Money talks on the Hill

A clearinghouse for national reform groups says Utah legislators' heavy reliance on special-interest money — investigated this past week by the Deseret Morning News — is shocking, and is calling for Utahns to push for reform.

Additional information: Web sites: TheRestOfUs.org Huntsman & Herbert Related stories: Dec. 12: Capitol capital: Special interests are major source of funds

Incoming GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., while running for office this year, said he would push for a number of so-called government reforms.

But public financing of state races — a suggested solution to the special-interest money in Utah — was not specifically mentioned by Huntsman. Despite several phone calls to his staff, Huntsman didn't respond to the newspaper's request for an interview on the subject.

"If money equals speech . . . special interests in Utah are screaming," TheRestofUs.org posted on its Web site and in national e-mails to reform groups after a Morning News story ran last weekend.

"A quick look at the . . . top contributing industries show that it's not Mr. Smith that's going to Salt Lake City, it's Utah's bankers, realtors and lobbyists."

Derek Cressman, director of the California-based group, added in an interview, "The percentages of contributions coming from special interests (to Utah legislators) and from outside of their districts, were egregious. I was shocked when I looked at the charts."

The Morning News found that special interests provided $4 of every $5 raised by legislators in their last campaigns. Also, 12 of every 13 legislators collected at least half their campaign money from special interests, and most received far more than that. In fact, 19 of the state's 104 lawmakers (one in five) received every cent from special interests.

Also, only one legislator received a majority of his money from residents of his own district.

TheRestofUs.Org, a group formed a year ago to do research and share data among reform groups, spread word of the Utah findings this week, and said the state is far behind others in basic reforms.

"All but 13 states have some sort of limit on contributions," Cressman said in an interview, noting that Utah does not.

"Utah is also among only nine states that do not ban corporate donations" coming directly from businesses, he said. "The federal government has banned corporate donations since 1907" in federal races.

Cressman called for Utahns to push for at least two reforms: limits on donations and banning money directly from corporations that could benefit from legislators' votes.