Ethics Investigation Bills Clear Senate Committee

02.08.2010 by Elizabeth Ziegler

Senator John Valentine

(KCPW News) Three ethics bills passed out of committee in the Utah Senate today with unanimous support, but some amendments are expected. Senator John Valentine says his bills will improve the ethics hearing process, which he believes is backwards under the current system, in which the ethics complaint can be released to the public from the very start:

“… where people pre-try a person in public opinion before they ever have a chance to even present their side of the story,” he said.  “And then, when they actually have the hearing, it’s closed. The public doesn’t get to participate and interviews witnesses as they come out as to what they testified to and tries to piece together the whole picture. That system doesn’t work well.”

Senate Joint Resolution 3 creates an independent commission comprising three former judges and two former lawmakers, appointed by legislative leaders from both parties. The other two bills, SB 136 and 138, allow the proceedings to be conducted behind closed doors and ensure the records of false claims aren’t released to the public, with some exceptions.  The hearings would later be open if the complaint is forwarded to the House or Senate ethics committee.

Salt Lake City Senator Ben McAdams raised concerns about the bills, and wants Valentine to amend SJR 3 to make it easier for the public to file ethics complaints. But  Dixie Huefner with Utahns for Ethical Government says that still wouldn’t go far enough.

“Those were all pointing out work that I guess the House and Senate could do to improve their bill,” said Huefner.  “It would still fall a long way short of what we really want to see happen, and especially if the constitutional amendment passes.”

It remains unclear what will occur if the UEG voter initiative and a constitutional amendment creating an ethics commission both pass this November.