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| Utah's Daily Policy Resource, Brought to you by Utah Policy Message CenterBecome a sponsor of our award-winning podcasts!Promote your business and reach thousands of Utahns who download our shows and interviews every week.Email us for information.Situational awareness - February 25, 2019Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Here are the stories we're following today: Utah's projected budget surplus shrinks by $200 million Herbert says he's "cautiously optimistic" the feds will approve Utah's smaller Medicaid expansion plan. The White House plans to create a panel to counter claims of climate change. President Trump is attacking Spike Lee following the director's Oscar speech.Political trivia winners!Murray and Emery High School are the two Utah schools named for Republican territorial governors. The first three readers who responded correctly were: Nathan Anderson Val Hale Matt HowellStump Mike Mower Remember to submit your own Utah political trivia question. The first one I use that Mike Mower can't answer will win a $25 Amazon gift card. Send your questions to me at bschott@utahpolicy.com. UtahPolicy.com mailbag!Email us anytime with feedback, questions, story suggestions, news tips, etc... Send us an email at this link. The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Our news is curated by Managing Editor Bryan Schott, along with help from Golden Webb. ((Click here to subscribe)) TICK TOCKToday is the 56th day of the year. There are 309 days remaining in 2019. 17 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019) 68 days to the Utah State Republican Party Organizing Convention (5/4/2019) 98 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019) 102 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019) 117 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019) 169 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 253 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 336 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 344 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 612 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyA new bill aims to rein in more than 500 state boards and commissions, many which require lawmakers to sit on themBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Need a little leisure reading?You might try Rep. John Knotwell's HB387, which is only 3,766 lines long....Herbert says he's 'cautiously optimistic' the feds will approve Utah's alternative Medicaid expansion plan By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Gov. Gary Herbert says he's "cautiously optimistic" that the Trump administration will give Utah the waivers they need in order to implement the scaled-back Medicaid plan passed by lawmakers during the 2019 session....Utah's budget surplus drops by $200 million. Lawmakers now say a tax cut is possible only if they pass tax reform By Bryan Schott, Bob Bernick With apologies to Alan Greenspan, Utah lawmakers are guilty of succumbing to a spell of "irrational exuberance" as they thought there would be more than a billion dollars of surplus available for them to spend this year. That's not the case....Guest opinion: Utah tax reform: Why the sales tax and why now By Kristen Cox, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Management and Budget Utah is widely recognized as one of the best-managed states in the nation, and for good reason. Leaders and residents think ahead and tackle issues before they become a crisis. Tax reform is no different....Guest opinion: Help former criminals expunge records and move on with Clean Slate Initiative By Derek Monson Every day, thousands of Utahns are burdened by nonviolent criminal records that torpedo good job prospects, deny them homes, and even prevent them from getting driver's licenses even though they have fully served their time in Utah's criminal justice system and qualify for ...Utah Thrives Podcast: Tax modernization By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor What did Utah's governor mean when he told the Legislature that tax modernization is his top priority for this session?...Stewart: Pelosi 'isn't serious about border security' By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Chris Stewart had some harsh words for Congressional Democrats and the plan to vote on a resolution to block President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration to build a wall on the border with Mexico....Report: Utah officials started working to replace voter-approved Medicaid expansion just days after the November election By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Politico is out with a big scoop Friday morning that Utah officials started putting pressure on the Trump administration to approve a scaled-back Medicaid expansion plan within days of voters approving Prop. 3... OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Pignanelli and Webb: How the tug of war between branches and levels of government affects Utah Op-ed: The Clean Car bill means cleaner air for Utah Editorial: Opportunity zone investment is a solid policy approach for Utah New attempt to require seat belts on Utah school buses clears first legislative hurdle Panel OKs proposal to improve public defense for kids and teens Water reform bills sail through committee Utah House passes bill creating commissioner of apprenticeships position Radioactive waste bill passes; veto by Utah governor appears unlikely Big Utah budget surplus 'too good to be true,' could mean no tax cut, lawmakers say Utah lawmakers advance bill to address audit that found 'poor' data homeless system Democrats choose Shireen Ghorbani to fill vacant Salt Lake County Council seat Proposal aims to juice incentives for energy storage systems After first attempt failed, new bill surfaces to keep Legacy Parkway truck ban aliveSalt Lake Tribune Holly Richardson: Financial responsibility for governmental nonprofits would be enhanced by SB26 Op-ed: Proposed abortion law would set a reasonable standard For 'peace of mind,' the health department is offering free lead testing for Sandy residents after water contamination Provo City calls on Legislature to contribute $9 million towards expansion of its airport Utah law now requires seat belts in cars and trucks - but not school buses. Lawmakers advance bill to change that. Full Utah House to vote on bill requiring that children have the option of a public defender at all court proceedings Utah's $1 billion surplus survives latest revenue estimates Bill to prevent abortions after fetal Down syndrome diagnosis headed to the Utah Senate House committee deadlocks on bill that tells rural counties what kind of government to have Environmentalists call on Gov. Gary Herbert to veto bill that could clear the way for depleted uranium at EnergySolutions' Utah