As explained by Stephens, the bill would have given the Legislature's records committee — made up of House and Senate GOP and Democratic leaders — the same power to close a records' committee hearing to review a "private" document as records' committees in the executive and judicial branches of state government, and the records' committees adopted in local governments, can now do.

But some people are confused over the issue, believing lawmakers want to close a bunch of committee hearings, Curtis said later. He joked that several days ago he called up legislative staffers to tell them to kill the bill, and never have it introduced, only to be told that because it already had been assigned a number he couldn't do that. The bill will die in the House Rules Committee, never having been heard or debated, Curtis promised.

"If I could, I'd light it on fire and burn it up," he said.

• The most emotional debate of the session may well come over a dozen or more bills now being drafted concerning parental rights.

The case of young Parker Jensen, whose parents took him to Idaho to escape Utah state government officials' attempts to force the young boy into cancer treatment, has spawned strong emotions, said Mansell.

"I hope we won't debate the emotions," said Stephens.

Rather, some bills will sift out naturally, others will be combined, and in the end "we hope the Legislature will more define the decision process" when a child is taken away from his natural parents, he said.

"This is not just because of one case," added Mansell. "There are many cases out there" where parents are upset over how they were treated by state child welfare officials and the courts.

"In my years up here, I have heard more complaints about (child welfare) concerns than all other issues involved. They are very emotional issues," Mansell said.

There will be gun-rights issues, abortion and other issues that seem to always come up during each Legislature, the men said.

But both predicted a cordial relationship with Walker. Although she was former Gov. Mike Leavitt's lieutenant governor for 11 years, and for a decade earlier a House member herself, this will be her first session as governor.

Walker "is up-front with her feelings; she's a straight talker. And you know where you stand. In some ways it is easier to work with someone when you know where they stand," said Stephens, who quickly added that he was stating Walker's assets, not comparing her with the now-departed Leavitt.

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