News Releases
The Policy Project rallies to ask Utah legislature to end child sexual abuse
The Policy Project is holding a rally in the Utah State Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, November 15th at 11:30 a.m. to galvanize community support for their current initiative, The Safe Child Project â an effort to expand child sexual abuse prevention education in K-6 schools. (Read More)
Govs. Cox and Polis call for healthy debate at Colorado NGA event
National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and NGA Vice Chair Colorado Gov. Jared Polis collaborated for the second in a series of bipartisan events to help address toxic polarization in America â the aim of Gov. Coxâs 2023-24 NGA Chairâs Initiative: Disagree Better.
The Westminster, Colorado, event centered on teaching youth about healthy conflict and fostering open debate, free expression and viewpoint diversity in higher education. In addition to panel discussions and a service project focused on Unified Sports, the event also featured a student debate at the University of Denver, facilitated by Braver Angels. (Read More)
Salt Lake Chamber congratulates new legislative leadership
Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, congratulates the new legislative leadership:
âWe look forward to collaborating with the newly appointed Utah Speaker of the House Mike Schultz and team to strengthen our economy and communities. We are confident that with the private and public sectors continuing to work together, we can address challenges, capitalize on opportunities and continue to improve the lives of all Utahns. We are excited to engage this new leadership to move Utahâs economy forward as Utah continues to be an example for the nation. In this moment of transition, we also want to express heartfelt gratitude to Utahâs former House Speaker Brad Wilson for his dedicated service.â (Read More)
Chair Owens leads hearing on combatting antisemitism on college campuses
Today, Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (UT-04) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a hearing titled âConfronting the Scourge of Antisemitism on Campus": âThank you for joining us today for this very timely and consequential hearing. I want to begin by expressing sympathy for the Jewish members of our community who have felt endangered, discouraged, and disappointed by the exposure of antisemitism throughout the country. I also want to thank our witnesses for coming forward to testify and working with our Committee during this difficult time of upheaval." (Read More)
New report identifies best practices and strategies to address the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives injustice in Utah
Indigenous relatives are disproportionately likely to experience violence, be murdered, or go missing compared to other demographic groups. In Utah, although they make up just 1.5% of the population, American Indian and Alaska Native relatives account for over 5% of all murder victims.
In 2022, the Utah MMIR Task Force contracted with Wilder Research, and Wilder subcontracted with Restoring Ancestral Winds and a retired FBI missing persons investigator, to examine the scope and nature of the MMIR injustice and make recommendations for improvements to the criminal justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing crimes involving Indigenous relatives in Utah. The study included interviews with key informants, stakeholder feedback, listening sessions with family members of MMIR victims and community members in Utah, an inspection of existing federal and state legislation; and a review of relevant research literature. (Read More)
Rep. Mooreâs legislation to improve recreation access considered in House
Today, Congressman Blake Mooreâs Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters (MAPWaters) Act was considered in a hearing held by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildfire, and Fisheries. Introduced alongside Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), this bill would improve the standardization, consolidation, and public availability of data related to public outdoor recreational use of federal waterways and allow outdoor recreationalists the most up-to-date information when exploring the many natural wonders throughout Utah and across the country. Senators Barrasso (R-WY) and King (D-ME) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate. (Read More)
Rep. Moore leads letter to Ambassador Tai on potentially damaging lamb and mutton imports
Congressman Moore led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging the International Trade Commission to launch a safeguard investigation into whether foreign sheep and mutton imports are presenting serious harm to the domestic lamb industry. In part, the letter reads:
âBased on U.S. Department of Agriculture data, consumption of lamb and mutton in the United States increased by nearly 17 percent from 2018-2022. However, despite this increase in domestic consumption, U.S. sheep and lamb inventory has declined 4 percent since 2018, the continuation of a long-term downward trajectory. This response by the domestic sheep industry of decreasing production while domestic consumption of lamb and mutton have increased deserves a careful, probing analysis. This is particularly true given the dramatic increase in U.S. market share held by imports since 2012 and the recent 31 percent surge in the volume of imports from 2018 to 2022.â (Read More)
Romney leads Senate hearing to examine federal COVID-era spending
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Subcommittee, today led a bipartisan hearing with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Subcommittee Chair, examining federal COVID-era spending. Senator Romneyâs opening remarks and line of questioning shed light on the amount of waste, fraud, and abuse in the pandemic assistance loan programsâestimated at close to $200 billionâand sought ways to prevent fraud in the future. Senator Romney also supported extending the Treasury Departmentâs Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery past its expiration in March 2025 to continue to recover federal funds. (Read More)
Sen. Lee welcomes new Chief of Staff
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) announced a transition in his senior staff today. Chief of Staff Allyson Bell will be taking on a new role as senior advisor to Senator Lee, continuing to support his initiatives and policy goals in Utah. Bellâs leadership and dedication have been instrumental in advancing the Senatorâs legislative priorities and constituent services for eight years.
Mark Wait, who previously served as deputy chief of staff, will assume the role of chief of staff, bringing a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the senatorâs vision and policy objectives. His appointment represents a commitment to maintaining strong leadership and advancing a conservative agenda to help Utah families and defend the Constitution. (Read More)
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