landfill SLC airport says car-sharing firm Turo operates illegally there; city considering ordinance that could hit users with big fines. She's been working to see these words: Shireen Ghorbani wins election, will fill Salt Lake County Council seat Should Salt Lake County be split in two? Some west-side city leaders are so frustrated they are talking about it. Legislature wants a review of state tax incentives to see whether they provide the economic benefits supporters claimOther Taxes and hate crimes: Utah County's state politicians discuss legislative session at Eggs and Issues (Daily Herald) Legislature proposes bill to help cities better enforce anti-idling ordinances (Logan Herald Journal) Summit County Sheriff's Office leery of bill that would allow drivers to go through red lights (Park Record)NATIONAL HEADLINES58 former national security officials condemn Trump's national emergency. The group plans to issue a statement Monday morning saying "there is no factual basis" for President Trump's claim of a national emergency to build a wall on the Mexico border - https://wapo.st/2IDJeq2 House Democrats will hold a vote Tuesday on a measure to block President Trump's national emergency declaration - http://bit.ly/2IBs10jThe White House plans to create a panel of scientists who doubt climate change. The panel would include federal scientists who question the severity of climate impacts and whether human activity is responsible - https://wapo.st/2IC0wnk No Mueller report this week. Contrary to previous reports, special counsel Robert Mueller is not expected to deliver his report to Justice Department officials this week - https://cnn.it/2IK4quK Democrats are set to take the fight over Mueller's final report to court. Congressional Democrats say they will take whatever steps they need to force the release of the special counsel's finding - https://nyti.ms/2IyF9U0 Mueller's findings in plain view. Even if Mueller's final full report is never made public, we already know much of what he's uncovered through court filings - http://bit.ly/2IDJx4a Cohen gave prosecutors information about the Trump family business. The former personal lawyer for Donald Trump met with federal prosecutors in Manhattan last month about possible irregularities in Trump's family business and his inaugural committee - https://nyti.ms/2IBwuAn Paul Manafort will probably face charges in New York, even if Trump pardons him. The former chair of Trump's presidential campaign won't be out of legal trouble even if he's pardoned for his federal crimes because pardons don't apply to state charges - https://nyti.ms/2Te08Qg Trump and Kim to meet on Wednesday. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are showering praise on each other ahead of their second face-to-face meeting this week - https://wapo.st/2IBq5oz 2020 Democrats go bold. Many of the Democrats running for president in 2020 are emulating at least one part of President Donald Trump's successful 2016 campaign by pushing big plans - https://wapo.st/2IyDGgs GOP donors worried about Trump's 2020 campaign. Many big party donors say the president does not have a strategy to win in Rust Belt states that voted for Democrats in the midterms - https://politi.co/2Th5ytD Pence to meet Venezuelan leader. Vice President Mike Pence is in Bogota, Columbia to meet with Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido - https://cnn.it/2Iwtjtw Jared Kushner travels to the Middle East. President Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser aims to promote the economic part of a plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians - http://bit.ly/2Iz2WmY Hold the date! President Trump promised a Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall this summer, complete with a fireworks show and an address by "your favorite President, me" - https://wapo.st/2IK2Bho Jared Kushner's family business wants a $1.15 billion federal loan for a real estate project. The company is seeking to buy apartments in Maryland and Virginia - https://bloom.bg/2TfEOJT Wait...what? A Fox News host criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for raising the starting salary for her staffers, calling it a display of "socialism and communism" - http://bit.ly/2IBAG33 Congressional Democrats had a heyday ridiculing Trump after his announcement - http://bit.ly/2IBsZcXPresident Trump and Spike Lee are beefing. Lee slammed Trump during his Oscar acceptance speech Sunday night for failing to reject the KKK following the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also called for the rejection of Trump in the 2020 election - http://bit.ly/2TlI4nq Trump attacked Lee on Twitter following the ceremony - http://bit.ly/2Td4tTLThe CIA live-tweeted the Oscars. The agency is a big fan of "Black Panther" - http://bit.ly/2Izvcpt ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1791 - The First Bank of the U.S. at Philadelphia became the first national bank chartered by Congress. 1836 - Samuel Colt is granted a patent for the Colt revolver. 1870 - Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress. 1919 - Oregon places a one cent per gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first state to levy a gasoline tax. 1964 - Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) stunned the boxing world with a TKA of Sonny Liston, winning the world heavyweight championship. 1987 - Southern Methodist University's football program is the first college football program to be banned from competition by the NCAA. Policy NewsUtah Global Forum to merge with Utah Economic SummitThis year, the Utah Global Forum is merging with the 13th annual Utah Economic Summit on May 17. ...More National HeadlinesReal Scandal Of Trump Term Starts To Unravel (New York Sun) Pentagon chief floats 'wholesale redesign' of U.S. border security (Washington Times) Trump's Secret to Victory in 2020: Hispanic Voters (Politico) Embattled Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax compares himself to lynching victims (FOX News) AOC to critics of Green New Deal: 'I'm the boss' until you try (Washington Examiner) 2020 Dems can't tell Bernie to lie down and die when it's his economic agenda they are hawking (Salon) Judge rules all-male military draft unconstitutional (The Hill) Sexual misconduct allegations against Time's Up CEO Lisa Borders' son prompted her resignation (Los Angeles Times) Trump is right that the US risks losing the 5G race, Huawei chairman says (CNBC) Wise WordsTruth"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light." George Washington Lighter SideSmollett Raise"That's not a good way to get a raise, people. I mean, call me old-fashioned, but whatever happened to just going into your boss's office and blackmailing him with nudes?"- TREVOR NOAH Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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