It's not that he doesn't support the idea, his spokeswoman says. It's the principle of the thing. The proclamation's backers haven't sent background information requested by the governor's office. Without it, Huntsman will not sign.

So next Tuesday, Equal Pay Day probably will pass without a declaration signed by Utah's governor.

The standardized statement presented to all the states' governors notes that in 2003, a working woman earned 76 cents for every $1 a man doing the same job earned.

A General Accounting Office report released in 2002 found that women managers in seven of 10 industries surveyed lost ground to their male colleagues between 1995 and 2000.

And U.S. Department of Labor statistics in 2001 showed that women earn less in every occupation, including those dominated by women. Over a woman's lifetime, the draft states, that translates to $523,000 in lost wages.

"We're not asking him to raise [the] minimum wage. We're asking him to support the fact that women should be paid equally," said Shauna Scott-Bellaccomo, vice president of the Utah Women's Lobby. "He is a new governor and he's not willing to take a stand. Women represent the other half of the population. It should be important enough to sign."

Scott-Bellaccomo also happens to be an employment counselor at the state Department of Workforce Services. After she took her case to the media, she said, the governor's office contacted workforce services, questioning her activities and why her press release had not been approved by the governor's office.

Huntsman spokeswoman Tammy Kikuchi says Scott-Bellaccomo and the equal pay groups she represents have not followed the administration's proclamation approval process. As with each of dozens of proclamations Huntsman has signed, Kikuchi said, governor's staff requested copies of similar proclamations previous governors have signed. The Utah Women's Lobby provided a copy of the resolution former Gov. Mike Leavitt signed in 1999, but that was not enough to meet the governor's criteria.

Also, Mike Lee, the governor's attorney, raised legal questions about the statement's statistics and references to Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

"This could be read to suggest Title 7 brought about little change or progress in pay equity," Lee said. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has done wonderful things in this country. It's inaccurate to suggest it didn't."

Kikuchi insists the new proclamation approval process is just part of due diligence. "Sometimes we're asked to sign things that are not appropriate for governors to sign. The state could be liable," she added.

"Truly, the governor does support equal pay for women. That's not the issue."

But Utah National Organization of Women President Andrea Moore-Emmett says Huntsman and his staff are hiding behind an arbitrary rule they have written for themselves. "They're using semantics," she said. "Equal pay is pretty clear. It's black and white. They're hedging as usual, not doing the right thing."

Scott-Bellaccomo wonders why her group is being held to such a strict standard when the governor has been willing to sign other proclamations this year with less review - notably a statement declaring April 9 "Motocross Kickoff Day."

Huntsman, a motocross enthusiast, is the first Utah governor to proclaim such a day. Those who showed up were able to "ride with the governor" and have their fees at the Jordan River off-highway park in North Salt Lake City waived.

The proclamation angered at least one environmental group.

But Kikuchi says the statement was fully vetted with state parks and natural resources officials.