Lobbyists report dinners, entertainment for mostly anonymous legislators

Meals. Golf games. Sports tickets.

Once again, the latest lobbyist disclosure reports that had to be filed Thursday with the state Elections Office show Utah lawmakers received these and other gifts from representatives of a wide variety of private and public organizations.

Because state law only requires recipients to be named if the amount of the gift is valued at more than $50, most reports don't specify which lawmakers accepted the offers made by individuals hired to represent interest groups.

So when SelectHealth lobbyist Eliana White listed nearly $800 in meals for lawmakers during the second quarter of 2008, she did not have to name any of them because the individual cost apparently always fell below the $50 threshold.

Nor did veteran lobbyist Paul Rogers, who represents more than 30 clients including the Utah Bankers Association. Rogers had more than 50 separate meal and entertainment expenses listed that totaled over $1,000 but none exceeded the limit.

Same for Questar lobbyist Rey Butcher, who reported eating six meals and attending three athletic events with 89 people identified only as "officials" and other guests, adding up to a total of more than $2,100.

But Pfizer lobbyist Shelby Fletcher went ahead and reported that her only expense last quarter, nearly $32 for a dinner at the Market Street Grille, was for Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful.

And several lobbyists even reported their campaign contributions. Under the law, it's up to candidates to disclose where their money comes from and their next reports aren't due until Sept. 2.

"We encourage full transparency," said Joe Demma, chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert who oversees the state elections office. "Obviously, we are fans of full transparency, so while the law may not require it, it's not ever a bad thing to do."

Peggy Harrison, lobbyist for the Utah Rural Telecom Association in Central Valley, submitted a list of $100 and $200 donations to more than dozen legislators. She said she knew she didn't need to report the $4,900 in contributions but decided to do it anyway.

"I just like to be honest and up front and I think everything should be disclosed," Harrison said. "We had no lobbying this quarter, none. But we did do contributions because this is a campaign year."