For the second year in a row, the Utah Legislature is preparing to convene for its general session as coronavirus case numbers are reaching record heights.
But this time, they’re hoping work inside the Capitol will feel relatively normal.
Most state lawmakers will likely attend hearings and cast their votes in person, legislative staffers say, and gone are the plastic partitions set up in the House and Senate chambers at the start of last year’s session. Outside groups are planning on hosting events and receptions in the Capitol again, and state leaders are allowing school tours.
On the other hand, for people who aren’t comfortable attending the session in person, the Legislature will still be offering all the new virtual options they’ve rolled out since the pandemic began, said Mark Thomas, chief of staff in the Utah Senate.
“We’re going to have some challenges,” he said. “I think it’ll be another difficult session as we navigate this, but it takes patience on everyone’s part.”
Alexa Roberts, policy and strategic communications manager in the Utah House, emphasized the need for flexibility as the Capitol plays host during this unprecedented upswing in coronavirus cases.
“The protocols are constantly changing,” she said. “If you look at the past year, how many times we’ve had to readjust based on the current status of everything, it pretty much changes every day.”
Members of the public can stream all proceedings and committee meetings through the Legislature’s website, le.utah.gov, and can also sign up online to testify remotely on bills or other discussion items.
Unlike last year, legislators will not have to undergo routine COVID-19 testing to participate in person. Biweekly testing will be mandatory for interns, but only recommended for staff and state lawmakers, Thomas said.
To simplify testing, at-home kits will be provided to legislators, staff and interns starting the second week of the general session, Roberts said. She noted that the kits were delayed due to supply chain shortages and that testing will be available at the Capitol during the first week.
And in another departure from precautions taken during last year’s session, members of the public can choose not to wear face coverings.
Although Salt Lake County has issued a mask mandate, Gov. Spencer Cox has said he won’t require people to follow it when they’re inside the Capitol and other state buildings. Thomas said Senate leaders are recommending masks but will not require anyone to wear them.
For the convenience of officials who haven’t been inoculated or boosted, state health workers will be running a vaccine clinic inside the Capitol during the first couple weeks of the session, Thomas added.
This year’s session will also regain some of the liveliness that was missing last year, with the return of formal events and tours. Thomas said, though, that legislative leaders are encouraging school groups to visit the Capitol virtually to minimize crowds in the building.
He hopes that — despite the current spike in coronavirus case counts — the omicron surge will begin to wane as the session gets underway.
“But we have huge [COVID-19 case] numbers nonetheless,” he said. “And it’s not the optimum time to be having the session.”
Having been forced to revamp the layout of the general session last year, staffers are prepared to adjust, should they have to pivot and implement new safety procedures on the fly.
And the lawmakers, too, are better prepared to handle a more virtual general session and communicate with their constituents via alternative methods, Roberts said.
“I know legislators have tried to make it a priority, even though difficult, to utilize technology, do virtual town halls, post things on social media, send out newsletters,” she said. “I anticipate that a lot of those things will continue, so maybe there was a little bit of good that came out of the pandemic.”
