Buttars on Rules Committee for now

The answer is no to Senate Democrats seeking further action against controversial GOP Sen. Chris Buttars, Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said Wednesday.

Waddoups had said he wanted to think about the Democrats' request that Buttars be removed from the powerful Senate Rules Committee after the only openly gay member of the Senate, Sen. Scott McCoy, offered to step down in a trade.

"In discussing it, it didn't seem to foster the calmness we're looking for," Waddoups said Wednesday. "The issue seems to have gone away now."

After anti-gay comments made by Buttars to a documentary filmmaker surfaced last week, Waddoups stripped the West Jordan Republican of two committee chairmanships. But Democrats said Tuesday the Senate leader did not go far enough.

In addition to removing Buttars as chairman of the Senate's judiciary and judicial confirmation committees, Senate Democrats said he should also be forced out as chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

Waddoups quickly ruled out that request from the Democrats, saying he saw no reason to remove Buttars from his remaining chairmanship. But he said he wanted to talk over Buttars' post on the Rules Committee with other Senate leaders.

Buttars upset not just Democrats but also some in his own party by making anti-gay statements that included comparing gay activists to Muslim terrorists and calling gays and lesbians the biggest threat facing America.

Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones, D-Holladay, said the minority party "made our wishes known. As far as I'm concerned, it's time to move on, hoping all elected public officials will be sensitive about what say in the future."

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