Situational Analysis | January 14, 2022

We made it to Friday and January is essentially half over. It's National Dress Up Your Pet Day. I know you're excited.

Next week, the 45-day legislative session begins. You'll notice the format for the newsletter will be a little different, with additional topic sub-categories during that time. Hopefully, it will make it easier to follow along with what's happening on the Hill.

Be in the Know

1. A shooting in West Valley kills two freshman football players from Hunter High and critically injures a third. The two who were killed were 15-year-old Paul Tahi and 14-year-old Tivani Lopati. The injured victim is Ephraim Asiata. A 14-year old boy has been arrested as the murderer.
2. The mask mandate will stay in place in Salt Lake County after a 5-4 vote by the County Council. "I know masking in schools is not ideal. I get that people bristle when government tells them what to do. But we have asked nicely, we have pleaded and begged and we need your help,” said Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton. Some state lawmakers have vowed to overturn it.
3. The Andrew formally known as Prince was stripped of his royal and military titles as he fights a U.S. lawsuit in which he is accused of sexually abusing a minor. He can no longer use the title "His Royal Highness,” a prized symbol of his status as a senior member of the royal family. In a terse statement, the palace said that Andrew would “continue not to undertake any public duties” and that he “is defending this case as a private citizen.”
4. Breaking this morning: Retail sales fell 1.9% in December compared with the previous month when sales increased 0.3%. Sales at department stores fell 7%. restaurant sales slipped 0.8% and online sales fell 8.7%. Omicron, supply chain issues and inflation are getting the blame.

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Utah Headlines

General

• Volunteers needed to count Utahns experiencing homelessness (Fox13)
• Holly Richardson: The lessons we need to learn from this pandemic. We're tired, but being tired does not give us license to be cruel. (Deseret News)
• Kevin Shafer: Can changing how we think about COVID-19 end the pandemic? (Deseret News)
• Utah’s 2022 economy projected to be ‘hot’ but some might get burned (Deseret News)
• Could the Entrata founder’s antisemitic email be a catalyst for change in Utah's business community? (Deseret News)
• Man who dressed as ‘Captain Moroni’ in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach expected to make plea deal (Deseret News)
• Test of old Utah rape kit leads to man's arrest in Scotland (Deseret News)
• Not a headline you see every day: Panguitch great-grandmother sentenced to federal prison in meth case (St. George News)
• Grantsville High School teacher arrested for alleged sexual abuse of student (KUTV)

Politics

• 'It takes a whole community': How Salt Lake City plans to redistrict based on new census data (KSL)
• ‘I did cheer and applaud:' Utah woman pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge (Fox13)
• Moe Hickey: The pandemic has exposed several areas where Utah children need more help. The state has the money to improve education, health care and mental health for children. (Salt Lake Tribune)

COVID Corner

• Another record-shattering day, with 12,990 new cases, 50% positivity rate, 7 new deaths, 638 current hospitalizations
• Will most Utahns end up getting COVID-19? Likely (Deseret News)
• University of Utah stocks vending machine with COVID tests (Fox13)
• The Supreme Court halts COVID-19 vaccine rule for US businesses. The court’s conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine-or-test rule on U.S. businesses. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ERs are overwhelmed as omicron continues to flood them with patients (NPR)
• Omicron pushes hospitals to the brink in two dozen U.S. states. (New York Times)
• Still COVID positive on day 10? Here’s what the CDC says to do (ABC4)

Environment

• Utah’s gnarly drought prompts governor to issue ‘water action’ plan (Deseret News)
• Cox releases ambitious water plan in response to Utah drought (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education

• ‘Test to stay’ suspended, Utah schools can temporarily move to online learning (Deseret News)
• Not sure it was supposed to work this way. Students with COVID allowed back in Utah schools after Test to Stay suspended (KUTV)
• In related news: 2 Utah schools face pushback after emails stating kids with COVID-19 ‘allowed to return’ to class. The emails were sent to parents in Davis School District. Health officials quickly countered the message and said those with COVID need to isolate. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• 3 Salt Lake City high schools move to virtual learning due to COVID-19 (Fox13)
• Utah schools are collapsing under staff shortages. Here’s how one is trying to survive (KUER)
• Jordan school district returns to virtual learning to stem COVID spread (Fox13)
• Granite School District moves to remote learning for next week (ABC4)
• UVU celebrates opening of new on-campus business building (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

• Djokovic faces deportation as Australia revokes visa again (NPR)
• Hackers Bring Down Government Sites in Ukraine (New York Times)
• Massive cyberattack hits Ukrainian government websites as West warns on Russia conflict (Reuters)
• N. Korea fires fresh missiles in response to US sanctions (AP)
• In Baton Rouge, there’s a $100 million football coach - and everyone else (Washington Post)

Politics

• Biden all but concedes defeat on voting, election bills (AP)
• With Biden’s signature legislation stalled, Democrats stare into political void (Politico)
• What Democrats put in their voting rights megabill — and what got left out. The massive legislative package would make massive changes to how people vote as well as redistricting and campaign finance. (Politico)
• Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes charged with seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 Capitol riot (Washington Post)

Deeper Dive

Can we keep Utah from becoming California?

by Jared Whitley

Business leaders, government leaders, and academics held a victory lap Thursday morning, showcasing the success of Utah’s economy and quality of life at the annual Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit. This question of maintaining success in the face of challenge permeated the conference. 

Rudyard Kipling could have summed it up with a spin to the start of his poem If, If you can keep your economy when everyone else is losing theirs. 

“Utah’s economy is one of the strongest, pound for pound, of any on the planet,” said Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce President Derek Miller to a crowded audience in the Grand America Hotel’s ballroom. “The growth we are experiencing is a result of our success.” 

