Gift disclosure bill stalls in Senate committee

A bill that would publicly disclose more legislators who take lobbyists' gifts failed to advance in the Legislature on Thursday, leaving its sponsor mystified and looking to Senate leaders for help.

"I'm profoundly disappointed," said Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, after the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee voted 2-2 on his SB102. "If you are not on the take, why not disclose it?"

The split votes just keeps the bill in the five-member committee. But Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake, who was out of the committee room at the vote, said while he's undecided on the bill, he's concerned about changing lobbyist reporting.

Without Davis' vote, Bell's bill will die unless some powerful Republicans come to his aide.

Bell said he may try to lift SB102 from the committee and bring it directly to floor for debate, but such a move is rare and unlikely to succeed without GOP leadership's approval.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said Thursday afternoon he personally favors the bill. He said he'll address the situation with members of his leadership team to see if there's support to bring Bell's bill to the floor for further debate.

Bell's bill would lower the legislative naming threshold from $50 per gift to $10. If a lobbyist provided a meal, event ticket or any other "intangible" gift to a legislator that cost more than $10, the legislator's name would have to listed on the lobbyist's next public report.

More than $150,000 was spent entertaining legislators and other top elected and appointed state officials during 2004, lobbyists year-end reports show. But only a handful of legislators' names were listed because most didn't accept a gift of more than $50.

One longtime lobbyist spent more than $4,600 last year and his report contains no legislative names. Some of the meals the lobbyist bought cost $49.35, just under the reporting requirement.

Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Orem, who ran for governor last year, and Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, voted against increased disclosure of gift-takers. Sens. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake, and Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, voted for SB102.

Those opposing more disclosure "are misreading the populace," Bell said after the hearing. "It's a critical mistake; this could be a big election issue."

Bell, a former Farmington mayor, gave several reasons why it's time to "give citizens what they want — transparency" in the workings of their government.