So he makes no apologies for the perks he received so far this year - a total of $1,499.60, making him the top recipient of lobbyist gifts in the first quarter of the year, which encompasses the 45-day legislative session.

In fact, the $800 airfare and $120 hotel pushed Bramble and his traveling companions, House Speaker Greg Curtis and Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, to the top of the list of recipients of lobbyist gifts, according to an analysis of lobbyist reports by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"I hope my constituents were aware that, without compensation, I went back to meet with Delta," said Bramble, who met Friday with Delta CEO Richard Anderson.

"He made it clear that what the Legislature did this session made a significant impact on the decision, the merger, which is very, very positive for Utah," he said.

The Legislature passed a tax break worth an estimated $5.7 million for Delta and secured a $35 million airport account that had been eyed by Salt Lake City as a source for light-rail funding. The Delta-Northwest merger is estimated to be worth approximately $3 billion.

After meeting with Delta officials, Bramble stayed in Atlanta a few extra days for his son's wedding, where, according to the reports, two lobbyists sprang for wedding gifts. Bramble said those didn't need to be reported under the law, since his son is an adult who lives on his own.

All told, lobbyists reported giving legislators and state officials a total of $136,385 in the first three months of 2008. The recipients of more than 90 percent of the gifts cannot be identified because the law only requires the lobbyist to identify the legislator receiving the gift if it is a meal worth more than $50 or a tangible gift of more than $10.

Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, sponsored legislation in the past session that would have dropped the reporting threshold for meals from $50 to $15, but the measure did not even got a committee hearing.

On Wednesday, the Legislature's Government Operations Interim Committee agreed to spend the next several months studying a series of ethics issues, including reforming gift rules, who should be responsible for reporting legislative gifts and how to define what constitutes a gift to lawmakers.

Rep. Kory Holdaway of Taylorsville, one of the moderate Republicans seeking the gift studies, said he thinks lobbyists should be providing information to lawmakers, but not gifts or incentives to try to sway them.

"As you look at what has happened over the years, the influence of lobbyists has certainly, in my opinion, increased, and I personally just don't know if that's a good thing for public policy," said Holdaway, who indicated he would have no problem voting in favor of a total gift ban.

The only gift that Holdaway was reported to have taken was $25 in public relations material from Xango, the company that sells fortified beverages and juices.

Other top recipients include Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, who took tickets to two Utah Jazz games worth $614 and a total of $692 in lobbyist gifts; and Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, who accepted a total of $555 in gifts.

Also notable in the filings was what was not there - neither Bramble nor Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich took a Jazz game freebie. Dmitrich, who is retiring after this year, is a die-hard Jazz fan who last year was unapologetic about receiving more lobbyist gifts than any other lawmaker.

But that got him in trouble with his wife, Bo, and the Price senator said repeatedly during the legislative session that he wasn't taking any more Jazz tickets.

gehrke@sltrib.com

Top recipients in Senate

* Sen. Curtis Bramble: $1,499.60 (Airfare and lodging for Delta meeting)

* Sen. Wayne Niederhauser: $920 (Airfare and lodging for Delta meeting)

* Sen. Sheldon Killpack: $691.79 (Two Utah Jazz games; meal)

* Sen. Peter Knudson: $$555.01 (Jazz game; "entertainment"; meal)

* Sen. Dan Eastman: $473.41 (Meals)

In the House

* Speaker Greg Curtis: $1,110.85 (Airfare and lodging for Delta meeting; Jazz game)

* Rep. Brad Last: $524.60 (Jazz game; meal)

* Rep. Kevin Garn: $430 (Jazz game)

* Rep. David Clark: $346.78 (Meals)

* Rep. Becky Lockhart: $298.34 (Meals)

Source: Tribune analysis of lobbyist reports.