This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lawmakers rushed in the last days of the session to pass a new law governing lobbyists, claiming it would usher in a new level of clarity on gifts and meals provided to Utah's elected officials.
But the people who are implementing that new law and even some of the lobbyists themselves say legislators missed their mark.
"So far it doesn't seem to be making any sense," said Joe Demma, chief of staff of the lieutenant governor's office, which oversees lobbyist regulation. "I can't tell you what the point of the law is."
The law requires lobbyists to file public-disclosure forms every quarter instead of at sporadic times during the year, and Tuesday was the first deadline.
As usual, lobbyists spent thousands on dinners, golf and Utah Jazz tickets. But the way they have reported that information has changed.
Take Craig Peterson, former Senate majority leader, who is a lobbyist for hire. His report includes a $630 dinner with Utah House and Senate leaders in Washington, D.C., on May 6.
But he only paid one third of that amount. He split the meal with lobbyists Alan Dayton and Spencer Stokes.
Demma said the law requires all three lobbyists to claim the full amount. Dayton and Stokes so far have not.
"I understand what they are trying to get to," Peterson said. "But the way the law is written is not clear and it is probably going to need some amending."
The law as written would allow lobbyists to hide spending as long as they could get a colleague to claim the entire expense. Peterson believes the report should include that he only paid for part of the bill and who picked up the rest of the tab.
Stokes is equally confused. If he and Dayton also claimed the entire tab, it would make the $630 dinner look like it cost $1,890.
About a dozen business lobbyists sponsor an annual skeet shooting event in Magna. This year 19 legislators or their family members participated. Demma said each lobbyist should file for the total amount, but they only claimed $44 each for the refreshments and ammunition.
Despite this provision, Stokes said the new law has some benefits. He said quarterly reporting will make it easier for people to track lobbyist spending and easier for lobbyists to keep tabs as well.
Any gift over $10 must be disclosed with the name of the legislator benefiting.
This reporting period also marks the first time lobbyists must disclose the name of a legislator who accepted a sporting event ticket, regardless of the cost. Previously, the names were only included if the cost of the ticket was over $50.
That had no effect on reports filed this quarter. A number of legislators, including such leaders as House Speaker Greg Curtis, Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich and Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, accepted Utah Jazz playoff tickets from Rocky Mountain Power. All were worth more than $50.
On just about everything else, lobbyists have become masters at getting costs under that $50 threshold.
A lobbyist for the Utah Home Builders Association paid for five rounds of golf for legislators that cost between $47.77 and $49.34.
Demma said lobbyists have also used other methods to minimize reporting.
"Unfortunately there are a lot of loopholes we are seeing people drive trucks through," he said.
Ric Cantrell, chief deputy of the Senate, said senators "will take a closer look."
"If there really are some loopholes and unintended consequences we will work together to fix them," he said.
Some lobbyists are just vague on the purpose of the expenditure.
A Utah Restaurant Association lobbyist filed a disclosure for $650 and the purpose was listed as "activity."
She provided no other information.
A Johnson & Johnson lobbyist spent $360 on "interim discussions," without any indication of what that money was spent on.
Demma said his office is not at this point recommending any changes in the lobbyist laws, though he said the staff would like to drop their oversight of lobbyists altogether.
But as long as the law requires, Demma said, the office will continue to monitor new returns and track problems.
Since the legislative session ended, lobbyists have spent:
* More than $2,000 on golf greens fees.
* More than $1,200 on Utah Jazz tickets.
* Untold thousands on meals.
Source: Lobbyist disclosure forms.