Conflict-of-interest bill stalls

Legislators will probably not have to include conflicts of interest among their salient points during floor debate during the upcoming session.

A proposed bill that would have forced legislators to declare any conflicts of interest on a bill before debating it on the floor failed to move out of a joint House and Senate Rules Committee meeting Thursday morning, meaning that a seemingly annual debate is ended before the 2006 session even begins.

Currently, legislators are required to submit a conflict-of-interest form and identify, on the floor, any conflicts that will financially benefit either themselves or immediate family before casting a vote on an issue. The proposed bill, however, sought to expand that floor requirement so that any conflict had to be explained before speaking, with the failure to do so potentially resulting in a misdemeanor violation.

Committee members worried that requiring such a disclosure before debating a bill would cause a number of problems, especially since legislators will not always be able to remember or comprehend every conflict in the midst of a debate. Additionally, by not requiring it before a vote but only before debating, legislators with conflicts — including direct financial benefit — would be able to avoid identifying those conflicts. Rep. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake, the sponsor of the bill, said that verbally identifying the conflicts would help clarify individual legislators' positions on an issue.