Situational Analysis | February 14, 2022

Happy Valentine's Day! And, happy-first-woman-in-the-nation-to-vote day, as Seraph Young cast her ballot in Salt Lake on her way to work on this day in 1870.

Be in the Know

1. There was a game and a retired guy unretired and now has a ring. Congrats to the LA Rams and Eric Weddle on their Super Bowl win!

2. A 12-year old died of suicide after bullying. His parents are speaking out and calling for good in local communities. #doitfordrayke

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2022 Legislative Session

26 days done, 19 days to go

General

• Rep. Birkeland's transgender athlete bill is on the docket for 8 am in the House Health and Human Services committee.
• Rep. Snow and Sen. McKay's bill to abolish the death penalty in Utah will be heard in the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice committee today at 4:00 pm
• Tomorrow, the Hope Scholarship bill will be heard, as well as a(nother) bill on election security.
• Utah AG’s office wants $2 million annually to sue the federal government (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Fallen military service members honored by Utah Legislature. The families of Utah’s 15 military members who lost their lives last year were recognized at the Capitol on Friday (Deseret News)
• Week 4 Legislative Recap: Vote by mail, press access, police reform (KUER)

Today

Committee Meetings:

• 8:00 am: House Business and Labor, House Education, House Health and Human Services, House Public Utilities, Energy and Technology, Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment
• 4:00 pm: House Judiciary, House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment, House Transportation, Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services, Senate Revenue and Taxation

Floor Time

• House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50
• Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50

Tomorrow

Committee Meetings:

• 8 am: House Government Operations, House Political Subdivisions, House Revenue and Taxation, Senate Business and Labor, Senate Education, Senate Health and Human Services

Floor Time

• House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50
• Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50

Economic Development and Workforce Services

• Why Utah ski resorts oppose a bill to end daylight saving time (Salt Lake Tribune)

Government Operations

• Complaining of election ‘anomalies,’ Utah Rep. Phil Lyman unveils bill to eliminate state’s mail-in voting system. Under the legislation, officials would have to take pictures of each ballot and post images online. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

• 3 new police reform bills making their way through Utah Legislature (Deseret News)
• As lawmakers consider eliminating Utah’s death penalty, does this man’s case erode confidence in the system? (Deseret News)

Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

• Resolution calls for ‘least impactful’ solution for Little Cottonwood Canyon traffic. How will it impact gondola, bus proposals? (Deseret News)
• Will grass park strips be a thing of the past in Utah due to drought? (Deseret News)

Revenue and Taxation

• Utah’s House Speaker explains the tax cut package (Deseret News)

Utah Headlines

General

• Saying he has been ‘corrected,’ LDS leader Brad Wilcox again apologizes for his remarks on race (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Perspective: What Russell Moore taught me about arguing with my husband (Deseret News)
• Ten years ago, Julie Boyé, received an anonymous letter through the mail. The letter was riddled with expletives and racial slurs directed to Julie, who is married to British-American singer Alex Boyé, and her family. The letter states, in part, that Julie is a “disgrace to the rest of us white people,” because Julie is white and Alex is Black. The letter was signed “Concerned Parents.” In this essay, Julie Boyé is publicly responding to the letter for the first time. (Deseret News)
• We highlighted 150 things to do in Utah. Here are all of them. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Graffiti of swastika, N-word found under desk in Jewish teacher’s Park City classroom (Deseret News)

Elections

• A ballot initiative to end Utah’s vote-by-mail system appears to fall short of support. Here’s why organizers blame election officials. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Piganelli and Webb: How will Sen. Mike Lee do in his reelection bid? (Deseret News)

Environment

• Opposition mounting against Utah Lake project, developers say ‘trust is gained over time’ (Deseret News)
• Why West Valley City is having doubts about renewable energy plan (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Two Americas: Getting clean drinking water to residents of the Navajo Nation (Fox13)

COVID Corner

• 1791 new cases, 11 new deaths
• FDA postpones decision on COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers (Deseret News)
• Hong Kong "overwhelmed" as COVID infections hit record (Reuters)

National Headlines

General

• European Stocks Drop on Fear of War in Ukraine (Wall Street Journal)
• Rep. Owens, Sen. Scott: Pandemic restrictions have tilted the playing field against black students — school choice can level it again (Washington Examiner)
• Affirmative action puts a spotlight on racial diversity. We should talk about socioeconomic diversity, too (Deseret News)
• Former Utah safety cements his legacy by adding a Super Bowl title: ‘I’m a world champ now’ (Deseret News)
• Key US-Canada bridge reopens as Ottawa protest persists (AP)
• US suspends avocado imports from Mexico after threat to inspector (The Hill)

Politics

• Utah senator Mike Lee blocks historic designation for Japanese American internment camp in Colorado (Salt Lake Tribune/AP)

