Legislators likely will avoid busy hallways

When visitors tour the newly remodeled Utah State Capitol after it reopens early next year, they'll see beautifully restored murals and breathtaking vistas both inside and outside of the nearly 100-year-old structure.

What they may not see much of is legislators.

For a variety of reasons — including a new "passive" security system — Utah's 104 part-time legislators will often be behind locked doors, away from lobbyists, constituents and news reporters, who may gaze at them from public chamber galleries or in hearing rooms but rarely bump shoulders with them.

"You probably will see fewer (legislators) out in the public hallways," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem. "It is a reflection of the times we live in."

Valentine said security decisions were made by the House and Senate leadership before he was elected Senate president several years ago. But he agrees with those decisions and sees them, unfortunately, as the best alternative available.

"We could have gone to a single point-of-entry system with magnetometers, like we have now in our courthouses (and in federal government buildings)," Valentine said.

Or the state Capitol could have a "passive" security system where legislators can move around internally behind closed doors when they want to and cameras look into other public areas and rooms so Utah Highway Patrol troopers can monitor goings-on in a hands-off atmosphere.

"I prefer" the passive layout, said Valentine, which is somewhat like lawmakers have now in their temporary quarters in the west office building behind the Capitol.

Valentine said the workload of the 104 part-time legislators has greatly grown since he first entered the House 20 years ago. And the extra work means legislators have less time to just chat or mingle with Utahns in Capitol hallways.

In running the Senate floor, Valentine said he's stopped pages from passing out notes from lobbyists and constituents to ask legislators to step out in the public hallway for a quick conversation to keep senators in the chamber and working — a practice that will continue in the restored Capitol.

And it may be easier to call the constituent into an office in a secure area of the Capitol than for a senator to walk out into a public hallway to talk to people.

Valentine said when a legislator has to get quickly from a committee hearing to his or her chamber or office to make another appointment, they may well use the back-room hallways rather than go out into public hallways, where they may have to work their way through crowds of people, many of whom take the chance to talk to the legislator.