Ethics Reform in Utah

[Jeff Lebowski]

Two citizen groups insisting that the Utah Legislature did not go far enough with ethics reform last year:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...-targeted.html

I hope both initiatives reach the ballot.

[byu71]

If they require politicians to have eithics, you won't have enough politicians to fill the job. Ethical people don't want to be politicians.

It is the reason most politicans are former lawyers. They take classes in school about how normal ethics don't apply to them.

[Hallelujah]

Two citizen groups insisting that the Utah Legislature did not go far enough with ethics reform last year:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...-targeted.html

I hope both initiatives reach the ballot.

Ethics. Does anyone think that a politician can be bought for a $25 lunch?
Redistricting. Every other state does it the same way. The majority legislature draws the boundaries..

Man, don't we have bigger problems than a $25 lunch or redistricting?

[frank ryan]

This is long overdue. Greg curtis leaving office with 250 is disgusting. The majority of the those guys aren't conservatives, they are thugocrats

[All-American]

I agree with this much: the legislation passed during this year's session was a joke. It wasn't going to improve ethical conduct in the legislature and the legislators knew it. It was all about saving face and appeasing Bob Bernick of the Deseret News.

I admit that I like the idea of an independent ethics commission, and if there was money to spare, I'd want to make it happen. That said, though, I think it's largely a solution in want of a problem.

Frank points out Greg Curtis, former speaker of the house, as an example of questionable ethics. I point out that Greg Curtis is now the FORMER speaker of the house because of his questionable ethics. What would an ethics commission do that the voters of Sandy City didn't do just as effectively on their own?

I say keep reasonably stringent reporting standards and let the voters decide if their conduct has been unethical.

[All-American]

Interesting also to note that according to the cited article, Speaker Dave Clark, this year's ethics reform champion, doesn't like the initiatives.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Frank points out Greg Curtis, former speaker of the house, as an example of questionable ethics. I point out that Greg Curtis is now the FORMER speaker of the house because of his questionable ethics. What would an ethics commission do that the voters of Sandy City didn't do just as effectively on their own?

Not allow him to ride off into the sunset with a $250K unrestricted bank account funded by special interests?

[Jeff Lebowski]

More on the initiatives:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...ervatives.html

[All-American]

Not allow him to ride off into the sunset with a $250K unrestricted bank account funded by special interests?

And how exactly would they do that? Wag their finger at him and say "good riddance" when he lost the election?

And just so you know how very useless the ethics legislation passed this session is. One of the bills aimed to stick a foot in the "revolving door" by forcing a one year "cooling off" period between jobs as a legislator and as a lobbyist. That only applies to lobbyists at firms whose primary purpose is lobbying. In other words, it would not have applied to Greg Curtis. In fact, of the three legislators-turned lobbyists of this year's session (Curtis, Dmitritch, and Walker), the law would only have applied to Walker.

[Jeff Lebowski]

And how exactly would they do that? Wag their finger at him and say "good riddance" when he lost the election?

No. Pass a law that limits how campaign donations are used. Like most other states. From what I understand, Curtis could buy a new house with his unused campaign donations.

Maybe that was changed last session. Correct me if I am wrong.

[All-American]

No. Pass a law that limits how campaign donations are used. Like most other states. From what I understand, Curtis could buy a new house with his unused campaign donations.

Maybe that was changed last session. Correct me if I am wrong.

http://www.le.state.ut.us/asp/billsintro/SubResults.asp?Listbox4=02208&Passed=yes

Specifically, from Senator Valentines SB 162:

(4) A person who is no longer a state office candidate may not expend or transfer the monies in a campaign account in a manner that would cause the former state office candidate to recognize the monies as taxable income under federal tax law.

Good call.

So let me rephrase: what would an independent Ethics Commission do that Sandy City voters (and the above legislation) would not already do?

[Jeff Lebowski]

http://www.le.state.ut.us/asp/billsi...208&Passed=yes

Specifically, from Senator Valentines SB 162:



Good call.

So let me rephrase: what would an independent Ethics Commission do that Sandy City voters (and the above legislation) would not already do?

Well, you are correct in that the most effective solution is to throw the bums out.

I am not sure how effective an independent commission will be. Sounds like they will have no power other than to "make recommendations". Ha.

[All-American]

Well, you are correct in that the most effective solution is to throw the bums out.

I am not sure how effective an independent commission will be. Sounds like they will have no power other than to "make recommendations". Ha.

I really doubt it would change the way legislators act, to be honest. As of now, if a legislator acts unethically, somebody finds out about it, it gets in the papers, and the voters decide how much it bothers them.

The problem with ethics and the legislature right now is not that the legislators are engaged in unethical conduct. The problem is that Utah voters aren't sure that legislators are not engaged in unethical conduct, and esse est percepi. An ethics commission would not change the way legislators act, but it MIGHT buy back some trust from the electorate.

There is something to be said for reassuring voters that the legislators work for them. Still, that will come at a cost. However much that reassurance would be worth, there isn't a lot of money to go around these days.