Cooperation and civility rule

We doubt too many states this year will end their legislative sessions as Utah did Thursday night, with lawmakers of both parties practically hugging each other and with the governor gushing about it being "the most remarkable session" he had seen.

That is a testament to the cooperative attitudes established by new leadership in both the House and Senate. It also might be an indication that Utah has yet to see the brunt of the current economic slowdown. And it almost certainly can be attributed in part to a federal stimulus package that gave the state $561 million just at the right time. That one-time windfall kept lawmakers from dipping into the state's two Rainy Day funds, which now total $414 million.

We had urged lawmakers either to use these surplus funds or to stop collecting more from taxpayers than they intend to use. It's obviously raining, we said. But now we're not so sure that even heavier rain isn't on the horizon. Certainly, a report in this paper Friday that the Rockefeller Institute of Government could find no state with a larger drop in tax revenues than Utah during the last quarter of 2008 ought to give everyone pause. Sure, there may be some explanations for this having to do with changes to tax laws, but there are no discernible signs that things are getting better. Lawmakers this time had to deal with a $1.5 billion shortfall over two years. Next time, they may well need the Rainy Day money and more.

Aside from the budget, however, there were plenty of reasons to agree that lawmakers did show a remarkable level of cooperation during this session. Chief among these are the changes to the state's liquor laws. The headlines all had to do with the disappearance of private clubs and the removal of the so-called "Zion curtain." But the increased penalties for DUI and underage drinking were just as important, if not more so. So is the provision requiring bars and clubs to keep identification records on file for seven days. That undoubtedly will help law enforcement in the event of alcohol-related crimes. Now the state will need to follow up and see how these changes affect crimes.

The passage of ethics reform bills was impressive, as well. They, too, were the result of new leadership, particularly in the House. While House Speaker Dave Clark did not get all that he wanted in this regard, lawmakers will have to report much more from now on in terms of gifts they might receive from lobbyists, and they won't be able to enrich themselves by pocketing leftover campaign money when they leave office. They also won't be able to leave office and begin lobbying until after one year. That will prevent a repeat of what happened this year as former House Speaker Greg Curtis, who lost his re-election bid in November, turned up to lobby on behalf of the tobacco industry.