After this morning's House State Affairs Committee meeting, House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, asked about the committee's decision to amend the pay bill he presented, said, "I'm surprised that they didn't kill it." He said, "We're in one of those situations where raising any salaries is tough. I think there will be a lot more amendments put forward than what was presented here - in fact, I may bring some myself." Denney said one idea he's toying with is saying that top elected officials' raises for the next four years would mirror the CEC, or "change in employee compensation," that lawmakers approved for state employees in the previous four years. "We can't predict the future," he said, but the past, at least, is clear.

"Every time we deal with it, it's a political issue," Denney said. "Really, if we're looking at what these executives should be making, we're not even close to the mark. We'll see what happens on the amending order, but I suspect there will be several amendments."