36-12-12.
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/ut/title-36/chapter-12/36-12-12·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Effective 3/18/2026
36-12-12. Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel established -- Powers, functions, and duties -- Organization of office -- Selection of director and general counsel.
(1)There is established an Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel as a permanent staff office for the Legislature.
(2)The powers, functions, and duties of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel under the supervision of the director shall be:
(a)to provide research and legal staff assistance to all standing, special, and interim committees as follows:
(i)to assist each committee chairman in planning the work of the committee;
(ii)to prepare and present research and legal information in accordance with committee instructions or instructions of the committee chairman;
(iii)to prepare progress reports of committee work when requested; and
(iv)to prepare a final committee report in accordance with committee instructions, that includes relevant research information, committee policy recommendations, and recommended legislation;
(b)to collect and examine the acts and official reports of any state and report their contents to any committee or member of the Legislature;
(c)to provide research and legal analysis services to any interim committee, legislative standing committee, or individual legislator on actual or proposed legislation or subjects of general legislative concern;
(i)to exercise under the direction of the general counsel the constitutional authority provided in Utah Constitution, Article VI, Section 32, in serving as legal counsel to the Legislature, majority and minority leadership of the House of Representatives or Senate, any of the Legislature's committees or subcommittees, individual legislators, any of the Legislature's staff offices, or any of the legislative staff; and
(ii)subject to policies adopted by the Legislative Management Committee described in Section 36-12-7 , to represent the Legislature, majority and minority leadership of the House of Representatives or Senate, any of the Legislature's committees or subcommittees, individual legislators, any of the Legislature's staff offices, or any of the legislative staff in cases and controversies before courts and administrative agencies and tribunals;
(e)to prepare and assist in the preparation of legislative bills, resolutions, memorials, amendments, and other documents or instruments required in the legislative process and, under the direction of the general counsel, give advice and counsel regarding them to the Legislature, majority and minority leadership of the House of Representatives or Senate, any of its members or members-elect, any of its committees or subcommittees, or the legislative staff;
(f)under the direction of the general counsel, to deliver enrolled legislation to the House of Representatives and the Senate for submission to the governor for gubernatorial action;
(i)to maintain, exercise control over, and act as the repository and custodian of the Utah Constitution database, as defined in Section 36-12-12.2 ;
(ii)to keep the Utah Constitution database current, including incorporating into the Utah Constitution any amendments to the Utah Constitution that pass during a regular general election; and
(iii)to update and maintain the bold face descriptive titles to sections of the Utah Constitution;
(h)to prepare the laws for publication, in accordance with Section 36-12-12.2 ;
(i)to maintain, exercise control over, and act as the repository and custodian of the Utah Code database, as defined in Section 36-12-12.2 , organized by title, chapter, part, and section; and
(ii)to keep the Utah Code database current, including updating the database to reflect:
(A)any duly enacted legislation making changes, including future changes, to the Utah Code; and
(B)any corrections of technical errors in accordance with Section 36-12-12.2 ;
(j)in accordance with Title 46, Chapter 5, Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act, to act as the official publisher, as defined in Section 46-5-102 , for the Utah Constitution, the Utah Code, and the Laws of Utah;
(k)to transmit a legislative record to the state archivist in accordance with Section 63A-12-102.5 ;
(l)to formulate recommendations for the revision, clarification, classification, arrangement, codification, annotation, and indexing of Utah statutes, and to develop proposed legislation to effectuate the recommendations;
(m)to appoint and develop a professional staff within budget limitations; and
(n)to prepare and submit the annual budget request for the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
(a)If, under Utah Constitution, Article VI, Section 10, the House of Representatives or Senate determines that an individual is not qualified to serve in the House of Representatives or Senate, or expels an individual from the respective chamber, but the individual continues to hold his or her elected legislative office, the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel may not provide legislative staff services, including legal services, to the individual.
(b)Notwithstanding Subsection (3)(a) , the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel may provide legal services for an individual described in Subsection (3)(a) if the legal services are approved by the Legislative Management Committee described in Section 36-12-7 .
(4)In carrying out the duties provided for in this section, the director of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel may obtain access to all records, documents, and reports necessary to the scope of the director's duties according to the procedures contained in Chapter 14, Legislative Subpoena Powers .
(5)In organizing the management of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, the Legislative Management Committee may either:
(a)select a person to serve as both the director of the office and as general counsel. In such case, the director of the office shall be a lawyer admitted to practice in Utah and shall have practical management experience or equivalent academic training; or
(b)select a person to serve as director of the office who would have general supervisory authority and select another person to serve as the legislative general counsel within the office. In such case, the director of the office shall have a master's degree in public or business administration, economics, or the equivalent in academic or practical experience and the legislative general counsel shall be a lawyer admitted to practice in Utah.
Amended by Chapter 122 , 2026 General Session