It's Day 21 of 45. Bills today include pornography and AI, recognizing World Refugee Day in June & making it easier to get licensed in Utah | | | 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 | Feb. 5, 2024 It's Monday and National Chocolate Fondue Day. Also, a very happy birthday yesterday to Sen. Luz Escamilla! ð ð ð Three things to watch today: HB148 by Rep. Ariel Defay clarifies that Utah law prohibiting pornographic images includes the creation of such images via artificial intelligence. HCR3 by Rep. Brady Brammer declares that child pornography is at odds with the standards of the people of Utah. Both of these bills will be heard in the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee at 3:40 p.m. HCR4 Concurrent Resolution Proclaiming World Refugee Day by Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost recognizes that there are more than 100 million displaced people in the world, that the United States has a rigorous security vetting program for refugees, asks the governor to call for an increase in refugee arrivals in Utah and proclaims June 20th as World Refugee Day. This bill will be heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee at 3:40 p.m. HB58 International Licensing Amendments by Rep. Cory Maloy will make it easier for people with professional licenses from outside of Utah to become licensed in the state. This bill will be heard in the House Business and Labor Committee at 3:40 p.m. On the Hill Today, Day 21 of 45 8:00 am: Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations; Higher Education Appropriations; Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriations; Social Services Appropriations 10:30 am: House Legislative Expense Oversight 11:00-11:50 am: Senate floor time 11:00-11:50 am: House floor time
2:00-3:30 pm: Senate floor time 2:00-3:30 pm: House floor time 3:40 pm: House Business and Labor; House Economic Development and Workforce Services; House Education; House Health and Human Services; Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice; Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment; Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology | | |
| | Construction Underway, Scheduled Operation: 2025 The Intermountain Power Project's transformational âIPP Renewedâ project is under construction and on track for mid-2025 start-up. The project includes new natural gas-fueled electricity generating units that will also utilize "green" hydrogen for long-term, dispatchable storage of renewable energy. There are currently 998 workers on site in Millard County, with 1200 expected during peak construction. Click here to watch construction unfold. For more information, visit www.ipprenewed.com | | |
Utah Headlines Legislative session 2024 Legislative Session Week 3 (Hinckley Report) Appropriations Lawmakers want to more than triple the money in the Utah Fits All voucher program (KUER) Utah House Speaker says 'we don't have the amount of money' for all housing-homeless plans (KUTV) Business and Labor Utah House OKs bill prohibiting employers from imposing racial beliefs on workers (KSL) Education Raises for top educators? Grants for student teachers? How Utah lawmakers are trying to retain teachers (Salt Lake Tribune) Government Operations Amendment proposed to legalize the lottery in Utah (KUTV) Lottery has been illegal in Utah since statehood. This lawmaker bets voters want to gamble. (Salt Lake Tribune) Bills on homeless services begin to advance in the Utah legislature (Fox13) Bill to revamp Utah Homelessness Council, improve data gathering advances in House (Daily Herald) Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Rep. Tyler Clancy wants to help victims better understand the criminal justice process (Deseret News) Utah is behind on criminal record expungements, affecting those who are trying to âmove onâ (Deseret News) âRoad rage can wreck youâ: Utah bill seeks to unleash justice on aggressive drivers (St. George News) Lawmakers want to crack down on speeding in school zones (KSL) Other Utah News Political news Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joins 14 other governors in Texas vowing to protect the border (Deseret News) Utah Gov. Cox, back from Texas, calls on Biden and Congress to handle immigration âcrisisâ (Salt Lake Tribune) Community activists disappointed by Gov. Cox's stance on border issues (Fox13) Election news Poll: Cox holds âcommanding leadâ over GOP primary challengers (Deseret News) A new poll shows how Trump and Biden fare against a third-party candidate in Utah (Deseret News) Republican candidates vying to be Utahâs next senator discuss Biden in St. George (St George News) The case for voting by mail. Defaults determine behavior, even at the ballot box (Deseret News) Utah news UVU President Astrid Tuminez weighs in on Utah, the Legislature, patriarchy, LDS faith and her future (Salt Lake Tribune) Amid the DEI debate, this fireball Utah college president stands out as a living example of diversity (Salt Lake Tribune) Paul Huntsman: Itâs time to step away (Salt Lake Tribune) A lot of Utah hotel rooms are already booked for a 2034 Olympics â hereâs why (Deseret News) Business/Technology In wake of Netflix success, Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ to crack down on password sharing (Deseret News) Utah Jazz to collaborate with Stanley on cup line (KSL Newsradio) Utah has more jobs in the cultural industry than before the pandemic, report says. Much of that job growth is in Utahâs motion-picture industry, according to the Gardner Institute study (Salt Lake Tribune) Student credited with discovery of tiny, beaked dinosaur (Deseret News) Doctors speak about benefits of robotic surgery, as the first single-port robot is used in Utah (KSL) A new Primary Childrenâs Hospital is opening in Lehi. Hereâs what the Utah County campus will offer. (Salt Lake Tribune) Companiesâ hard-line stance on returning to the office is backfiring (Washington Post) Crime/Courts Man shot woman in West Valley City in front of children, police say (ABC4) Utah