Demos fault GOP ethics reform plan

Utah House GOP leaders have drafted their legislative ethics reform bills, but Democrats say a few items are missing and should be adopted.

Working behind the scenes, Republican leaders have come up with four bills ready for introduction when the 2009 Legislature convenes Jan. 26.

In an open GOP House caucus Monday, leaders presented the bills, which include a one-year ban on a legislator or elected state executive (like the governor) becoming a paid lobbyist; further restrictions on legislative gift-taking, restrictions on personal use of campaign funds after leaving office and more timely reporting of campaign contributions.

While House Republicans say they want to "own" government ethics reform this session, they also want to move their bills quickly, saying budget matters are more pressing.

"We want to act on these the first week of the session," said House Majority Whip Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace.

But as is the case with many so-called legislative ethics reform measures, the bills put forward Monday take two steps forward and one back.

Under the GOP leaders' plan, some gifts, like an expensive Jazz ticket, would be banned. But some gifts that now are reported by lobbyists, like cheap meals or the cost of events to which the whole Legislature is invited, would not be reported at all. And that huge loophole could account for up to half of all gifts now being reported by lobbyists.

In 2007, more than $250,000 was given to legislators. Under the new rules, much of that total gift-giving would become unreported, since the quarter-million figure includes large receptions and/or government-sponsored events that would be exempt from reporting under the proposed changes.

"We were getting dinged for attending events that many of us never went to," said one House GOP leader, who admitted that the overall amount publicly reported as spent on legislators by lobbyists would go down under the bills — even though the money was still being spent entertaining legislators.

And it is still unclear if some "government agencies," like the University of Utah, would no longer be required to report what gifts they give lawmakers.

"These bills refer to registered lobbyists only," a legislative attorney who drafted the bills told the House caucus, and universities and state agencies are not registered lobbyists.

Missing from the House GOP leaders' reform packet is any mention of changes to the current internal ethics complaint and hearing process. Those recommendations will likely be coming during interim study.

And Democrats don't like the fact that Republicans don't plan to even discuss in the 2009 Legislature establishment of an independent ethics complaint committee, outside of the Legislature itself.