Utah Senate debate on lobbyist-disclosure bill turns to media role and gifts rules

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate spent a large portion of its Feb. 27 session on a rewritten lobbyist-disclosure measure, with senators arguing over how broadly to define "lobbyist" and whether certain media activity should trigger registration and reporting requirements.

Senators considered the second substitute to House Bill 14, a sweeping disclosure and gift restrictions bill that, in the form before the chamber, would require registration and reporting for people who make expenditures to influence legislators. "If you're going to try and influence the body and what they do, if you're not going to report information to the public, then just say you're a lobbyist," Senator Tanner said on the floor.

Opponents argued the draft risked chilling press freedoms and sweeping ordinary interactions into the lobbyist definition. "I don't think this, this amendment should be in our code," said Senator Montgomery, urging deletion of language that could bring media…