed in the 1970s and early 1980s. The remainder were filmed in 1991 and following. Any pages missed or blurred at time of filming will appear as retakes at the beginning of each reel. Archivally processed by A.C. Cone in 1990; the container list is updated periodically when new volumes are microfilmed.

GAPS IN THE SERIES: As noted above, pre-1882 journals were published with the house in series 3145. Also, the senate usually met in even numbered years until statehood and odd numbered years thereafter, moving to annual sessions (either budget or regular) in 1976. Therefore, entries for other years are not to be expected unless some sort of special session was held.

No eighth extraordinary session was held in 1986 as the senate was already convened in a fourth special session.

CONTAINER LIST

Reel	Description
1	1882, 25th session; 1884, 26th session; 1886, 27th session; 1888, 28th session
2	1890, 29th session; 1892, Council and House Journals, 30th session; 1894, 31st session, start-p. 373
3	1894, 31st session, p. 373-end; 1896, 1st session; 1897, 2nd session
4	1899, 3rd session; 1901, 4th session; 1903, 5th session, start-p. 375
5	1903, 5th session, p. 373-end; 1905, 6th session; 1907, 7th session, start-p. 517
6	1907, 7th session, p. 515-end; 1909, 8th session; 1911, 9th session, start-p. 321
7	1911, 9th session, p. 319-end; 1913, 10th session
8	1915, 11th session; 1917, 12th session, start-p. 595
9	1917, 12th session, p. 593-end; 1919, 13th session; 1919, 13th special session
10	1921, 14th session; 1923, 15th session, start-p. 616
11	1923, 15th session, p. 615-end; 1925, 16th session; 1927, 17th session, start-p. 622
12	1927, 17th session, p. 621-end; 1929, 18th session; 1930, 18th special session
13	1931, 19th session; 1933, Special and 20th session, start-p. 674
14	1933, Special and 20th session, p. 673-end; 1933, 20th second special session; 1935, 21st session; 1936, 21st special session; 1937, 22nd session, start-p. 240
15	1937, 22nd session, p. 239-end; 1939, 23rd session
16	1941, 24th session; 1941, 24th special session; 1943, 25th session, start-p. 402
17	1943, 25th session, p. 401-end; 1944, 25th first special session; 1945, 26th session; 1946, 26th first special session; 1947, 27th session, start-p. 50
18	1947, 27th session, p. 51-end; 1948, 27th first special session; 1949, 28th session, start-p. 542
19	1949, 28th session, p. 541-end; 1951, 29th session; 1951, 29th first special session, start-p. 130
20	1951, 29th first special session, p. 129-end; 1952, 29th second special session; 1953, 30th session; 1953, 30th first special session; 1955, 31st session and first special session, start-p. 90
21	1955, 31st session and first special session, p. 89-end; 1957, 32nd session, start-p. 706
22	1957, 32nd session, p. 705-end; 1959, 33rd session and first special session; 1961, 34th session, start-p. 472
23	1961, 34th session, p. 473-end; 1963, 35th session and first special session; 1965, 36th session, start-p. 24
24	1965, 36th session, p. 25-end; 1966, 36th first-second special sessions
25	1967, 37th session
26	1969, 38th session, start-p. 1376
27	1969, 38th session, p. 1375-end; 1969, 38th first special session; 1970, 38th budget session; 1971, 39th session, start-p. 1058
28	1971, 39th session, p. 1057-end; 1971, 39th extraordinary session; 1971, 39th first special session; 1972, 39th budget session; 1972, 39th second extraordinary special session; 1973, 40th session, start-p. 894
29	1973, 40th session, p. 893-end; 1973, extraordinary session; 1974, 40th first special session; 1974, 40th budget session; 1974, 40th second special session; 1975, 41st session, start-p. 668
30	1975, 41st session, p. 667-end; 1975, 41st special session; 1976, 41st budget session; 1976, 41st extraordinary session; 1977, 42nd session, vol. I, start-p. 72
31	1977, 42nd session, vol. I, p. 71-end
32	1977, 42nd session, vol. II; 1977, 42nd first special session
33	1978, 42nd budget session; 1978, 42nd second special session
34	1979, 43rd session, vol. I
35	1979, 43rd session, vol. II; 1979, 43rd extraordinary session
36	1980, 43rd budget session
37	1980, 43rd first special session; 1981, 44th session; 1981, 44th first veto override session; 1981, 44th extraordinary session; 1981, 44th reapportionment session; 1982, 44th budget session, start -p. 294
38	1982, 44th budget session, p. 293-end; 1982, 44th budget veto override session; 1982, 44th second special session
39	1982, 44th third special session; 1983, 45th session; 1983, 45th veto override session
40	1983, 45th first special session; 1984, 45th budget session; 1984, 45th second special session; 1984, 45th third special session; 1984, 45th extraordinary session; 1985, 46th session, start-p. 340
41	1985, 46th session, p. 339-end; 1985, 46th first-second extraordinary sessions; 1985, 46th first special session; 1985, 46th third-fifth extraordinary sessions; 1986, 46th session, start-p. 696
42	1986, 46th session, p. 695-end; 1986, 46th second-third special sessions; 1986, 46th sixth-seventh extraordinary sessions; 1986, 46th fourth special session; 1987, 46th ninth extraordinary session; 1987, 47th session, start-p.960
43	1987, 47th session, p.961-end; 1987, 47th first extraordinary session; 1987, 47th first special session; 1987, 47th second-fourth extraordinary sessions; 1988, 47th session; 1988, 47th fifth-sixth extraordinary sessions; 1988, 47th second-fourth special sessions; 1988, 47th seventh extraordinary session; 1989, 48th general session, start-p. 170
44	1989, 48th general session, p. 170-end; 1989, 48th first extraordinary session; 1989, 48th first special session; 1989, 48th second extraordinary session
45	1989, 48th third extraordinary session; 1989, 48th second special session; 1989, 48th fourth extraordinary session; 1990, 48th general session; 1990, 48th fifth extraordinary session
46	1990, 48th sixth-seventh extraordinary sessions; 1991, 49th general session; 1991, 49th first special and first veto override sessions; 1991, 49th first-second extraordinary sessions
47	1991, 49th second special session; 1992, 49th general session; 1992, 49th third extraordinary session; 1992, 49th third special session; 1992, 49th fourth-sixth extraordinary sessions
48	1992, 49th seventh-eleventh extraordinary sessions; 1993, 50th general session; 1993, 50th first special session; 1993, 50th first-fourth extraordinary sessions
49	1993, 50th fifth extraordinary session; 1993, 50th second special session; 1993, 50th sixth-eighth extraordinary sessions; 1994, 50th general session
50	1994, 50th twelfth-seventeenth extraordinary sessions; 1995, 51st general session; 1995, 51st first special session; 1995, 51st first-third extraordinary sessions
51	1995, 51st fourth-sixth extraordinary sessions; 1996, 51st general session; 1996, 51st second special session
52	1996, 51st seventh-thirteenth extraordinary sessions; 1996, 51st third special session; 1997, 52nd general session
53	1997, 52nd first-third extraordinary sessions; 1997, 52nd first special session; 1997, 52nd fourth extraordinary session; 1997, 52nd second special session; 1997, fifth-seventh extraordinary sessions; 1998, 52nd general session; 1998, 52nd eighth-ninth extraordinary sessions
54	1998, 52nd tenth-fourteenth extraordinary sessions; 1999, 53rd general session