Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed an executive order Wednesday setting an ethics policy for the executive branch of government that bans most gifts, prohibits nepotism in hiring and contracting, and establishes a two-year wait before former employees can lobby state agencies.

"This policy establishes clear boundaries of ethical guidelines that the public expects of government employees," Huntsman said, although it does not apply to the state's legislative or judicial branches.

The governor promised in his State of the State address last month that he would sign an executive order establishing the new policy. Huntsman has said he needs to take action because lawmakers have not passed executive branch ethics bills requested by his office in past sessions.

But the governor has said repeatedly he was not trying to nudge lawmakers toward establishing tougher ethical standards for themselves. His spokesman, Mike Mower, said Wednesday that "we recognize that the Legislature has its own ethical standards that it adheres to."

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said after a brief review of the executive order that the new policy wasn't so different from what lawmakers follow. In fact, Valentine said the $50 limit on legislative gifts is even clearer than the governor's, which exempts a number of items, including meals and "trinkets or mementoes of nominal value."

Executive branch employees also have the opportunity to purchase tickets or other items not exempted, something the governor himself already has done on several occasions when given a gift he wanted to keep.

"I like a 'bright line' because our people know if they stepped over it or not," the Senate president said. He said that at his request, legislation is being drafted to require additional financial disclosure in off-election years.

Mower said the policy establishes "common-sense guidelines. For example, a complimentary baseball cap would be acceptable, but a gift of significant value would not be," including an expensive meal at a lavish restaurant. "It's pretty clear," Mower said.

The requirement that state employees wait two years after leaving government before they can lobby their former agencies does not extend to the Legislature. Although preventing executive branch workers from becoming legislative lobbyists was discussed, Mower said the governor did not have the authority to do that.

Valentine said lawmakers don't have a "cooling off" period for themselves because unlike executive branch employees, the elected representatives are only part time and all have other professions. "If it really was a big deal, we'd have a lot more lobbyists and a lot more who were former legislators," he said.