Senate committee reviews amendment to delay enforcement authority of State Ethics Commission amid staffing, separation-of-powers concerns

Michael O'Grady, a Lehi council member, and counsel walked the Senate Committee on Government Operations through draft 1.1 of H.1 on April 22, describing an amendment that would postpone—rather than repeal—some enforcement powers the Legislature granted the State Ethics Commission last year.

The amendment would delay the commission’s authority to conduct investigations and hold hearings for two years, change the referral language so the commission provides a recommended action when it refers complaints to the executive, legislative or judicial branches, and make advice provided at the time of referral confidential. The measure’s backers say the delay is intended to allow time to staff the commission and to address unresolved questions about appeals and confidentiality.

Why it matters: committee members and witnesses told the panel that the commission lacks the attorneys and staff needed to exercise full enforcement authority beginning September 2025 under prior law, prompting the proposed two-year postponement and a chance to revisit structural and procedural questions before enforcement takes effect.

O'Grady said the amendment “postpones. It doesn't remove, it doesn't repeal. It postpones that authority for 2 years,” framing the change as temporary until the…