Russia invades Ukraine, world responds; Utah bill to get rid of mail-in voting fails in committee, Great Salt Lake bill passes unanimously | | | 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 24, 2022 It's Thursday and "Stand with Ukraine Day." (OK, I made that up, but after last night's news, it should be a thing.) Be in the Know Putin said he would "de-Nazify" Ukraine (which has a Jewish president) and then began dropping missiles on multiple Ukrainian cities. Ground troops are moving across the border and tanks are coming in from Belarus. Ukrainian president Zelensky has declared martial law and shut down airports in anticipation of airstrikes. They have also closed their airspace to civilian flights due to high risk to their safety. The Russian military has confirmed it is targeting military airfields and air defense facilities. There were hundreds of casualties within the first couple of hours of attack. Senator Mitt Romney had a scathing statement about the "shortsightedness of 'America First." "The 80s called," he said, "and we didn't answer." The invasion is "without justification, without provocation and without honor. Governor Spencer Cox tweeted "There is evil in the world," Mia Love called it a "tragic example of the damage one evil leader can do," while other leaders also weighed in. Congressman John Curtis is in Brussels, Belgium today and is watching events unfold real-time. The world as we know it has changed. Just before Putin launched his invasion, ABC Newsâ Martha Raddatz received a message from a Pentagon official: âYou are likely in the last few hours of peace on the European continent for a long time to come.â A bill to eliminate vote-by-mail in Utah went down in flames in committee yesterday, failing on a 3-7 vote. In spite of testimony from former Rep. Steve Christiansen and Teena Horlacher, who was in DC on Jan 6, 2021 to "peacefully protest," the committee was not persuaded. Rep. Cory Malloy said "âThereâs a lot of misinformation out there. I really think itâs time we get down to whatâs real and whatâs not real. Iâm not convinced we have widespread fraud in the state of Utah." | | |
| | FROM OUR SPONSOR: ORRIN G. HATCH FOUNDATION An Evening with Justice Clarence Thomas The Orrin G. Hatch Foundation invites you to dinner and a fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas at the Grand America Hotel on March 11. Reserve your tickets today. For more information, email events@orrinhatchfoundation.org. | | |
2022 Legislative Session 36 days done, 9 days to go General Utah House passes concurrent resolution condemning antisemitism as incidents rise (KSL) Lawmakers honor University of Utah football team for banner season (KUTV) Today Committee Meetings 8:00 am: House Education, House Health and Human Services, Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice, Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment 8:30 am: House Business and Labor, Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology 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 Government Operations and Political Subdivisions, Senate Revenue and Taxation Floor Time House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50, 6 pm - as needed Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50, 6 pm - as needed Tomorrow Committee Meetings 8:00 am: House Economic Development and Workforce Services, House Government Operations, House Political Subdivisions, House Revenue and Taxation, Senate Business and Labor, Senate Health and Human Services 8:30 am: Senate Education 6:00 pm: Executive Appropriations Floor Time House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50 Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50 Business and Labor Lawmakers move to exempt previously infected employees from COVID vaccine mandates in the workplace (Salt Lake Tribune) Education Utah educators demand more trust and funding as lawmakers consider controversial bills. Educators say they donât need to be micromanaged by parents or lawmakers. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Senate committee narrowly approves transgender athlete bill (KUTV) Government Operations DABC tells businesses locked out of bar license: âTalk to your legislatorsâ
