Congress, now controlled by Democrats, will adopt new laws banning gifts from lobbyists, banning luxury trips paid by lobbyists and other so-called government reform measures during the first months of 2007, leaders say.

In New York, says its new governor, Democrat Eliot Spitzer, legislators will adopt new campaign finance laws and new lobbyist-giving restrictions.

Likewise, in other states government reform will be a first order of business in the new year.

But not in Utah.

Oh yes, we'll have the same number of so-called reform bills introduced in the 2007 Legislature as we've seen before — tightening up the naming of legislators who take lobbyists' gifts or banning gifts from lobbyists, restricting personal use of campaign funds, and so on.

And most of those bills will be sponsored by minority Democratic legislators.

But my guess is that all will come to nothing — as it has for most such reforms over the past 25 years.

The reason?

The majority Republicans in the Utah Legislature don't want to give up any perks of office.

They especially don't want to change the campaign finance system that has steadfastly elected and re-elected them over the years.

Here are a few numbers illuminating the state of current Utah legislative politics:

• A Deseret Morning News study of giving in last year's legislative winners' campaigns shows that out of every $100 raised, $95.70 came from special interests, including the candidates' own pockets.

• Thirty out of the 104 legislators got 100 percent of their campaign money from special interests, none from their own constituents.

• Eighty-two percent of the state senators who sought re-election last year won.

• Ninety-four percent of state House incumbents who sought re-election last year won.

• Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in legislative races last year, the Senate kept the exact same partisan make-up as a year ago — 21 Republicans and eight Democrats.

• The House saw a change of only one additional Democrat from 2005-06. When the House convenes Jan. 15 for the 45-day general session, there will be 55 Republicans and 20 Democrats.

Why, when the rest of the country is talking about statehouse ethics, is Utah left out of the debate?

The majority Republicans here say there's a simple answer — there is no problem, and you don't need to fix what ain't broke.

One need only have listened to Sen. Howard Stephenson's tirade last session on legislative gift-taking from lobbyists to see what I mean.

When Sen. Greg Bell's bill, which would have lowered the reporting threshold at which lobbyists had to name legislators who took their gifts, came before a Senate committee upon which Stephenson sat, the good senator from Draper went on a nine-minute rant about how bad and evil the media was on reporting on lobbyists' gifts, and how appropriate it was that lawmakers take dinners and Jazz tickets to ease the pain of being away from hearth, home and family (even though probably 70 percent of legislators drive home most nights of the 45-day session).