• Post-Trump Republicans are looking for a new ally in 2022: Democrats (Deseret News)
• On Parkland anniversary, Biden urges Congress on gun control (AP)
• Pelosi on midterms: 'Forget history; we're talking about future' (Politico)

Olympics

• Salt Lake’s Erin Jackson makes history in winning gold in 500-meter speedskating (Deseret News)
• From Utah ski bum to Olympian: Fayik Abdi makes history as first Saudi in the Winter Games (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Perspective: The Olympics should be about celebrating bodies, not destroying them (Deseret News)

• Perspective: The Olympics should be about celebrating bodies, not destroying them

News Releases

Sen. Romney visits Nucor Steel in Plymouth, Utah

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) toured Nucor Steel in Plymouth to see their operations, learn more about NUCOR’s sustainability practices, and discuss Utah’s pro-business policies, U.S. competition with China, and implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Romney met with the Nucor leadership team led by Chris Locke, Vice President and General Manager of Nucor Steel Utah; Dan Needham, EVP of Nucor Corporation; Shannon Phillips, President of Nucor’s Vulcraft/Verco Group; and Ed Aller, President of Nucor Buildings Group.

“Utah’s pro-growth policies and talented workforce make our state a great place to operate and grow a business. Nucor is a great example of that—having expanded their operations to Utah—and providing more than 1,600 Utahns with good-paying jobs. I enjoyed visiting their Plymouth steel plant today to better understand Nucor Steel Utah’s operations and learn more about their approach to sustainable steel production,” said Senator Romney.  (Read More)

Rep. Owens co-sponsors legislation to keep kids learning in person

This week, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the Kids in Classes Act, which redirects Title I education money to students in the event a school shuts down in-person education. The bill, led by Rep. Chris Jacobs (NY-27) in the House, is a companion to Senate legislation introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Richard Burr (R-NC). 

“America’s children are in crisis, and prolonged school closures are to blame,” said Rep. Owens. “Virtual and distance learning has taken a devastating toll on our students’ educational progress, social development, and emotional wellbeing. I am proud to join my colleagues in support of the Kids in Classes Act to put a stop to politically-motivated closures and ensure students have consistency in their education.” (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• The Emergence of the Crypto Economy with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and special guests – Feb. 16, 10 am MST. Register here.
• Independent American Party Organizing Convention – Feb. 16 from 4-6 pm at the Millcreek Library (2266 East Evergreen). Credentialing begins at 3:30 pm. 
• Campaign filing period: Feb 28-March 4 (early this year!)
• State of the Union address – Mar 1, 7 pm MST
• Utah legislative session ends – Mar 4, 2022, midnight
• Fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas hosted by the Hatch Foundation – Mar 11, 2022, 7 pm. Register here.
• Campaign Management Training with Utah Farm Bureau – Mar 24-25, registration deadline March 1. Register here
• Last day for a registered voter to change voter affiliation before the regular primary election.  - Mar 31
• Ballots are mailed - June 7
• Primary election day - June 28
• General election  - Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 270 - St. Valentine is beheaded in Rome
• 1779 - Captain Cook killed in Hawaii.
• 1803 - Chief Justice John Marshall declares that any act of Congress that conflicts with the US Constitution is void.
• 1818 - Frederick Douglass is born.
• 1847 - Anna Howard Shaw is born. She was licensed as a Methodist Protestant minister in 1880, graduated as M.D. in 1886, was an organizer with the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association, lectured in every state, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (1904-15) and awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for her work during World War I. She died the year before the 19th Amendment was ratified.
• 1870 - Seraph Young cast a ballot in the Salt Lake City election, becoming the first woman in the nation to vote. 
• 1870 - Esther Morris appointed US' first female in Justice of the Peace in South Pass City, Wyoming, after previous justice, R.S. Barr, resigned to protest passage of Wyoming Territory's women's suffrage. Way to go, Wyoming!
• 1884 - Future President Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die only hours apart.
• 1886 - First trainload of oranges leaves Los Angeles.
• 1929 - Penicillin is discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming.
• 1931 - The original Dracula film starring Bela Lugosi is released. How romantic
• 1971 - Richard Nixon installs secret taping system in the White House.
• 1978 - 1st “micro on a chip” patented by Texas Instruments.
• 1989 - Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses."
• 1990 - The “Pale Blue Dot” photo of Earth is taken from Voyager 1, 3.7 billion miles away from the sun.
• 2018 - Teenage gunman kills 17, injures 17 at Parkland, FL high school.

Wise Words

"The millennium will not come as soon as women vote, but it will not come until they do vote."

-Anna Howard Shaw

Lighter Side

Q: What did the calculator say to the pencil on Valentine's Day?
A: "You can always count on me."

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