SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Legislature will attempt to override Governor Gary Herbert’s vetoes of a pair of bills.
The House and Senate announced on Wednesday afternoon they had secured enough votes to call an override session. It remains to be seen if they have the votes to override the governor.
Gov. Herbert rejected a pair of bills lawmakers passed in the 2018 session that dealt with separation of powers. One allowed the legislature to intervene in lawsuits filed over bills they passed. The governor said it could be problematic when two different attorneys stood up to represent the state in court — the Utah Attorney General’s Office and then the legislature’s attorney.
The other bill demanded that the Utah Attorney General provide the legislature with legal opinions on request. It stemmed from the fight between the governor and legislature over who had the authority to set rules for a special election to replace Jason Chaffetz when he quit congress to be a FOX News pundit.
No date has been scheduled for the legislature’s veto override session. The governor has said he wants the legislature to meet in a special session to hammer out an agreement with Salt Lake City over an inland port in the Northwest Quadrant.
