Bender, of the Institute on Money in State Politics, said special interests use their money as a "calling card" to improve access to lawmakers.

Illustrating that, former Senate President Lane Beattie told the newspaper several years ago, "There were days when I would receive over 300 calls, and there was no way to return them all. If I would go through (the messages) and see someone who assisted me in my campaign, I would say there is a person I know, so I will call them back."

Bender said special interests' money can skew the agenda of a legislature, especially when one of every five legislators receive money from no other source besides special interests.

"Special interests give money to help drive an agenda," he said. "The interest of the general public isn't the same as the greater corporate interests. The agenda is skewed when corporations have full-time lobbyists pushing their agenda and represent their interests more intensely than the general public can."

Bender added that modest investments by corporations in politics, especially in the West where political races are inexpensive, can pay big dividends.

"Say you are a tobacco company. You could put $100,000 into races in four western states, and as a result of that stop a tax increase, delay smoking abatement laws, those sorts of things, and then make tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars," he said.

Musci of Utah Common Cause said: "We've had plenty of examples over the years of these special-interest contributors getting a seat at the table and influencing the political process."

Mounting reform

Concern over special-interest money has led some states such as Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Massachusetts to adopt public financing of some or all of their state-level races.

But Vogt, director of the reform-promoting Utah Progressive Network, said reformers have been unable to convince any Utah legislator to even introduce a bill on public financing, let alone win any truly serious consideration for it.

"(Utah legislators) say it impugns their reputation by merely suggesting that legislation can be influenced in any way, shape or form by donations or gifts the Legislature receives," Vogt said.

Most state public finance systems require candidates who want to participate to:

• Meet ballot access requirements;

• Collect during a set qualifying period a prescribed number of signatures and $5 donations from residents in their district or state;

• And promise to use only the amounts then provided from their state to campaign.