Gift rule to stay same

There won't be any changes to the gift policy Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. set for his administration despite the recent controversy over his lieutenant governor accepting the use of a luxury condominium.

That policy — which cites a state statute that allows "an occasional" gift valued at less than $50 and advises the governor's staff to go to his general counsel with any questions — apparently was not put into writing until last week.

The single-page statement titled, "Governor's Office Gift Policy" was drafted in response to questions from the Deseret Morning News, according to Huntsman's spokeswoman, Tammy Kikuchi.

But the governor said he's been spelling out the policy since his first meeting with his staff, held shortly after he took office in January. He said, when pressed on the issue, that "should have been" sufficient to stop Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert from taking the housing.

"There is a very clear statute. That, coupled with a general counsel who is dogged on these issues and a governor who has been talking about these basic issues for a long time, you hope and expect everyone will comply," Huntsman said.

The lieutenant governor was given use of a condo located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon for eight months while it was up for sale. The arrangement became public in September, when the governor's political action committee listed the contribution as valued at $14,000.

Herbert, who said he stayed only a few nights a month in the condo to avoid the long drive home to Orem, has not been accused of violating state statute. For an offense to occur, gifts must improperly influence or reward government employees.

The governor said the policy on gifts "is the best we can do" to prevent problems. "Are we perfect? No. But we are at least recognized as public servants who are trying to do better and learn from mistakes."

When questions were raised last summer about the hiring of a staffer's father for an economic-development post, Huntsman responded by accepting the man's resignation and issuing a new nepotism policy that was tougher than required by state law.

"Sometimes you stumble on something that isn't perfect and you have to tighten things up there," the governor said. "For instance, with the nepotism . . . It's something I wanted understood for the office, so we went the extra length."

Huntsman has also released a list of the dozens of gifts he's received as governor, ranging from a sombrero to a fighter-airplane model to a custom-made La-Z-Boy. Most of the items on the list, which does not include an estimate of value, are books or clothing.