Walker registers as a paid lobbyist

One day a misdemeanant, the next day a lobbyist.

Former Utah House member and GOP state treasurer candidate Mark Walker, who recently made a plea in abeyance to a misdemeanor charge associated with his offering a fellow Republican a big pay raise to drop out of the state treasurer's race, has become a paid lobbyist.

Walker, who did not return telephone calls for comment, is newly registered as a lobbyist for another lobbying firm; SelectHealth, a health insurance company; Southwest Ambulance; and the Utah Subcontractors Council.

By becoming a lobbyist now Walker not only provides some income to his family, he also dodges a possible upcoming ban on former legislators becoming a lobbyist for a period of time.

Over the years a number of legislators have immediately become paid lobbyists, soliciting their former colleagues. Currently, 28 former lawmakers are registered as lobbyists.

GOP House leaders say one of their ethics reform measures this session is to prohibit retired legislators from becoming a paid lobbyist for one year after leaving office.

Senate Republicans spent 45 minutes in their caucus Tuesday talking about that and other proposed ethics reforms, but couldn't agree on anything, Senate Majority Whip Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, said.

Jenkins said establishing a "cooling off period" for former lawmakers was discussed but questions were raised about whether they should be kept from going to the executive branch — and even how much time was appropriate to wait.

The majority whip chuckled when he was told Walker had registered to lobby.

"Would he be effective? I'm not sure," Jenkins said. "And what about the guy who's offended everybody up here? I'm not sure the former House speaker (Greg Curtis) would want to spend much time lobbying the Senate. He does know how to put pressure on, that's for sure."

Jenkins and others said they'd been told Curtis, a Republican from Sandy who lost re-election in November, would be lobbying the 2009 Legislature.

Earlier this year, Curtis told the Deseret News that he was undecided whether he would come back this year as a lobbyist.

As of Tuesday Curtis was not listed registered as a lobbyist with the Utah Elections Office. Curtis could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Curtis is, however, an attorney. And a number of lobbyists are attorneys who represent clients before the Legislature.

One of Walker's new clients is the RRJ lobbying firm, and one of RRJ's lobbying clients is Curtis' law firm.