Utah's delegation reports range of financial standings

WASHINGTON — A retired high school teacher and a moonlighting musician illustrate the two extremes of the Utah congressional delegation's financial standings, based on reports filed this week.

Congressional financial reports filed Monday and made available to the Deseret Morning News, show former history teacher Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, is not making a fortune as a congressman while Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, continues to pick up thousands of dollars in extra money through song-writing royalties.

The Ethics in Government Act requires lawmakers to list their assets, liabilities, income beyond their congressional salary and sponsored travel annually.

Bishop's five-page financial disclosure forms are the simplest to read among Utah's congressional delegation. In addition to the $165,200 he receives through his congressional salary, the Brigham City Republican earns $25,651 from the state for his teacher pension. He carries anywhere from $40,000 to $115,000 in credit card debt, listing two new cards that did not appear on last year's report. Chief of Staff Scott Parker said these cards were likely there before but probably under the reporting limit.

Members just check off boxes listing ranges of assets and incomes levels, such as $1 to $1,000, $1,001 to $15,000, $15,001 to $50,000, $50,001 to $100,000 and in larger increments up to the "over $50 million" box. They do not list specific figures.

Bishop is the vice chairman of the Congressional Study Group on Germany and took two sponsored trips to the country in 2005 for official purposes. Bishop served an LDS mission to Germany and has maintained ties with the country ever since, Parker said. He also took a trip to Israel sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation last August.

Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, made more than $39,000 in royalties from song writing on top of his Senate salary of $165,200. His report has five entries for reported royalties, including $16,422 from the Integrated Copyright Group Inc., in Nashville, Tenn., and $2,956 from Living Scriptures Inc., in Ogden.

Hatch's lengthy report includes a list of about 70 "publicly traded assets and unearned income sources" valued between $1.4 million and almost $3.9 million.

His non-publicly traded assets include 50 percent interest in 20 acres of undeveloped land in Utah County, life insurance policies and the Hatch Trust Fund for legal fees and costs.

His report listed no liabilities. Hatch also made four speeches at $2,000 each in 2005 but the payments go to charitable organizations. It does not specify which ones.