(FILE) The Utah State Captiol on the opening day of the state legislative session 1/27/20 (Colby Walker | KSL NewsRadio)
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah lawmaker has proposed a new law that would allow constituents to recall their U.S. Senator.
HB 217, sponsored by Rep. Tim Quinn (R-Heber City), says a six-year term for Senators is lengthy and that his proposal makes politicians more accountable to those they serve.
Sen. Romney has been criticized for siding with Democrats in asking for witnesses in the impeachment trial. Romney also goes against his own party by being openly critical of President Donald Trump.
FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2019 file photo, Sen. Mitt Romney takes questions from reporters in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
But Quinn told the Deseret News that he started working on the bill “weeks and weeks” ago. He says the bill came after some constituents came to him with ideas of how Utah could return to a time when U.S. Senators were appointed rather than elected before the 17th Amendment passed.
Quinn did introduce a bill ten years ago in the legislature which would have been what he calls a ‘soft repeal’ of the 17th Amendment.
HB 217 would allow voters to gather signatures to place a question on the ballot to recall a U.S. senator. At least 25% of active voters would have to sign the petition to get the measure in the next election. Another stipulation is that a Senator would have to be in office for at least one year of his/her current term before the recall process could occur.
