| Gov Cox vows to veto voucher bill if passed as currently written and have the Olympics been pushing athletes too far? .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | February 18, 2022 It's Friday and National Caregivers Day. Three cheers for those who do so much. ððð Monday is President's Day and the legislature won't be spending any of your money. They have the day off, but Utah Policy will still be in your inbox. Also - my apologies for the lateness of this newsletter - I am flying home from Europe and somewhere over the North Atlantic, the Internet went out. Mea culpa. Be in the Know -
Gail Halvorsen, aka "The Candy Bomber" has passed away at age 101. Tributes poured in as the news of his death spread. Governor Cox noted that he had "101 years of pure joy and bringing joy to others," Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson called him "one of the best of the best" and former Governor Gary Herbert said that Halvorsen "taught us that we need more 'Candy Bombers' in our lives." Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints paid tribute to his "dear friend" with whom he had "slipped the surly bonds of earth." One of my favorites came from the German Embassy early Thursday morning. "When supplies were short during the Berlin Airlift, he dropped candy from his plane for the children of the city, inspiring Operation "Little Vittles". Thank you for your kindness, Colonel." A life well-lived.
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2022 Legislative Session 30 days done, 15 days to go General - Jason John Fry: Advocate legislation to ensure safe staffing and support nurses (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Gov. Spencer Cox on Outdoor Retailer show: Utah didnât miss it but âdesperatelyâ wants it back (Deseret News)
- VIDEO: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's February monthly news conference (KUER)
Today Committee Meetings: Floor Time - House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 5:00
- Senate - 10:00 - 12:30
Monday Take a breather Education - Genevra Prothero: Hope Scholarship Program would be another nail in the coffin of public education (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Katherine Bathgate: Utah Legislature is right to vote for Hope Scholarships (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Utah Gov. Cox says he would veto school voucher bill. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Senate bill would standardize curriculum approval process (Standard-Examiner)
Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment - Proposed Utah Lake Authority sails through House committee, but faced some public criticism. HB232 would do nothing to facilitate controversial dredging proposal, sponsor pledges. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Governor says Great Salt Lake restoral wonât get in the way of dealing with drought in Southern Utah (St. George News)
- State facilities will reduce water use 25% by 2026 under new bill (KUER)
Transportation - Do you use the zipper method when you merge? If not, it's time to learn (KSL)
Utah Headlines General - âA hero to so manyâ â Tributes to Utahâs âCandy Bomberâ pour in from around the globe (Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, AP
- Provo OB-GYN accused of sexually abusing patients over course of 30 years (Fox13)
- Voting rights tensions erupt again after San Juan County attorney alleges commissioners violated the law (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Good Samaritans rush to help pregnant woman after 7 vehicle crash in Tooele (Fox13)
- Salt Lake City not considered 'frontrunner' for '24 GOP convention, report says (Fox13)
- Utah based 'Zurixx' to repay $12 million for real estate training (Fox13)
- Utah woman arrested for allegedly faking cancer diagnosis (Fox13)
Housing - âWeâre humansâ: Officials eject unsheltered residents from one of Salt Lake Cityâs largest homeless camps (Salt Lake Tribune)
- âThere is nowhere for us to goâ â Unsheltered people react to tear down of Salt Lake City encampment (KUER)
- Thousands of Utah renters and homeowners fear losing their homes (Fox13)
COVID Corner - 1032 new cases, 8 new deaths
- Thereâs been an increase of mental health disorders after COVID-19, study says (Deseret News)
National Headlines General - Head of nationâs largest 4-year university system resigns under fire (Politico)
- Speaking of fire, there's a burning cargo ship full of Porsches and VWs adrift in the mid-Atlantic, without a crew. #ghostship (NPR)
- East Ukraine sees its worst shelling in years (Reuters)
- Russian-US diplomacy stalls, with a shelled Ukrainian kindergarten a stark reminder of the lives at stake (CNN)
Politics - Joel Campbell: Americaâs leaders need a history lesson in transparency (Deseret News)
- Trump and two of his children must be deposed by N.Y. attorney general, judge rules (Washington Post)
- Why Congress' sanctions push cooled even as Russia's aggression didn't (Politico)
