Rep. James V. Hansen, R-Utah, the second-ranking Republican on the House Ethics Committee, says the panel's investigation of House Speaker Jim Wright has become an increasingly heavy burden.
Hansen told the Weber County Republican Convention Saturday that the intensity of the committee's probe into allegations regarding Wright has inhibited his own activities on the House Armed Services and Interior committees.The Ethics Committee operates under a rule that it can function only with full attendance of members, so he cannot leave to pursue business of other committees, he said.
"I'm really looking for a parole board to get me off," quipped Hansen, who described the charges against the Democratic speaker as "the heaviest piece of disciplinary action" anyone has faced in the past decade.
"It's really kind of scary," he said.
Hansen, who is serving his fifth term in the 1st District, was keynote speaker at the convention, where delegates celebrated election victories in what had been considered a Democratic stronghold.
Weber County Republicans gained two new seats in the Legislature, two GOP county commissioners were re-elected and Hansen prevailed in a virtual dead heat with Democrat Gunn McKay.
The county's GOP turnout also was viewed as crucial in returning Republican Gov. Norm Bangerter to office for a second term. Democratic candidate Ted Wilson scraped by with barely a 2,000-vote edge in Weber County, substantially less than his supporters had counted on to offset GOP victory margins elsewhere.
In other matters, outgoing Republican State Chairman Jack Roberts said Sen. Steve Symms of Idaho would serve as the keynote speaker for the GOP state convention on June 17 in Salt Lake City.
Utah House Speaker Nolan Karras, R-Roy, who is considered a possible gubernatorial candidate, discussed a legislative leadership plan to involve lawmakers in "strategic planning" on future issues.
The aim is to reflect a positive attitude toward state development rather than taking a negative, reactive stance, he said.
"We can create our own reality if we quit self-inflicting the wounds," Karras said.