Rechanneling gifts: Legislators shift cash donations

Among other interesting car-related expenses were Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, using campaign funds to pay a $10 "parking ticket" to Salt Lake City. (Legislators also spent a combined $1,125 of campaign funds to park their vehicles.) Rep. Todd Kiser, R-Sandy, spent $70 for an HOV-lane commuter pass on the freeway. Buttars spent $214 to a car dealer to "upgrade Onstar" on his car. Sen. Brent Goodfellow, R-West Valley, gave himself $50 every couple of months for "gasoline use" in driving around his Salt Lake County-based district.

Sen. Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful, appears to have spent $500 of campaign funds on Utah Jazz tickets. He paid $500 to lobbyist Spencer Stokes on Jan. 25, 2007, for "event tickets." Stokes reported separately that he had the night before taken two other legislators to a Jazz game at his expense for $500 each. And a Salt Lake Tribune photo shows Eastman on the front row, near the Jazz bench, with the legislators who accepted Stokes' expensive tickets.

Oda, who is an instructor for those wishing to obtain concealed weapons permits, spent $50 on a class for such instructors. He also spent $63 for "snacks for legislative CCW (concealed carry weapons permit) class," another $20 for "pens & pads for legislative CCW class" and $165 to Steve Beckstead for "CCW certification class."

Noel spent $656 for "rent paid for part of session" in Salt Lake City. Even though the state pays legislators $90 a day toward a hotel room, Noel says he needs a larger apartment because his wife visits during the session and operates a business from that location.

Giving away money

Lawmakers gave away a lot of their money to others through gifts, donations to charity and contributions to other politicians and political groups.

Legislators combined spent at least $12,100 on gifts. Sometimes they were for weddings or births. Among members who noted giving gifts for such purposes were House Speaker Greg Curtis ($50); Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville ($144); Kiser ($170); Oda ($144); and Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville ($85).

In another kind of gift, Kiser reported spending $59 on "candy for Halloween."

Lawmakers gave at least $48,200 to charities, which could help build good will. Some receiving money included a fund for Crandall Canyon Mine disaster victims ($3,100); the Boys & Girls Clubs ($2,675); Boy Scouts ($800); Human Rights Campaign ($700); and many schools, junior livestock shows, environmental groups and service organizations.