This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah lawmakers delivered on the public's hunger for a big infusion of money for public education and tough new laws to prevent animal torture, but dropped the ball on residents' desire to see meaningful ethics reform.
Heading into the session, Utahns were intent on seeing public education fare well, with a Tribune poll before the session's Jan. 21 opening showing that nearly half wanted to see the state's surplus go to schools. That was nearly double the percentage that preferred to see the money going to a tax cut, the next most popular option.
Legislators and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. boasted of the $239 million investment into public education, which includes a $1,700 pay increase directly to teachers and additional money for performance bonuses and other incentives.
"We started the session saying education was our top priority and it really was. We really put our money where our mouth was," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem.
Utah lawmakers bragged of sending even more to schools - 57 percent of the money available - but padded the numbers by including $100 million that was squirreled away in case the state's economy continues to cool.
A stalemate over "Henry's Law," making animal torture a felony that had lingered for years was broken as the bill was pared back to only apply to domestic dogs and cats, exempting other pets and livestock. The bill passed, in large part, because of House Speaker Greg Curtis' strong backing.
More than two-thirds of residents in the Tribune poll supported the felony torture law.
The poll showed the public was split on some immigration-reform proposals. Forty-four percent favored repealing in-state college tuition for undocumented students. But Huntsman made clear that he did not favor such a proposal, and lawmakers opted for a broader immigration bill, while delaying implementation until the summer of 2009. That gives the federal government time to act, Huntsman said.
"I think the way our legislation is now positioned . . . is right, because we're going to want to see what the federal overlay is with respect to comprehensive reform and therefore how we can fill in the gaps or close whatever loopholes might exist," he said.
The Legislature again failed to act on any legislation aimed at strengthening ethics regulations in the body. Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, introduced legislation this year to limit gifts lawmakers may take and restrict how they can use their campaign funds.
And Rep. Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake City, proposed legislation to create an independent ethics commission to investigate complaints against lawmakers. The House and Senate now police themselves.
Seventy-two percent of those surveyed supported the creation of such an ethics commission.
This session, Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, was replaced by Bell as chairman of the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee after Buttars wrote a scathing letter to a judge who ruled against his friend - a case McGee suggested could have been brought before an independent commission.
"There is a denial that there is any problem. Even bringing it up people seem to be insulted," said McGee, who is retiring at the end of the year, but hopes someone else takes up the cause of ethics reform.
Bramble, who is chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said he favors the current structure.
"I think it's appropriate for the Legislature to police its own. You find that in most legislative bodies," said Bramble, who considered legislation to make the state's conflict of interest statutes more rigorous. He abandoned the effort when he said he could not come up with a clear definition of what constitutes a conflict.
Utah lawmakers
Legislators carried out the public will on some issues they wrestled with during the just-ended legislative session. , weighed against a January issues poll.
DID THEY LISTEN?
Ethics reform for state lawmakers
You said: 72 percent would support a commission to investigate ethics complaints, 12 percent said no.
Legislators passed nothing.
Scholarships for every high school grad
You said: 61 percent supported a scholarship bill; 33 opposed it.
Legislators passed the bill, but put little funding in it.
Animal torture as a felony crime
You said: 67 percent of Utahns wanted to make animal torture a felony, and 25 percent did not.
Legislators passed the bill.
Creating a state-level mine-safety agency
You said: 71 percent of Utahns wanted it, while 18 percent opposed it.
Legislators created a mine-safety office, but it won't do inspections.
In-state tuition for undocumented students
You said: 41 percent wanted it, while 44 percent wanted to repeal it.
Legislators did not repeal it.
How to spend the state surplus money
You said: The biggest margin (49 percent of Utahns) wanted the money for increased school funding. 26 percent wanted a tax cut, 11 percent wanted road funding and 7 percent wanted it to be stored in a rainy day fund.
Legislators gave $239 million new money to education, also approved a $2.6 billion reconstruction of !-15 in Utah County. And they socked away $100 million as a hedge against future economic downturns.