A bill that opponents feared would make communications by public officials secret was approved Tuesday by the Senate, but not before its most controversial provisions were deleted.

HB12 was amended to eliminate language that would have restricted access to e-mails and other communications between public officials and their constituents.

The House, without debate, concurred with the amendment.

The amendment was made reluctantly by the bill's sponsor, Sen. Dave Thomas, R-South Weber, who reminded senators that he was "certainly aware" that the governor had threatened a veto, questioning the need for the legislation.

A similar amendment had failed Monday on a tie vote, and Thomas delayed a vote on the bill to decide whether to try again to push it as written or make the change himself.

Tuesday, he said that even with the "only real controversy in the bill" struck out, it needed to be passed. "It does do important things," Thomas said, including protecting exchanges between lawmakers and their staff on legislative matters.

The bill had been opposed by a coalition of media outlets, and a poll for the Deseret Morning News and KSL TV found that 74 percent of Utahns opposed new restrictions to the state's Government Records Access and Management Act.

Thomas said the issue of privacy for people who contact their elected representatives may be "a debate for another day." Later, he said he would not be the one to bring the issue back in a future session, but other legislators have said it needs to be addressed.

Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, spoke against the amendment. "What's going to happen is innocent people are going to have some very personal things disclosed," Hillyard said.