The problem isn't the gifts per se, the problem is the lack of clarity in who is recieving what from who and what their legislative needs are. The other thing not in this story is how lobbyist are teaming up to by $99 gifts that are not reported because it's less than $50 a piece. All gifts reported should be the minimum.

Are legislators required to report these gifts as taxable income? If not, why not? If so, are they required to release their tax records? They should be.

Sorry to hear all these guys are so underpaid that they have to rely on lobbyists for meals. How about we give them all a 10% raise, but also make taking a gift valued above $5 from a lobbyist a felony with a minimum 10 year prison sentence?

Phil Riesen appears to like free meals. Someone should file an ethics complaint on this scumbag.

Shouldn't these meetings with representatives be recorded and made public information? It is against the law to have private unrecorded meetings of public officials, whether its at a dinner table or sitting in the private sporting boxes of lobbyists? These private meetings are subverting and undermining the citizens who are the ones who elect officials to represent them. Elected officials do not represent business interest, they represent citizen interest and demands. The people should be determing what's best for them and how representatives should be representing them. Citizens have been legislated out of this right so then we are left with unethical and corrupt government leaders. Don't know why they call themselves representatives of the people because they don't represent the people. It's a self interest form of government serving only its self and those elected to a defucnt representative body.

Riesen is a hero.

It has put a smile on my face to read the comments of people that are angry with him for doing what is right.

He is just what we need. Someone not afraid to stand up to the life long legislators from the far right that have no morals whatsoever.

Thanks Phil.

The stinking politicians have always taken bribes. How do you think the world got into the current financial mess? All politicians are crooked no matter how many times they tell us what great public servants they are. They are liars who only look after their own best interests.

obviously the legislators are not honest enough to be trusted to report their conflicts of interest. I dont think they realize that to everyone but them these "gifts" are clearly bribes.
Kind of like when the whole olympics scandel broke, it was like "yeah, pretty much everyone knew that was what was going on"
The only solution is for there to be a ban on any gifts.
No free dinners, pencils, nothing.
The only way this will happen is with a referindium. the legislators will never pass ethincs reform. they like the bribes too much.

Free meals don't mean that much to politicians. So go ahead and get all hysterical about this issue. What really turns a politicians key is campaign contributions. Think about it.

Mitt Romney demonstrated this lack of integrity and corruption by taking in millions of dollars then dropping out. He's laughing all the way to the bank with all the other politicians.

What is a Utah lobbyist (Ty McCartney for computing company DigitialBridge) doing in New Orleans spending $64 per person for dinner one evening with 5 Utah legislators (including my opponent, two-term incumbent Mark Wheatley) and 3 of their spouses? What is he doing the next night there spending $70 per person for dinner with one of those same legislators? Why isn't he just meeting somewhere in Utah with people like the state's Chief Information Officer?

People aren't happy with the amount of access to and influence with legislators that corporate lobbyists have. Just look at the comments on this story and on a story mentioning that Wheatley voted against a bill that would have lowered the monetary amount of lobbyist gifts that are allowed to go unreported by legislators. Residents in my district have been responding well to the fact that government transparency is one of the three pillars of my campaign (along with individual liberty and economic prosperity). They also like the fact that I've signed the Utahns for Public Schools' Pledge for Legislative Ethics Reform (which Wheatley hasn't signed).

Please do an Internet search for

Rob Alexander Utah

to find out more about my campaign for State Representative.

What is really ridiculous isn't the "gifts" but instead the pay of the legislators. Look up how much they receive for all of their work... It's peanuts! We have a lot of unrealistic expectations for them, but not a lot of realistic benefits. They are serving all of us and aren't getting enough to do more than pay for gas to and from the capitol building. If you want to get rid of gifts, fine, most don't use or like the tons of random crap anyways. You'll then just not be able to get mad when they also raise their miserably small salaries.

this article does nothing more then extend the belief that we the voters of utah in cities and counties need to vote out the current person and vote in a new person ...

that way new folks get to get the gifts and perks and benefits from serving our voting needs (yea right)

in other words spread around the lobbyists generous offerings to new legislators

cause we all know having dinner or going to an NBA finals game has everything to do with everyday utah legislator business and our wealthfare as a better state ??? yea sure !!!

good luck to us all ... greed is the determinate these days .. heck with morals or honesty or right