advocate says labor trafficking getting more attention, more victims stepping forward (KSL) Utahâs domestic violence crisis has gotten worse after a change meant to help victims (Salt Lake Tribune) Culture Help needed for Valentineâs Day school kits for refugees (KSL Newsradio) Taylor Swift announces new album after winning 13th Grammy (Deseret News) Theresa Dear: Black history is full of trailblazers. Here are 7 everyone should know (Deseret News) Education Ogden school set to ban cell phones from classroom (Fox13) Iron County jail becomes 1st in Utah to adopt IGNITE inmate education program (St. George News) Opinion: As educators, weâre alarmed and confused by the DEI controversy (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment Effort to regrow Utahâs vanishing salt flats may have backfired (Salt Lake Tribune) Family âFilling our broken parts with goldâ: How to find hope after losing a child (Deseret News) Health Scientists may have clue why autoimmune disorders hit women more than men (Deseret News) Housing From Gen Z to the baby boomers, 2023 was bad when it came to housing (Deseret News) The state of homelessness in Utah's 'happy valley' (KSL) | | |
National Headlines General Khosrow B. Semnani: War is not inevitable. Diplomacy can deliver on the promise of peace (Deseret News) The US didn't just avoid a recession â it's adding hundreds of thousands of new jobs (AP) Atmospheric river slams California with life-threatening flooding (Washington Post) Political news How internet rumors, Republican in-fighting and an election year are threatening a bipartisan border bill (Deseret News) Senators release a border and Ukraine deal but the House speaker declares it âdead on arrivalâ (AP) Sen. Lee introduces bill to protect victims of online sexual abuse (UPR) Asked if he supports RNC chairwoman, Trump suggests there will âprobably be some changes madeâ (AP) Nikki Haley makes surprise appearance in âSNLâ cold open (The Hill) South Dakota tribe bans Gov. Kristi Noem from reservation over US-Mexico border remark (The Hill) Election news 2 of Utahâs members of Congress face primary challenges (Deseret News) Haleyâs newest pitch: Trump, Biden are âgrumpy old menâ (Deseret News) Ron DeSantis lost a ping-pong match in Utah, and maybe the state along with it (Deseret News) Trump heads to US Supreme Court with a familiar claim: he is untouchable (Reuters) Ukraine ðºð¦ Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut expect to fight until war ends (Reuters) Israel ð®ð± Palestinians hope Blinken visit can deliver Gaza truce before Rafah assault (Reuters) World news Church-supported nursing training center opens in Iraqâs Kurdistan region (Church News) A year after Syriaâs deadly earthquake, orphaned children adjust to the loss bit by bit (AP) Russian court extends detention of Radio Free Europe reporter for the third time (Wall Street Journal) âWeâre brokenâ: Wildfires on Chileâs coast kill 112 and leave hundreds missing (New York Times) | | |
| | News Releases Sen. Luz Escamilla introduces legislation to address Utahâs childcare crisis Senator Luz Escamilla is introducing groundbreaking legislation aimed at tackling Utahâs pressing childcare crisis, a critical issue which impacts the stateâs workforce and economic stability, and that is being exacerbated by $400 million childcare fiscal cliff. With approximately 77% of Utahns residing in childcare deserts, where access to such services is severely limited, the state faces an annual economic loss of $1.36 billion. Senator Escamillaâs bill seeks to transform vacant state-owned properties into fully licensed childcare centers, leveraging partnerships with private businesses to expand affordable, high-quality childcare availability. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Feb. 5 â Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series: Healthcare, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, Register here Feb. 6 â Cache County Safe Child Parent and Community Training, Riverwoods Conference Center, 7:00 pm, Register here Feb. 7 â Women in Leadership Executive Series: Finance, 11:30 am-12:30 pm,Register here Feb. 8 â Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series: Traditional Industries, 2:00-3:00 pm,Register here Feb. 21 â Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series: Women Focused Organizations, 11:30 am-12:30 pm,Register here Feb. 22 â Understanding Utahâs Caucus-Convention System, with GOP Chair Rob Axson and Dem. Chair Diane Lewis, sponsored by Utah Women Run, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Register here Mar. 1 â Legislative session ends Mar. 5 â Caucus night Mar. 20 â Utah Foundation Annual Lunch, 11:45 am-1:30 pm; Grand America, Purchase tickets here Apr. 20 â United Utah Partyconvention Apr. 27 â State GOP and Democratic Conventions | | |
On This Day In History 146 BC - The Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage come to an end after more than 100 years of fighting. 1884 - Willis Johnson, a Black inventor, patented the egg beater. 1917 - Immigration Act passed after President Wilson had vetoed it the week previously. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines. 1941 - Hitler scolds Mussolini, tells him to fight harder. 1958 - Clifton R. Wharton is confirmed as minister to Rumania, the first Black diplomat to head a U.S. Embassy in Europe. 1990 - Barack Obama becomes the first Black student named as president of the Harvard Law Review. 1994 - White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of killing Medgar Evers, more than 30 years after the crime. 2012 - Josh Powell kills himself and his two sons by blowing up their house. Quote of the Day âCongress also abdicated their responsibility for the past 40 years, to help some of the things that are broken with immigration. We would encourage Congress to do their part.â âGov. Spencer Cox On the Punny Side A cop left a nice note on my windshield to let me know I'd parked my car correctly. It said Parking Fine. | | |
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