Money talks on the Hill

TheRestofUs.Org, a group formed a year ago to do research and share data among reform groups, spread word of the Utah findings this week, and said the state is far behind others in basic reforms.

"All but 13 states have some sort of limit on contributions," Cressman said in an interview, noting that Utah does not.

"Utah is also among only nine states that do not ban corporate donations" coming directly from businesses, he said. "The federal government has banned corporate donations since 1907" in federal races.

Cressman called for Utahns to push for at least two reforms: limits on donations and banning money directly from corporations that could benefit from legislators' votes.

"Those are two kinds of immediate and obvious reforms that have been done almost everywhere," Cressman said. "They are very noncontroversial. Those two things tend to force politicians to reach out more to ordinary people."

He said his group also supports a wide array of other reforms, such as public financing using taxpayer money for campaigns. "But we don't sense any real support for that in Utah," he said.

Reform groups in Utah say they have found no interest at all in reforms in recent years. Lorna Vogt, director of the reformist Utah Progressive Network, said her group has been unable to convince any legislator even to introduce a reform bill, let alone obtain serious consideration for it.

Cressman said, "This is an issue that Utah citizens should start demanding some change on. You've uncovered what I think are some glaring problems with how democracy works in Utah, and citizens can change it if they want."

Government reform is not a popular issue at the Legislature. As a novice candidate in 1992, former Gov. Mike Leavitt said he would push a number of ethics reforms for the part-time Legislature. But after he won office, Leavitt was reportedly told by legislative leaders — Republicans, as is Leavitt — that such reform suggestions coming from the executive branch would not be well-received.

Leavitt backed away and never proposed any changes, saying campaign and ethics reform in the Legislature should be left to that independent branch of state government.

On his campaign Web page, Huntsman says: "Utah needs ethics reform. Increased accountability will lead to better government and clearer decisionmaking."

He then goes on to say that if he were elected he'd push for:

• Term limits for the governor's office. (The Legislature repealed the old 12-year term limit law both for lawmakers and for the governor before it actually took effect.)

• No gifts for the governor and no more than $50 gifts to legislators, with full disclosure. (Currently, legislators can accept "intangible" gifts, such as meals and sporting event tickets, valued above $50, but lawmakers' names must accompany such gifts from lobbyists.)

• A two-year ban on lobbying by elected and appointed state officials after they leave office. (There is no such ban now, and about two dozen former lawmakers and a number of ex-state officials currently lobby the Legislature. Most have started their lobbying careers right after leaving office.)

• Campaign finance disclosure every month of an election year. (State and legislative candidates now must file several times during an election year.)

• A ban on fund raising 30 days before the general legislative session, during the session or 30 days after. (Currently, legislators can't raise funds during the 45-day session. Republicans and Democrats alike usually hold big fund-raisers just before the January session starts.)

---

E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com or lee@desnews.com