Utah needs to overhaul method of paying legislators

If we have a warped system that favors certain kinds of people serving in the Legislature, shouldn't we be concerned about that?

As it now stands, most Utah lawmakers make around $15,000 a year in their legislative income. They get only $120 a day in actual salary while in session or during interim meetings. But they also get $80 a day in hotel expenses, which must be declared as income if they don't spend it actually staying at a hotel. They get mileage to and from the Capitol. And they get $39 per diem, an amount that supposedly goes for meals and other expenses. Individual legislators' annual pay varies by how many interim task forces or other committees they get paid for.

My point is, the average family income in Utah is around $45,000 a year. And so $15,000 a year is below what may be considered a fair part-time wage.

Colorado legislators get around $32,000 a year when you add in their per diem. Arizona lawmakers around $27,000 a year. Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming lawmakers appear to be paid about the same as Utah's, information from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows.

The Legislative Compensation Commission should take a big leap this year and recommend that Utah lawmakers' pay go to $20,000 or $25,000 a year. And it should come in a yearly salary; just junk the current daily pay system.

Maybe the per diem can be canned, too. And legislators should go back to the old system of actual reimbursement for hotel rooms used for out-of-town lawmakers. Don't give the $80 hotel pay to legislators who commute daily from their homes.

Simplify the pay and increase the pay.

The LCC or legislative leaders should also look at giving each incumbent some kind of office expenses. Yes, this could open a can of worms.

Currently, many legislators use their campaign accounts to pay for newsletters, cell phones, long distance calls, non-reimbursable travel and other items associated with constituent communication. And to start paying some of those items with taxpayer dollars could crack the door for abuse.

But there are real expenses associated with serving. And taxpayers should pay those, not lobbyists or other special interests who donate to legislative campaigns. And like public education teachers who buy classroom supplies out of their own pockets, legislators shouldn't be expected to subsidize their public expenses themselves, either.

Finally, if legislators are to get higher pay and some office help, it's not too much to ask them to give up something, too — something they should give up anyway — gifts from lobbyists.

Just ban the gifts.

If you are being paid to influence legislators, you can't buy them dinner, take them to a show or give them a Jazz ticket.

If you are a legislator, you don't accept a gift if it's coming because of your public office. It's not tough to figure this out. The public utility lobby didn't buy your golf game before you were elected and it's not going to buy your golf game after you're out of office. So don't take it while you are in office.

Get it over with. Stop arguing about it. Stop ducking public reporting by having a lobbyist pay $49.99 toward a $75 round of golf — beating the $50 reporting level — to keep the legislator's name off the lobbyist's gift-giving reports.

In the long run, legislative reform can be as beneficial as tax reform — and citizens deserve it just as much.

The state will be better for it. The Legislature will be better for it. And the citizens will be better served by it.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com