Senate approves 'revolving door' ethics measure

The Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved a bill prohibiting retired lawmakers from coming back to the Capitol as lobbyists for one year.

HB345, sponsored by Rep. Brad Dee, R-Ogden, is one of a handful of ethics proposals working their way through the Legislature this year in response to a series of high profile scandals last year. Other bills address lobbyist gifts and annual ethics training for lawmakers.

The bill's Senate sponsor, Sen. Gregory Bell, R-Fruit Heights, reminded fellow senators they were citizen servants there for "altruistic" public service and everything was secondary to their pledge to serve the people.

"We are telling the public that we are not lobbyists in training," Bell said. "That's what this is about."

Sen. Gen Davis, D-Salt Lake, called the measure a "restraint" on an individual's right to earn a living after they leave the Legislature and pointed out that ethics had nothing to do with what a lobbyist does.

"Ethics is what we do here and how we act," Davis said.

Senate Minority Leader Patricia Jones, D-Salt Lake, said she would like the prohibition on lobbying to be longer than one year.

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