Valentine said he'd prefer that legislative staff be nonpartisan so that constituents would be able to receive help without regard to political party.

Each 45-day general session, the Legislature pays for extra staff for help with committee hearings and other tasks. University political-science students also often help by serving as interns. They are assigned to an individual legislator or to two lawmakers.

Interns spend much of their time dealing with lawmakers' constituents, answering e-mails and phone calls and helping arrange meetings. But after the legislative session, that help vanishes.

While six staffers for 104 legislators seems reasonable, history has shown that once such elected officeholders get staffers, the number of such staffers tends to grow.

Rep. Mel Brown, R-Coalville, a former House speaker, warned members that it is against state law to use any state resources for political purposes. "And depending on what you ask (the new staffers) to do, you could cross that line, find yourself in real ethical problems."

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