Utah’s conundrum is can it continue to thrive in the face of the challenges our success has created. The state’s community-oriented culture and conservative business environment has attracted people from all over the world to come here and take part in the prosperity, but it’s also put enormous strain on public infrastructure, housing prices, and water resources. 

“We can’t become California,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. The way we do things in Utah is what Americans need to do if the country is going to survive, he continued, noting, “We’re going to have to start exporting our kids if we don’t get this right.”

Across virtually every metric, Utah outperforms the nation – whether it’s lower reported COVID deaths (64.9 vs 167.1 per 100,000) or higher consumer confidence (76.9 percent vs 67.4 percent). These and other stats on biostatistics and the economy were released in the document Utah Informed: Visual Intellection for 2022 by the U of U’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, a cosponsor of the event. (Read More)

News Releases

Salt Lake Chamber introduces 2022 legislative priorities at Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit

The Salt Lake Chamber hosted the annual Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to release its 2022 legislative priorities at the Grand America Hotel. Chief among those priorities is maintaining Utah’s spot among the top of America’s best performing economies, addressing the housing gap, creating an environment that is supportive of a diverse and inclusive workforce, investing in education and building a robust transportation infrastructure.

“We remain ever vigilant to issues on the horizon and committed to promoting policies that keep Utah in the best competitive shape,” said Derek Miller, president & CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance. “The Chamber’s legislative priorities are all about thinking ahead so our state is positioned for the ever changing economic landscape. We want to empower businesses and individuals to become their very best without artificial hurdles or roadblocks in the way – all in support of our mission to create community prosperity for everyone.”

A complete copy of the Salt Lake Chamber’s 2022 Legislative Priorities guide can be found here. (Read More)

Rep. Curtis calls for bipartisan work on election laws

Following the U.S. House of Representatives vote today on voting issues, Congressman John Curtis released the following statement:

“I am proud that Utah has a proven election system that is well run and secure,” said Rep. Curtis. “Voting is a fundamental right that I believe all American citizens should exercise and I will always work to preserve.

Unfortunately, this week, I was presented a bill that would place many new mandates on Utah and federalize our election process, ultimately moving the power to run Utah’s elections further from the people it impacts. Even worse, I was given this over 700-page bill with less than 24 hours to review it. It is in my view wrong, and dangerous, to have Congress vote on the complete overhaul of American elections without even giving members time to read the bill.  Moving forward, I hope Congress can work in a bipartisan manner to ensure all Americans can exercise our right to vote and elections are secure.”

Sen. Romney Statement on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today released the following statement regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline:

“If the United States is going to be successful in deterring Putin’s aggression and maintaining peace, we must be united—both at home and with our European allies and partners. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is detrimental to that end—giving Putin more leverage than he already had over Ukraine, making Western Europe more dependent on Russia, and preventing the U.S. from maintaining a united front with our partners. But let us not forget why this all matters: Russia is trying to blackmail Europe while playing a victim. Putin has amassed over a hundred thousand troops at the border of the Ukraine, all the while manipulating Europe’s energy supply. He has done so after a long history of breaking treaties, invasions, illegal annexations, and assassinations.

“No country—certainly no adversary—gets to dictate which countries can be part of NATO by employing the threat of military force. It is time for the Administration to take urgent steps to push back against Russian aggression. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to support their efforts, which should include providing aid quickly to Ukraine and taking steps to strengthen NATO’s position in Eastern Europe.”

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Utah legislative session begins – Jan 18, 2022, 10:00 am
• State of the State address - Jan. 20, 2022, 6:30 pm. Watch here or here.
• State of the Union address - Mar 1, 7 pm MST
• Utah legislative session ends – Mar 4, 2022, midnight

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1639 - The first colonial constitution is adopted in Connecticut.
• 1741 - Benedict Arnold is born. Once a loyal Continental soldier became perhaps the best known traitor of the war. 
• 1806 - Matthew Maury is born. He became an American naval officer and one of the founders of oceanography.
• 1875 - Albert Schweitzer is born. He went on to become a well-known theologian, musician, philosopher and Nobel Prize-winning physician.
• 1900 - Marion Martin is born. She was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1930, the Maine Senate in 1934, and was the first woman to head the Department of Labor and Industry.
• 1940 - Julian Bond is born. The civil rights leader was elected to the Georgia state House in 1964 but his colleagues refused to seat him. It wasn’t until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the exclusion was unconstitutional in December of 1966 that Bond was sworn in a month later.
• 1942 - FDR orders “enemy aliens” from Italy, Germany and Japan to register with the United States Department of Justice, which led to full-scale internment of Japanese-Americans the very next month.
• 1943 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to travel by airplane while in office when he flies from Miami to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill.
• 1943 - Shannon Lucid is born. The American astronaut is a biochemist who spent 188 days in space aboard the space station Mir in 1996. At the time, it was a record spaceflight for a U.S. astronaut. She was recognized in 2002 as one of the 50 most important women in science. 
• 1952 - NBC broadcasts the first episode of “Today,” hosted by Dave Garroway.
• 1963 - “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” Governor George Wallace was inaugurated as the Alabama governor.
• 1972 - Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
• 2016 - Alan Rickman dies of pancreatic cancer. He played Snape in the Harry Potter films. 

Wise Words

“We're dead as a species if we don't tell stories because then we don't know who we are.”

-Alan Rickman

Lighter Side

Speaking of 11 Oath Keepers who were charged with seditious conspiracy yesterday:

“You know how your mother used to say if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too? These are people who answered ‘Yes.’” 

— JIMMY KIMMEL

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