From Deseret News archives:

Gift rule to stay same

Huntsman keeps policy despite Herbert's issues

Published: Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 9:24 a.m. MDT
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The governor campaigned on ethics reform for both the executive and legislative branches of government, promising there will be "no gifts for the governor." He later backed away from attempts to control gifts to lawmakers, saying that branch should govern itself.

In reality, Huntsman said he's been gifted what he termed "trinkets" from the public and officials who meet with him. Almost all of it has been turned over to the state. What isn't on display in his office ends up in boxes stacked in a storage room nicknamed "The Vault."

At the end of the year, the books, clothes and many of the other gifts will be donated to libraries, schools, shelters and other organizations throughout the state as previous administrations have done.

Occasionally, though, the governor has decided to keep gifts such as personalized sports jerseys and has paid the givers for them. Huntsman has not kept a separate list of the gifts he's kept, calling it "kind of irrelevant. I am paying for it out of my own funds."

Other portions of his campaign platform on ethics included establishing a two-term limit for the governor and a two-year ban on lobbying for state elected and appointed officials. Lawmakers considered but ultimately rejected legislation on those topics last session.

Huntsman said he'll try again in the 2006 Legislature.


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E-mail: lisa@desnews.com

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Jami Palmer, Gov. Jon Huntsman's executive assistant and scheduler, sorts gifts Tuesday.

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