Utah seal may be restricted to official business, not campaigns

Members of the Utah House agreed to a resolution Wednesday that would control how the legislative seal can be used.

The sponsor of HJR8, Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo, said lawmakers should only use the seal for official business and not for campaign purposes.

That raised some questions by lawmakers, who wondered aloud if the congratulatory letters they send to constituents could be counted as campaigning.

"There is a fine line, I believe," Lockhart said. "This is something for each of us to decide personally."

Rep. Kory M. Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, said he sends out a survey to residents of his district before the session. "Say I've got some enemies on the other side of the aisle," Holdaway said, suggesting they might accuse him of misusing the seal.

Lockhart said the real reason for the resolution was to prevent former members of the Legislature from continuing to use the seal. She said a former lawmaker, whom she did not name, asked for and received permission to use the seal.