SALT LAKE CITY – An initiative calling for changes to Utah’s ethics laws won’t make the November ballots, but organizers say they are not ending their fight.
Utahns for Ethical Government wants a limit on donations and to create an independent commission to investigate ethics.
They collected signatures online and on paper to put their initiative on the ballot, but the Utah Supreme Court backed up a decision made by the Lt. Governor ruling that state law does not recognize online signatures.
The group spoke a day after the Utah Supreme Court ruled against their initiative, saying the decision is disappointing, but they will continue their fight.
“The decision by the Utah Supreme Court brings at least a temporary halt to that effort. It is therefore, for us, disheartening,” said Kim Burningham, Utahns for Ethical Government.
Some legislators say they already responded to calls for ethics laws, passing several ethics bills in 2010. Those laws focused on disclosing donations and reviewing complaints.
