Yet he often was vilified by his fellow morality cops, had his bills held up from time to time and was cut off from the good old boy social network in the legislative halls of the State Capitol.

His sin? He consistently introduced bills imposing strict reporting requirements for gifts and favors laid in the laps of legislators by lobbyists. His legislation went nowhere and he became somewhat of a pariah among his colleagues.

That is why this year's sweeping ethics-reform legislation that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and House is striking. A body so opposed for years to publicizing the goodies accepted by legislators suddenly embraced a bill that will let you, the voter, know what legislator is dining with what lobbyist and who is watching expensive Utah Jazz games on someone else's dime.

One reason for the sudden collective change of heart among legislators is the scrutiny aimed at them because of the highly visible lobbyist-owned $500 front-row Jazz tickets that have been made available to legislators for years. The donor lobbyist has always reported the gifts in his filings with the state, so there is nothing sneaky about it. But because of the prominence of those seats and the familiarity of the faces on the front row, they have become a symbol of legislator entitlement.

The irony is that, more often than not, those seats are taken by Democrats, whose members have been the most vocal about the need for ethics reform. The Republican gift recipients usually take seats at Jazz games that are under the radar, scattered throughout EnergySolutions Arena.

The perception that has grown over the years is that legislators take expensive gifts and then are beholden to the gift givers. Most legislators say taking a Jazz ticket or a free meal does not sway them. But they have become sensitive to the perception.

The ethics reform legislation this year was first introduced by House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake. That initiative by a Democrat, coupled with rising uneasiness among legislators that they are seen as being on the take, finally triggered action by key members of the majority party.

If Becker carried the legislation and the Republican super-majority squashed it, a martyr suddenly would be born, some Republicans feared. So Rep. Brad Dee, R-Ogden, took over the legislation, which eventually ended up in a bill sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse.

So it's a Republican-led law, and here is what it does:

* Any gift over $10 must be reported. Before, the threshold was $50 and, often, a legislator would pick up the amount over $49, so his or her name wouldn't have to be reported.

* All tickets to professional or college sporting events now are reported, no matter the cost.

* Lobbyists must report the gifts quarterly. Before, it was only after the legislative session, then the end of the year, so legislators would take their freebie shortly after the session and not have it reported for nine months.

* The threshold for meals still is $50, but that is within a 24-hour period rather than a calendar day, so lobbyists can't spend $49 on a legislator on Saturday night and another $49 on Sunday morning and skip the reporting requirement.

* Lobbyists can no longer split the cost of entertaining a legislator among his or her clients to avoid the reporting threshold. The lobbyist is responsible, rather than the client.

* Lobbyists who represent more than one client now must get permission from their clients to work for both if there is a conflict of interest.