Lawmakers back off executive orders

State legislators who oversee the numerous rules implemented by state departments will not seek to gain oversight authority for executive orders.

Members of the Administrative Rules Committee decided this past week to allow the current law, as well as lingering questions about whether legislators actually do have oversight of executive orders, to remain standing. Currently, rules made by department directors to implement legislative laws are reviewed by the Administrative Rules Committee, but members of the committee were unclear about their control of executive orders, which are made by the governor and go beyond existing laws.

"It would take a lot of time to evaluate this and come up with legislation," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. Even if they did create legislation, "we don't know if it would be effective. This is much to to do about nothing, and we should move past it."

The issue was raised in July, partially because of Gov. Jon Huntsman's shifting of the economic development activities into his office, which was done by executive order. While committee members were not necessarily concerned about that specific move, they were curious about how they would address an action they did find objectionable if it was done via executive order.