'Reform' creates big, new loophole for gift reporting

Copyright 2009 Deseret News

Lobbyists reported giving Utah legislators nearly $90,000 in gifts during the first three months of this year, when lawmakers met in their 45-day general session. But less than half of that generosity would have been disclosed if a newly passed "ethics reform" bill had been in place then.

Lawmakers would still have received all that free food, golf and trinkets. But the bill — which becomes law next month — redefines what are reportable gifts. And 52 percent of what was reported in the first quarter would vanish from disclosure forms, a Deseret News analysis found.

The new law "is not satisfactory in the eyes of the public," said Rep. Chris Johnson, D-Salt Lake, who introduced a gift-ban bill in the 2009 Legislature that was pushed aside for the new bipartisan measure. "We need full disclosure of where all lobbyist money is going. Otherwise you can't correlate that giving to what legislation is passing. You can't make the connections" without seeing who is giving what to whom, she said.

The new law declares that anything offered by registered lobbyists to all members of the Legislature, all the House, all the Senate, all of a committee or task force, or all of a party caucus, is not a reportable gift. Such "group" giving won't be reported at all in the future.

In the first quarter of this year, 52 percent of the value of all gifts reported under the old law — $46,163 of $89,323 — fell into that "group" category, according to a Deseret News analysis. Examples of such things that need not be reported in the future include:

 $6,746 reported by the Utah Beverage Association for an annual legislative reception.

 $2,895 to host the Legislature at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, reported by Thanksgiving Point's lobbyist.

 $2,408 for 50 legislators who accepted the Utah Symphony's offer of free tickets to a concert.

 $2,240 for a legislative lunch in the Capitol Rotunda hosted by Farmer's Insurance.

Other events that would not need to have been reported included about 20 meals for the Senate's GOP and Democratic party caucuses (at a cost of $500 per luncheon), held at least twice weekly during the 45-day general session; free samples of health supplements offered to all legislators; a luncheon for legislators' spouses at the University of Utah; and pins, candy, cuff links, hats and ice cream offered either to all members or to party caucuses.