It's Day 45 of 45. The State Auditor is being kicked out of her offices, and a childcare proposal to use vacant buildings was killed | | | 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 | Mar. 7, 2025 It's Friday and sine die. Tomorrow is International Women's Day! Three things today: The Utah legislature passed 81 bills yesterday, bringing the session total to 406, with many more on deck today. There are 958 total bills available. The legislature is taking away office space from the Elections Office and the State Auditor inside the State Capitol, but leaving the Attorney General after a new amendment to SB143 was adopted yesterday evening. Auditor Tina Cannon accused lawmakers of bullying. Another attempt at a Utah child care partnership that would have used empty state offices and private providers was defeated yesterday after a GOP lawmaker said it would pull kids from âhome-basedâ care and another said vacant state buildings should be sold. At least half the daycare spots would have been reserved for children of state workers and members of the military or National Guard. On the Hill Today - Day 45 of 45. 9:00 am - 11:50 am: Senate Floor Time 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: House Floor Time 2:00 pm - 5:50 pm: Senate and House floor time 7:00 pm - midnight: Senate and House floor time | | |
| | Wildlife Crossings Save Moneyâand Lives Utah sees around 7,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually, costing taxpayers nearly $138 million in vehicle damage and injury each year.
Luckily, research shows that overpasses and underpasses with associated fencing can reduce those collisions by up to 90%. But first, they have to be funded. While wildlife crossings are sometimes included in larger road projects, Utah needs dedicated fundingâfunding that would accelerate the construction of projects when and where they are needed. Learn More. | | |
Utah Headlines Legislative session Former Rep. Mia Love honored for her service (Deseret News) Utah's 2025 Legislative session nears end after more than 900 bills introduced in 45 days (KUTV) Business & Labor Utah breaks ground with bill requiring app stores to verify user ages (Deseret News) Utah legislators take a stand against social media exploitation (Deseret News) Criminal Justice New laws in Utah: Are they enough to combat child sexual abuse? (Deseret News) âWorst bill Iâve seen all yearâ: Utah lawmakers vote to help ICE with deportations (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Senate passes plan to deport criminals in the country illegally or legally (KUTV) Funding granted to sexual assault prevention following public action (ABC4) Economic Development Utah Inland Port Authority amendment bill signed by governor (KSL) Government Operations Utah lawmakers push their contested vote by mail changes over the finish line (KUER) Lawmakers give the green light to dissolve Utahâs 7-member State Records Committee (KUER) State auditor 'shell-shocked' over Capitol 'eviction' in late Legislative move (KUTV) Health and Human Services Medical malpractice bill clears Utah Legislature with changes, but opponent says it still limits protections for victims (Deseret News) Doulas improve the experience of childbirth. Now their services will be covered by Medicaid in Utah (Deseret News) These Utah lawmakers had kids through IVF. They voted to give public employees access to the procedure, too. (Salt Lake Tribune) Revenue & Taxation New poll: How do Utahns feel about the Legislatureâs tax cuts this year? (Deseret News) Social Security tax to be cut for Utah couples making $90K or less, legislative leaders say (Salt Lake Tribune) Other Utah News Politics Mike Lee pushes to âend the Fedâ and abolish Federal Reserve Board (Deseret News) Maloy introduces federal legislation to allow daylight saving time year-round (KSL Newsradio) Ogden City Council, RDA amends budget to provide $1 million to Quality Neighborhoods Initiative (Standard-Examiner) Sen. Curtis tells EPA nominees why Utah has unique air quality needs (Deseret News) Utah âThe Beehive State rivalry just got spicyâ: Social media reacts to news of Alex Jensen becoming Utahâs next basketball coach (Deseret News) âCovenantal thinking created an American national identityâ: Experts talk about religious liberty and the Constitution at annual First Amendment Conference at UVU (Deseret News) Biz/Tech Opinion: Utahâs businesses need to prepare for a potential downturn (Deseret News) Developer pitches new plan for old Sizzler site next to Sugar House Park (Salt Lake Tribune) Crime/Courts 2002 Salt Lake Olympian now on FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted list (KUTV) Culture Celebrating International Womenâs Day (Deseret News) New film wins award for showing Polynesian Cultural Center and BYU-Hawaii as places of refuge (Deseret News) 10th annual Provoâs Womenâs Day to celebrate the communityâs âfearlessâ females (Daily Herald) Environment Utah beat back the Russian olive on the Escalante River. That progress is in peril (KUER) Family Hereâs how much a baby costs in the first year (Deseret News) RootsTech connects people around the world in efforts to discover their family (KSL) Health It's been 5 years since COVID-19 hit Utah. What we've learned since then (KSL) Housing High Utah home prices and interest rates expected to remain in 2025 (KUTV) | | |
