Senate Bill 246, a sad attempt by state legislators to crawl out of the pockets of lobbyists, is titled "Government Law Changes." They should add the phrase "at a snail's pace."
Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, sponsored the bill and said that "change is incremental." But at this rate, state legislators will be sitting courtside at Jazz games and lunching at Lamb's on a lobbyist's dime until the Great Salt Lake goes dry.
The bill would require lobbyists to file disclosure forms quarterly instead of annually, and lower the reporting limit to $5 for gifts to lawmakers excluding meals and tickets. It would also require elected officials to file campaign finance reports annually instead of bi-annually. But it wouldn't stop the gravy train.
Killpack called his bill, which was sent to the Senate floor Wednesday, a "positive step in the right direction." He's correct. We hope it's approved. But it's a baby step. This problem needs to be changed by leaps and bounds.
We believe legislators should meet with lobbyists like prisoners meet with visitors - under the harsh light of a bare bulb where nothing can change hands.
Our lawmakers say they are honorable men and women who will not be swayed by a free meal, a token gift, or even $500 tickets to Jazz games. And they say they will be meeting with lobbyists anyway because it's part of their job to learn about issues, so what does it matter if they meet over a free meal? They say that disclosure laws and limits on gifts create an appearance of impropriety where none exists.
To our esteemed legislators, we say hogwash. Buy your own Diet Coke. Buy your own dinner. If you want to go to a basketball game, call the box office. Your election to public office entitles you to nothing more than the right to represent us on Capitol Hill.
Even if our lawmakers can't be bought, appearance is everything. And it appears to us that this bill does little to solve the problem of influence peddling.
We don't need stricter reporting requirements or lower reporting thresholds. We need an outright ban on gifts and services of any kind, and 64 percent of Utahns, according to a Tribune public opinion survey, agree. When it comes to freebies for legislators, the people will settle for nothing more than nothing. And they deserve nothing less.
