Show S Jobs for Legislators ATTORNEY A ATTORNEY GENERAL GROVER A. A GILES cL has given an opinion to Governor Maw to the effect that the state constitution forbids the appointment of any members of the present legislature to the new state positions created under the governors governor's reorganization program That Thatis is a good decision and it seems the only proper interpret interpretation tion of the constitutional provision provision provision pro pro- vision prohibiting appointment of ofa a legislator to any office of profit created while he was a member of the legislature Its It's good to have that limitation placed on appointment of legislators to administrative posts in the state government Such appointments appoint appoint- ments are always objectionable They tend to destroy the traditional scheme of pf separation of powers in our form of government Men are ares elected to the legislature as lawmakers lawmakers law law- makers and and representatives of the people not as administrators or prospective members of the executive branch of government They should be representing the people and not their own seeking Job interests It h has s in the past been all too common a practice for a legislator to devote a large part of his energies energies ener ener- gies and efforts to the task of gaining a place for lor himself on the state payroll Too many such men have been rewarded with jobs on the state payroll for their coop cooperation ration with the executive department The net result result has been a tendency for some Mme legislators t to be the tools of the executive executive executive tive department of government rather than m members of an independent legislature who are the direct representatives of th the people and their protectors against a too powerful executive department Actually it ought to be against the law for any legislator to accept any state office while he is a legislator or for a period of a year or two years after he has resigned from his position post post- tion or his term has expired Unfortunately passage passage passage pas pas- I sage of such a law has been blocked by the fact that too many of our legislators have designs on such state positions Some day however it is to tobe be hoped Utah Utah- will have a body of men in the legislature who place th the interests of the people and the protection protection protection pro pro- of the independence of the legislative branch of state government above their personal personal per per- interests rests Then we will get such a law passed Meanwhile we can be thankful for forthe forthe forthe the constitutional provision which will at least limit the appointment of legislators to positions positions in the reorganized state government |