Lawmakerseye ways to counter ethics drive

With a far-reaching citizen initiative breathing down their necks, members of a special legislative ethics committee decided Wednesday that a "screening" commission should be set up to privately hear complaints against lawmakers, and determine if the complaints are worthy of further consideration.

From discussion among the evenly split Ethics Interim Study Committee, it is clear that some Democratic members want the public to be able to make a complaint against a lawmaker, while some Republicans say that could be "extremely dangerous."

Only legislators themselves — as is now the case — should be able to bring a complaint against a fellow legislator, said Rep. Brad Last, R-Hurricane.

House Majority Leader Kevin Garn, R-Layton, proposed that the independent screening commission consist of five members: three former judges and two former legislators, one a Republican, the other a Democrat.

The commission would hear any ethics complaints brought against a legislator, and decide whether they have merit or should be immediately dismissed. The complaint and the commission's hearings would be confidential, with penalties for anyone who talked publicly about the complaint.

If the complaint has merit, the commission would send it on to either the House Ethics Committee or the Senate Ethics Committee, depending on whether the accused is a representative or a senator. Those hearings, unlike now, would be public, said Garn in an interview.

Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake, said he wants the committee to consider his SB101, a bill he filed in the 2009 Legislature that went nowhere. That bill also sets up an independent screening panel, but would allow any member of the public to make a complaint.

But several GOP members of the study committee said that was a bad idea, that anyone could repeatedly make false claims, for political or personal reasons, against a sitting legislator.

However, Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake, said it is critical in the effort of the Legislature to win back the public trust in ethical matters to have constituents able to make a complaint against a legislator.

"It is abundantly clear that we have to provide the greatest amount of accessibility to citizens," said King, an attorney.

He said that, yes, there could be an initial flood of frivolous complaints brought by "wingnuts" or others with questionable mental abilities. But those would shake out over time, and people would identify those groups or individuals that bring baseless complaints time and again, he added.