Once again, the powerful billboard lobby moves legislation through the House, and once again, I vigorously opposed any changes that would benefit the billboard industry. For a very revealing piece on KSL, click here.

It seems like the only people in this state who don’t think a proposed ban on gifts to legislators is a good idea are….legislators.

Over at Simple Utah Mormon Politics, Frank Staheli blogged about how his Representative, along with a majority, couldn’t stomach (if you’ll pardon the pun) even disclosing - not banning, disclosing - gifts of meals that cost up to $50.

If a legislator doesn’t make enough money, he or she has two choices–don’t run for the legislature or sponsor a bill that gives legislators a larger per diem. But DON’T hide behind the skirts of lobbyists.

And the City Weekly counted the “free lunch” watered-down version as a Hiss:

At last, Utah’s lawmakers have voted for “full disclosure” of gifts given them by lobbyists. Too bad the bill is only half full. About 50 percent of the value of all gifts wouldn’t be covered by an ethics rule that has passed by the House, since the bill makes an exception for meals purchased for lawmakers worth less than $50. The good news is that lobbyists will now have to report to whom they are giving nonedible favors, like tickets to sporting events, presuming Utah’s Senate also passes the ethics-reform bill. In years past, the under-$50 exception applied to everything, so lobbyists kept their gifts to $49 and lawmakers kept the public in the dark. It’s still a long way from Salt Lake City Democrat Rep. Ralph Becker’s original proposal to ban gifts $5.