A 12-year-veteran of the Utah House is having some of her bills held from public hearings, but she has found a way to get two of her main-priority measures moved forward by another legislator.

Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, and House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, will not discuss the reasons why some of Allen's bills are not getting out of Rules and assigned to a committee hearing.

But Allen, a moderate Republican who heads the Davis School District's nonprofit foundation, has long been one of the main opponents to private school vouchers.

And Urquhart is sponsoring the private school vouchers bill this year, which just barely passed in the House, 38-37, last week and has now moved on to the Senate.

"This has never happened to me before," Allen said. "One of the wonderful things about the Legislature is that there are always ways to get around things — you find other routes."

Allen asked Rep. Kevin Garn, R-Layton, a member of the Rules Committee, to take over sponsorship of two of her main bills — HB147 and HB279.

With Garn carrying the bills, both have passed out of the House Rules Committee and are moving forward.

HB147 deals with juvenile court fines. HB279 outlaws filming by a camcorder in movie theaters — where new films are pirated by the camcorder operator.

Asked why some of Allen's bills are not coming out of Rules to get a public hearing in a House standing committee, Urquhart said: "There are more worthy bills. I'm not going to nominate (or put on the Rules agenda) any of her bills. And it appears that none of the other members (of Rules) are doing that, either."

For each Rules meeting, the eight members, six Republicans and two Democrats, each suggest a few bills to be sent out for public hearings. Democrats usually nominate fellow Democrats' bills.

When Rules member Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy, made the motion to hold one of Allen's bills, he was asked for a reason. "I don't have a reason," Walker said. Most Rules members still voted to hold the bill. Three of Allen's bills got out of Rules and through the House before the apparent tiff between Urquhart and Allen blew up.

One has already passed the Senate, two others are in the upper body.

But three Allen-sponsored bills are still being held in Rules: HB30, a renewable energy tax credit; HB199, speed restrictions on commercial vehicles; and HJR3, a constitutional amendment that details how the lieutenant governor takes over for the governor should the governor resign or die.

Urquhart also has a proposed constitutional amendment with the same topic, but a slightly different approach than Allen's HJR3.

Urquhart's HJR4 has passed its public committee hearing and is awaiting a vote by the whole House.

Holding a bill in Rules usually means its death, as the whole body rarely lifts bills from Rules and passes them over the sifting committee's objections.

---

E-MAIL: bbjr@desnews.com