03/04/10

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ The Utah Senate has passed a handful of
ethics bills that had been languishing for weeks.

But only one is headed straight for Gov. Gary Herbert's desk, as
a number of Senate amendments will send most of them back to the
House for final approval.

Lawmakers voted 25-4 on Thursday to pass House Joint Resolution
15, which aims to amend the state constitution to create an
independent ethics commission to screen complaints against
lawmakers.

House Speaker David Clark, a Santa Clara Republican, is
sponsoring the measure.

The other proposals sent back to the House would, among other
things, create new guidelines on financial disclosures and ban most
lobbyist gifts worth more than $10.


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