Special interests are busy donating

Even though 2005 was not an election year for Utah legislators, many special interests were busy donating to part-time lawmakers anyway.

Overall, political action committees and businesses in 2005 gave at least $432,000 to lawmakers, their parties and legislative PACs, according to disclosure forms filed by political action committees and corporations earlier this month and reviewed by the Deseret Morning News.

But that's not all the money lawmakers received since their last elections. Because legislators don't have to report their personal campaign funds until this spring or summer, money given by individual lobbyists or business owners and their families remains unknown as legislators meet in their 45-day general session, during which hundreds of decisions vital to special interests will be made.

Legislators who took the most money from special interest groups generally say it's because they need it, either to raise early cash for their re-elections later this year or — in the case of leaders or leader wannabes — to in turn give funds to party colleagues.

"I like to assist my caucus in their re-elections," says House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. There are 56 Republicans in the 75-member House.

Curtis raised the most money from PACs in 2005 — $22,500 — and says his personal campaign account is now around a whopping $125,000. Since Curtis' year-end 2004 report shows $25,000 in cash, that means the speaker has raised at least $100,000 in 2005, with 80 percent of the donations not yet made public.

Lawmakers do not file disclosure forms themselves for more than a year after their elections, and in some cases nearly two years.

Democratic legislators have a number of so-called government reform bills this session, but requiring annual, year-end campaign reports from legislators is not one of them.

"We do need more transparency; we should have to report (legislators' own fund raising) before each legislative session," said House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake. Becker says his campaign treasurer was actually preparing a 2005 year-end report several weeks ago "before she found out that I didn't have to file one."

"With electronic filings it's easily done — now we're in session and no one knows who gave us" most of their money in 2005, Becker said.

The assumption behind legislators not filing reports in off-, non-election years has been that little money is raised, so no disclosure by lawmakers is needed.