National Headlines General SpaceX's Starship explodes in space, again raining debris over Caribbean (Reuters) 'We're in a dark space,' US judge says on rising threats (Reuters) Musical 'Hamilton' cancels run at Kennedy Center after Trump takeover (Reuters) A South Carolina man is set to become the first executed by firing squad in 15 years (AP) Political news Trump pulls back tariffs on Mexico, Canada (Deseret News) Education Department faces uncertain future â even with a new Trump-appointed chief (Deseret News) Trump tells cabinet secretaries they, not Musk, are in charge of staff cuts (Reuters) Elon Musk tells Republican lawmakers heâs not to blame for federal firings (AP) Trump puts new limits on Elon Musk (Politico) War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagonâs DEI purge (AP) Judge orders Trump administration to speed payment of USAID and State Dept. debts (AP) As Canadians cancel trips due to Trump, the U.S. tourism industry could lose billions (NPR) Inside U.S. spy agencies, workers fear a cataclysmic Trump cull (Washington Post) Justice Amy Coney Barrett ignites anger on the right after ruling against Trump (Washington Post) NIH reels with fear, uncertainty about future of scientific research (Washington Post) State Dept. plans to close diplomatic missions and fire employees overseas (New York Times) Ontario will tariff electricity going to 3 US states on Monday, premier says (The Hill) Ukraine and Russia Macron: France must face âRussian threatâ with or without US (Politico) EU leaders agree on defense surge, support Zelenskyy after US aid freeze (Reuters) Russia launches major Ukraine missile attack after US cuts off military aid (Reuters) Israel, Gaza, Syria State Department to reportedly use AI to revoke visas of students it sees as Hamas supporters (Reuters) World news 'Major powers should not bully the weak', China foreign minister says (Reuters) | | |
| | News Releases UVU students present ways to improve affordable housing crisis in Heber Valley to City Council This week a group of Utah Valley University Public Relations and Strategic Communication students met with the Heber City Council to propose ways in which the city can address affordable housing. Heber City is currently one of the fastest growing microcities in the United States. Inasmuch, city officials have worked to provide enough housing to accommodate the population influx associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.â¯â¯ âWe are focusing on issues that make a social impact, and Utah has seen an 18% growth in population according to the 2020 Census, of which Wasatch County and Heber City saw a 47 percent increase in population over the last ten years,â says Kassidy Rindlisbacher, UVU PR student and group leader. (Read More) Rep. Maloy leads bill giving states the choice to stop changing the clock Rep. Celeste Maloy (UT-02) reintroduced the Daylight Act in the 119th Congress to give states the choice to stay on Daylight Saving Time permanently. âThe Daylight Act grants states like Utah the freedom to decide whether or not to remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round. Letâs pass this bill in Congress and end the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year,â said Rep. Maloy. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Mar 7 â UVU Autism Conference, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Register here Mar 7 â Utah legislative session ends at midnight Mar 15 â Utah Women Run annual training, 8:00 am - 2:30 pm, Hinckley Institute of Politics, Register here Mar 22 â MWEG annual conference with plenary speaker Sharon Eubank, UVU, Register here Apr 24 â Giant in Our City with the Salt Lake Chamber, 6:00-9:00 pm, Register here May 1 â High school writing contest deadline with The Rostra: Applying the wisdom of the past to the problems of today. More info here Aug 7 â Titan of Public Service, Sen. Tom Cotton, with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, Grand America Hotel | | |
On This Day In History 322 BC - Aristotle dies 1274 - Thomas Aquinas dies. 1530 - King Henry VIIIâs divorce request is denied by the Pope. 1876 - 29-year-old Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary new invention - the telephone. 1912 - Roald Amundsen announces discovery of the South Pole. 1938 - Janet Guthrie is born. She was the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. 1942 - The first cadets graduated from the Black flying school at Tuskegee. 1965 - Alabama state troopers and 600 black protesters clash in Selma during "Bloody Sunday", protesters, including future congressman John Lewis who was beaten and hospitalized and Amelia Boynton is beaten terribly. White Unitarian minister, Rev. James Reeb died of his injuries. 1975 - US Senate revises filibuster rule, allows 60 senators to limit debate 1977 - Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin meets US President Jimmy Carter. 2022 - Global death toll from Covid-19 passes 6 million according to Johns Hopkins figures, with 57% of the world's population fully vaccinated Quote of the Day "The truth is that men's ambition and their desire to make money are among the most frequent causes of deliberate acts of injustice.â
â Aristotle On the Punny Side Waiter: I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner. How did you find the steak? Me: Super easy. It was right next to the potatoes. | | |
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