At Februaryâs meeting, the commission granted one license, leaving 15 other businesses high and dry. (Salt Lake Tribune) Itâs time to âget down to whatâs realâ: Utah bill to end default mail-in voting fails in raucous hearing (Deseret News) Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Proposed solution to Utahâs low sexual assault prosecution rates stalls in legislature (KSL TV) Compromise reached on expunging evictions, but time is short in Utah legislative session (KUTV) Utah eases correction officer age limit to 19 to tackle labor shortage (KUER) Transportation Renaming state highway for fallen soldiers seems to hit brick wall in Utah House (KUTV) Utah, Salt Lake City lawmakers strike peace deal over Inland Port Authority Board (KUER) Utah Headlines General How Utah is handling its largest refugee resettlement in state history. âTheyâre here with their families and their children to build a new life,â Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. (Salt Lake Tribune) Mitt Romney condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine, blames past U.S. foreign policy (Deseret News) How Maj. Brent Taylor is still influencing lives through his 1997 high school graduation speech (Deseret News) More than 400,000 Utahns facing food insecurity (ABC4) VA secretary visits Utah; addresses issues veterans face (ABC4) â¤ï¸ Representative Maloy tackles bills and cancer this year (Lehi Free Press) Education Supply shortage has schools improvising lunch menus (KSL TV) Study: School field trips improve student performance (Daily Herald) Elections Hard pivot toward Trump proves costly for red-state ally, Utah Senator Mike Lee (Politico) Syracuse man to run for US House, calls for âmore principled leadershipâ (Standard-Examiner) Just prior to Caucus convention, how do you become a delegate? (Cache Valley Daily) Environment In-Depth: Utah's current water data similar to last year, even worse in some areas (Fox13) Deb Haaland: 16 tribal water settlements will get $1.7 billion (The Spectrum) Utah County Commissioners prioritize water in the latest State of the County address (KUER) COVID Corner 614 new cases, 20 new deaths Intermountain Healthcare introduces program aimed to help COVID-19 long-haulers (Fox13) National Headlines General Study: Child poverty rising after tax credit expires (KSL TV) Politics Russia conflict separates GOP traditionalists from newcomers (AP) Poll: Stark racial gap in views on Black woman on high court (AP) Texas governor labels care for trans youth as âchild abuse,â wants to go after parents (New York Times) Lawmakers condemn Putin, call for crippling sanctions on Russia amid military operation (The Hill) Poll: DeSantis essentially ties with Trump among Florida GOP (Politico) Russia/Ukraine Russia attacks Ukraine, âshatteringâ European peace (AP) Russia invades Ukraine in Europe's 'darkest hours' since WWII (Reuters) Russia-Ukraine live updates: Ukrainian president declares martial law as Russia begins military operation (Deseret News) Japan and Australia said they were prepared to tap their oil reserves, together with other member nations of the International Energy Agency, if global supplies were hit by hostilities in Ukraine. (Reuters) Global stocks and U.S. bond yields dived while the dollar, gold and oil prices rocketed higher as Russian troops landed in Ukrainian cities on the Black Sea and Ukraine said Moscow had launched a full-scale invasion (Reuters) Moscow Exchange suspends trading on all markets (Reuters) Oil tops $100 and shares sink as Russia invades Ukraine (BBC) Trump, allies defend or deflect Putinâs invasion; was Romney right? (Fox News) Russian troops strike targets across Ukraine (NPR) Ukraineâs military says fierce fighting is taking place (NPR) Erdogan 'saddened' by Russian invasion, Ukraine urges Turkey to shut straits (Reuters) | | |
News Releases Romney statement on Putinâs invasion of Ukraine U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today released the following statement on Vladimir Putinâs invasion of Ukraine: âPutinâs Ukraine invasion is the first time in 80 years that a great power has moved to conquer a sovereign nation. It is without justification, without provocation and without honor. âPutinâs impunity predictably follows our tepid response to his previous horrors in Georgia and Crimea, our naive efforts at a one-sided âreset,â and the shortsightedness of âAmerica First.â The â80s calledâ and we didnât answer. âThe peril of again looking away from Putinâs tyranny falls not just on the people of the nations he has violated, it falls on America as well. History shows that a tyrantâs appetite for conquest is never satiated. âAmerica and our allies must answer the call to protect freedom by subjecting Putin and Russia to the harshest economic penalties, by expelling them from global institutions, and by committing ourselves to the expansion and modernization of our national defense.â Romney secures funding for tribes to fulfill critical water needs U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today applauded the Department of Interiorâs plans to fulfill settlements of Indian water rights claims using funding from the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was negotiated by Senator Romney and his colleagues. