SB55 would require that political action committees, political issues committees and corporations created in the run-up to an election designate and disclose the names of at least two officers. And candidates could volunteer to sign a pledge of fair campaign practices.

"We want people who are trying to influence an election by putting out false material to be identifiable," said sponsoring Sen. Al Mansell, R-Sandy.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle claim they have been harmed by shadowy advocacy groups.

Mansell's legislation stems from two 2004 mailings that targeted Republican lawmakers, including West Jordan Sen. Chris Buttars, former Sen. James Evans and former Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman. The names of organizers behind the Truth in Politics PAC eventually trickled out. But a group that organized in support of Utah's Marriage Amendment and funneled money into last-minute advertising has disappeared.

"These so-called ghost PACs are insidious," said Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights.

Political organizations that fail to report their officers could be charged with a third degree felony.

Mansell also wants individual candidates to be held accountable. A proposed voluntary candidate pledge states, "I shall not use nor shall I permit the use of whispering campaigns or scurrilous attacks on any candidate. I shall not participate in or shall I permit the use of any other criticism of any candidate that I do not believe to be truthful, provable and relevant to my campaign."

Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, persuaded colleagues to insert sexual orientation into a list of personal characteristics that a candidate would agree not to target through appeals to voter bias.

"The intent of this is to make sure campaigns are about issues and the candidate's opinion on issues," said McCoy, one of two openly gay state legislators. Simply mentioning a person's sexual orientation would not violate the pledge. ''Playing on negative prejudices'' would, he said.