Legislators, however, approved a bill on Wednesday that would establish a state-run registry for convicted white collar criminals to combat Utah's high level of affinity fraud, which occurs predominantly among members of the LDS faith.
The Utah Senate on Wednesday suspended its rules to give final passage to the bill on the second to last day of the 2015 general session of the Legislature. The Utah House already has given thumbs up to the measure. Gov. Gary Herbert indicated after the Senate vote that he will sign it in order to protect "the consumer and the public from fraud and predatory practices," the governor's spokesman, Marty Carpenter, said in a statement.
In Utah, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been particularly vulnerable because of personal relationships and shared culture among members.
In making the bill a priority for his office, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said the state is "sadly known for its high level of financial vulnerability to affinity fraud," which occurs when someone exploits a relationship of trust to defraud another person.