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act fully funds the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, legislation authored by Romney to bring running water to the 40% of Navajo Nation in Utah who lack it. âNearly half of the members of Utahâs Navajo Nation do not have running water in their homes,â Senator Romney said. âI appreciate Secretary Haalandâs work in implementing this funding, which we negotiated in the bipartisan infrastructure bill to fulfill critical water needs for the tribal communities in Utahâmaking sure that the Navajo Nation has access to water and wastewater facilities and providing long-needed water infrastructure for its citizens. Iâm proud to have helped negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure bill to make sure Utah would have a seat at the table, and make good on the longstanding promise by the federal government to the Navajo Nation in Utah.â (Read More) Gov. Spencer J. Cox names Mandy Larsen to 6th District Judicial Appointment Gov. Spencer J. Cox has named Mandy Larsen as the 6th District Judicial appointee. The governorâs nominations are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate. âMandy Larsen has demonstrated a strong commitment to justice as both a prosecutor and defense attorney,â Gov. Cox said. âIâm pleased she has the desire to serve the public in this new capacity and look forward to her distinguished career serving the 6th District on the bench.â (Read More) Office of the State Auditor releases Title I program effectiveness report The Office of the State Auditor (Office) today announces the release of a Title I Program Effectiveness Report as part of the Officeâs Project KIDS. The Title I program is a federally-funded program that is intended to provide supplementary funds to schools with high percentages of students from families with low incomes to help students meet state academic standards. This dashboard explores the performance, demographic composition, and spending at Title I schools versus non-Title I schools. Students at Title I schools face heightened socioeconomic barriers and tend to have lower rates of educational achievement compared to their non-Title I peers. (Read More) Gov. Cox announces Utahâs Adopt-A-School program Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Talent Ready Utah, in partnership with the Utah State Board of Education, are pleased to announce the launch of the Utah Adopt-A-School program. Today, the governor issued an invitation to Utah businesses to help support Utahâs K-12 schools and provide access to new opportunities for Utah students. Utahâs statewide Adopt-A-School initiative, one of the first of its kind in the country, will connect businesses with schools where goals, resources, and needs align. This innovative, collaborative partnership will aid in connecting companies, with resources like volunteer time, equipment, or cash donations, to local schools in need of specific support. The online portal â utahadoptaschool.org â makes it easy to search and sign up, providing a matchmaking service between schools and businesses. (Read More) Gov. Cox provides an update on Afghan arrivals to kick off âAfghan Day on the Hillâ Today Gov. Spencer J. Cox kicked off âAfghan Day on the Hill â by announcing that nearly all of the 900 Afghans assigned to Utah for resettlement have arrived. He called on Utahns to help secure long-term housing for the final 220 individuals which would require 50 units. With the initial phase of resettlement complete, efforts will shift towards phase two, which includes education, training and employment. Utahâs resettlement agencies and the stateâs Refugee Services Office are collaborating to ensure families have what they need for children to be successful, including homework help and mentors. Some of the $1 million raised through the Utah Afghan Community Fund has already helped purchase laptops and cellphones for new families. (Read More) | | |
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 | | |
On This Day In History 1803 - Marbury v. Madison confirms the legal principle of judicial review. 1864 - Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first Black woman to receive an M.D. degree. 1868 - President Andrew Johnson impeached on 11 articles of impeachment. 1912 - Henrietta Szold founds Hadassah, the largest Jewish organization in American history, focusing on healthcare and education in Israel and the U.S. 1946 - Juan Perón elected in Argentina. 1955 - Steve Jobs is born. 1967 - Jocelyn Bell Burnell makes the first discovery of a pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star. 1977 - US President Jimmy Carter announces US foreign aid will consider human rights. 1984 - Prince Charles gets engaged to Lady Diana Spencer. 1988 - Supreme Court defends right to satirize public figures 1991 - Gulf War ground offensive begins 2020 - Katherine G. Johnson, the groundbreaking NASA mathematician featured in Hidden Figures, dies at age 101. Wise Words "Vladimir Putin has an inner circle of one and that's not a rational, reasonable place." â Boyd Matheson, Feb 24, 2022 Lighter Side âItâs just insane that Trump is still so desperate to praise a bloodthirsty tyrant like Putin every chance he gets. Trump narrates Putinâs every move like he is Tony Romo calling the last drive of a playoff game.â â SETH MEYERS | | |
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