SALT LAKE CITY — As a new lawmaker, Rep. Clint Okerlund was surprised to see just how many bills the Utah State Legislature considers in a 45-day session.

"If you're a legislator that says we need fiscal responsibility or we need smaller government in this state? You have to ask yourself why you’re running that many bills," Rep. Okerlund, R-Sandy, said in an interview with FOX 13 News.

Every year, the Utah State Legislature seems to break its own records for bill requests, numbered bills and those passed in a general session. Governor Spencer Cox has complained that many of the legislature's bills "could have been a phone call." Last session, the legislature had more than 1,200 bills requested by lawmakers; nearly 1,000 were numbered and 563 actually passed.

So Rep. Okerlund is proposin

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