But his anti-gay, anti-Planned Parenthood passion is equally matched by his enthusiasm to legislatively aid one guy who has been a supporter and fundraiser.
Buttars, R-West Jordan, is sponsoring SB74, the Health Care Provider Access Act, which would forbid a hospital that has more than 25 percent of the beds in a county from offering discounts to insurance companies.
Radiologist Wendell Gibby, who owns a state-of-the-art medical imaging center and competes with hospitals for those services, is pushing the bill, which would help his competitive standing against larger hospitals. He, of course, could offer a discount.
Buttars' SB121, "Access to Qualified Health Care Providers," is an any-willing-provider bill, meaning providers like Gibby couldn't be omitted from lists approved by insurance companies.
Buttars also has two interesting "box-car bills," which are bills that have a number and title, but no text to describe exactly what it would do.
One is "Protection of Personal Property Rights from Citizen's Referenda" (SB201). The other is "Environmentally Restricted Zoning Districts" (SB226).
Gibby has been in a legal dispute with the city of Mapleton over 120 acres he purchased and wants to develop on the foothills above that Utah County hamlet. The issue is that he purchased the land in a previously designated (remember this phrase?) "Environmentally Restricted Zoning District."
Also, Mapleton residents have gathered 1,100 signatures on a referendum petition designed to stop or limit Gibby's development on that land.
Coincidentally, complaints were lodged earlier this legislative session that Buttars was allowing Gibby to use his Senate office to lobby legislators on his issues.
Separation of powers? Sen. Buttars also has a bill, SB105, that would drastically change the makeup of the Judicial Conduct Commission, which investigates complaints and imposes sanctions against judges. The bill would transform it from a commission mostly comprising the legal community to one with much more representation from the legislative and executive branches of government.
Buttars has said it is a conflict of interest for judges to judge other judges.
Funny. He and his colleagues don't seem to have a problem with the ethics committees of legislators investigating complaints against legislators.
No crystal ball here: David Terry, Salt Lake City's golf manager, sent a media advisory via e-mail Wednesday announcing that Wingpointe and Rose Park golf courses would be open for golfers this week. It's the second time in two months that Terry has announced golf course openings on the eve of a major snowstorm.
prolly@sltrib.com
