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House approves tighter financial-disclosure rules, adds candidate filing requirement
Summary
After adopting an amendment clarifying penalties and posting timelines, the House passed HB 270 to codify enhanced financial-disclosure rules and require candidates for certain statewide offices to file financial statements; the measure passed 70–0 and will go to the Senate.
The Utah House on Feb. 4 passed HB 270, a bill that codifies and extends recent House rules tightening financial-disclosure requirements for officeholders and candidates.
Sponsor Representative Hughes said the measure narrows the disclosure threshold and would require the disclosure of assets and potential conflicts of interest for officeholders and candidates for statewide offices including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer and Attorney General. 'We are narrowing this down ... disclosure down to items that are over $5,000,' the sponsor said.
Representative Allen offered Amendment No. 1 to clarify enforcement and fill technical omissions: it makes a failure to file a timely disclosure a Class B misdemeanor if the filer had received notice of delinquency and failed to correct it; it requires disclosure of material changes after initial filing; it adds 'domestic partner' to spouse reporting language; and it requires posted financial disclosures to appear on the Internet within three working days after filing.
Hughes and other sponsors supported the clarifications as narrow and nonpunitive adjustments intended to increase clarity and avoid inadvertent traps for filers. The motion to adopt Amendment No. 1 passed, the bill was amended, and HB 270 passed the House 70–0. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
The House also passed a related joint rules resolution (HJR14) that implements similar disclosure changes as a House rule; that measure passed earlier in the session.
