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House re-enacts stricter lobbyist-disclosure language, passes HB 26 after heated floor debate
Summary
After hours of floor debate and a motion to reinstate previously struck amendments, the Utah House passed an amended lobbyist-disclosure bill (HB 26) aimed at broader reporting of lobbyist activity and certain tangible gifts; proponents said transparency would restore public trust, opponents warned about unintended burdens on legitimate constituent engagement.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 3 passed an amended lobbyist-disclosure bill, House Bill 26, after an extended and at times contentious floor debate that culminated in reinstating previously removed amendments and votes to rescind earlier actions.
Representative Tanner, the bill’s sponsor on the floor, framed the measure as a step toward “full disclosure” that would require reporting of certain lobbying activities and a clearer definition of reportable gifts and tangible property. Tanner said the measure would make important information available to committees and the public and described the bill as “a tremendously important step forward” in bringing disclosure “exactly where it should be.”
Representative Brown led a successful motion to reinstate language that had been removed the previous day; Brown argued that the legislature’s public reputation had suffered and urged restoring the prior provisions while pursuing a longer-term, inclusive review process. “Last Thursday, 39 courageous people joined with me in making a statement,” Brown said in floor remarks calling for a broader interim dialogue on disclosure, ethics and unpaid legislative service.
Floor debate touched on multiple themes: several members described public opinion polls showing a sharp drop in public trust of the legislature, while others warned that overly prescriptive statutory language could hamper legitimate constituent engagement or unfairly stigmatize routine informational meals and meetings. Representative Fuller and other supporters argued that full transparency would help prevent incremental ethical lapses, citing examples from other states.
Procedural votes during debate included divisions on amendments and a motion to rescind prior action. After a sequence of motions, reinstatements and a final roll call, the House reported that HB 26 as amended passed the body with a tally of 72 affirmative, 0 negative votes and was transmitted to the Senate for its consideration.
The bill’s supporters said they expected the measure to improve public confidence by making lobbying and gift reporting more comprehensive. Opponents and some members who supported restoration of prior language said they wanted follow-up work in an interim, voluntary review process involving stakeholders to refine implementation details and examine related ethics procedures.
Next steps: HB 26, as amended by the House, will go to the Senate for further consideration. The House also recorded a commitment from leadership to convene an interim dialogue of stakeholders to examine disclosure and related ethics questions.