- GOP senators steer clear of Trump as rift deepens (Politico)
- Of course they did. Senate passes 3-week spending bill, averting government shutdown (New York Times)
Olympics - Olympic Committee leader says he's 'disturbed' by coach's treatment of Kamila Valieva (NPR)
- Raising age limit for skating would end the age of the quad (AP)
- âI hate this sport!â: Rage, teen tears and Olympic collapse (AP)
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News Releases Romney promotes bipartisan TRUST Act to rein in national debt U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today joined Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas to discuss the current status of the major federal trust funds and potential policy reforms to improve their solvency. Romney highlighted how his bill, the bipartisan TRUST Act, would create a process to rescue these endangered federal trust funds and rein in the national debt. (Read More)
Romney joins colleagues in urging administration to help develop next generation COVID-19 vaccines U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined his colleagues, led by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), in a letter urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn OâConnell to outline the Biden Administrationâs plans to support the development of next generation COVID-19 vaccines. According to the CDC, vaccinated people are far less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-related illnesses, but breakthrough cases are still possible. In their letter, the senators push the Administration to support the development of vaccines that provide even more durable protection against COVID-19, particularly with the emergence of new variants. (Read More)
Additional senators join Mike Lee to defund vaccine mandates Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and other Senators distributed a letter to colleagues on February 14, 2022 stating they will not grant consent to expedite passage of a Continuing Resolution without a roll call vote on an amendment that defunds the enforcement of the remaining federal vaccine mandates. Due to tight distribution turnaround, many Senators were unable to review the letter before initial release. Since then, Sen. James Lankford (OK) and Sen. James Risch (ID) have also joined the effort. (Read More)
Utah Senate awards scholarships to local high school artists President J. Stuart Adams and the Utah Senate awarded five scholarships to the finalists of the Utah All-State High School Art Show. High school students from across the state submitted original pieces of art that were then reviewed by judges. Today, Sen. Mike McKell recognized the Utah Senate Visual Art Award winner and four finalists during Senate floor time. Each student brought their art onto the Senate floor. This yearâs Senate Visual Art Awardartists are: (Read More)
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Tweet of the Day  | | |
Upcoming - Campaign filing period: Feb 28-March 4 (early this year!)
- State of the Union address â Mar 1, 7 pm MST
- Utah legislative session ends â Mar 4, 2022, midnight
- Fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas hosted by the Hatch Foundation â Mar 11, 2022, 7 pm. Register here.
- Campaign Management Training with Utah Farm Bureau â 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
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On This Day In History - 1879 - Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi is awarded a patent for his design for the Statue of Liberty.
- 1885 - Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
- 1901 - Winston Churchill makes his maiden speech in the British House of Commons.
- 1916 - Mabel Stark, one of the worldâs first female tiger trainers, is mauled in California.
- 1931 - Toni Morrison is born. The Pulitzer Prize winning novelist was the first Black American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
- 1934 - Activist and poet, Audre Geraldine Lorde is born.
- 1965 - Church deacon Jimmie Lee Jackson is beaten and shot during a peaceful march in Marion, Alabama. His death 8 days later inspires the Selma to Montgomery marches.
- 2001 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. killed in crash at the Daytona 500.
- 2010 - WikiLeaks publishes the first documents leaked by Chelsea Manning.
- 2011 - Green River serial killer Gary Ridgeway pleads guilty to 49th murder.
- 2021 - NASA's Perseverance rover successfully lands at Jezero Crater, Mars, on mission to find microfossils
Wise Words "The masterâs tools will never dismantle the masterâs house." âAudre Lorde
Lighter Side âTrump wrote at length: âWe have a great company with fantastic assets that are unique, extremely valuable and, in many cases, far more valuable than what was listed in our financial statements.â Only Donald Trump would defend himself against charges that he overvalued his assets by re-overvaluing his assets.â â JIMMY KIMMEL | | |
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