Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-3rd, recently wrote to area officials and voters, asking for feedback on ways to distinguish between earmarks and legitimate spending:

During my campaign for Congress I signed an earmark pledge. The pledge was a commitment that I would not ask for an earmark in fiscal year 2009. I have honored that pledge.

I went a step further, assuring voters I would not ask for an "earmark" until the process was open, transparent and reformed. It's time to do something about the problem and I need your help. Despite the rhetoric, the Congress and the White House have failed to make the necessary reforms. I see little hope that reform in the appropriations process will be addressed in the near future.

Rather than wait for change to happen, I intend to lead out on this issue - even if it means starting with a single Congressional office - my own. I want to raise the bar by increasing transparency, openness, accountability, and justification for spending precious federal dollars. We can't afford to fund every worthy project that comes to our attention. At the same time, I recognize that there is a proper role for the federal government in providing funding for certain types of projects. We need to establish a criteria and a process for securing funding for those projects that have a federal nexus while eliminating projects that don't meet the criteria. Utahns continue to pay more than their fair share of federal taxes and the federal government has an obligation to direct some of those funds back to our state. The process we use to bring those dollars home is important.

Therefore, today, I submit to the people of Utah a draft document for public comment distinguishing the difference between earmarks and legitimate appropriation requests. These proposed changes in the process are a first step toward changing the way business is done in Washington, D.C.

Please review the accompanying policy proposal. I will use the feedback I receive to fine-tune the proposal. Once finalized, I intend to use this framework to evaluate each and every appropriation request I receive. Your constructive criticism, suggestions, and perspective will help me improve this policy as I look to address appropriations abuses. Please submit feedback regarding this proposal in writing to either of my Utah offices or to the D.C. office by August 20, 2009.

I hope through this process we will be able to restore integrity to the appropriations process by finding a way to balance the need for legitimate federal appropriations against the need to protect the process from abuse.