No standing committees today, but longer floor times. On the docket: bills addressing homelessness, criminal justice and bees | 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. 11, 2025 It's Tuesday and National Guitar Day. ð¸ Happy birthday to Rep. Carol Spackman Moss! ð ð ð There are 755 bills now available. Three things today: Today and tomorrow are the last appropriations subcommittee meetings, then the legislature will begin having standing committee meeting twice per day. Today, there are no standing committees, but longer floor time. You can follow along at le.utah.gov The House will discuss HB266, Veteran Housing Amendments which would require the Utah Homeless Services Board and the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to work together to create best practices for assisting veterans experiencing homelessness. It passed committee with no opposition. SB182, a bill requiring a Code Red alert for those experiencing homelessness during very hot weather is on the Senate Third Reading calendar. This bill passed committee and the Second Reading Calendar with zero no votes. On the Hill Today, Day 21 of 45 8:00 am: General Government Appropriations; Transportation & Infrastructure Appropriations 9:00 am: Public Education Appropriations 11:00 - 11:50: Senate floor time 11:00 - 12:00: House floor time 2:00 - 4:00 pm: Senate and House floor time | |
Utah Headlines Legislative session Heâs a defense lawyer and a lobbyist â a âtough row to hoeâ on Capitol Hill (Deseret News) Education Housing restrictions for transgender college students approved by Utah Legislature (AP/Cache Valley Daily) Utah legislature seeks more money, parameters for Utah Fits All Scholarship (ABC4) Proposed 'Catalyst Centers' designed to boost Utah's CTE opportunities â while connecting students with future employers (Deseret News) Utah looking to pave way to directly pay college athletes (Deseret News) Energy Environmentalists raise concerns, but nuclear power bills advancing on Utah's Capitol Hill (Fox13) Nuclear nonproliferation panel warns Utah leaders to tread lightly (Deseret News) Government Operations New bill proposes ending same-day voter registration, changing mail-in ballots in Utah (KUTV) Lawmakers are considering major changes to Utahâs open records law (KSL TV) Utah looks to ditch vote-by-mail for drop boxes. 58% of boxes are not accessible to people with disabilities. (Salt Lake Tribune) Health and Human Services Bill for faster DCFS intervention in abuse cases faces resistance in Utah Legislature (KUTV) Judiciary 2 bills related to injuries from dog attacks are advancing through the Utah Legislature (Deseret News) Law Enforcement âYou are inviting rapists to Utahâ: Survivor urges lawmakers to consider consent bill (KSL TV) Other Utah News Politics âYear of uncertaintyâ: Utah farmers could feel the pinch from Trumpâs tariffs, immigration policies (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah news 'Where are they?' Snowmobiling teen, family grateful for search and rescue efforts (Fox13) âI donât think in good conscience we can call ICE on our co-congregants,â says LDS law professor (Salt Lake Tribune) Steve Young says his âgreatest feat of athleticismâ came as a parent (Deseret News) An Olympian who lives and trains in Park City just broke a world record (Deseret News) Crime/Courts Utah woman accused of putting Borax in her children's water (KSL) Education âKids are not comingâ: Utah schools see attendance dip after Trump admin change allows ICE on campuses (Salt Lake Tribune) Bad medicine? Trump targets overhead costs for research grants, gets pushback from universities (Deseret News) Family Ute parents coach kids to memorize tribal ID and phone numbers, fearing ICE sweeps near reservation (Salt Lake Tribune) Housing Hereâs how Salt Lake area rent changes rank nationally (Deseret News) | |
National Headlines General Two planes collide at Arizona airport, killing 1 and injuring 3, officials say (New York Times) For stunned federal workers, sleeplessness, anger and tears (New York Times) Political news Elon Musk-led group offers $97.4 billion for control of OpenAI (Wall Street Journal) âNo thank youâ: OpenAI founder rejects Elon Muskâs reported bid to buy nonprofit (Politico) Trump curbs enforcement of antibribery law (Wall Street Journal) Trump pardons disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (NPR) Dept. of Homeland Security wants IRS to help with immigration enforcement (Washington Post) Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds (Washington Post) They trained on diversity under Trump. Now heâs punishing them for it. (Washington Post) Rubio: US walking away from âforeign aid that is dumb,â not all foreign aid (The Hill) Trump muses about a third term, over and over again (New York Times) Aid groups sue over Trumpâs order suspending federal refugee program and funding (AP) Trump's foreign aid cuts 'catastrophic,' says global Catholic charity arm (KSL) Sen. Joni Ernst: USAID is a rogue agency (Wall Street Journal) Republicans push to make it easier for Trump to undo Biden administration policies (Deseret News) Trump imposes higher-than-ever metal tariffs, hints at upcoming blanket tariffs (Deseret News) Jay Evensen: Real spending reform will take hard work, not a sledgehammer (Deseret News) Donald Trumpâs âmove fast and break thingsâ approach is making even some conservatives nervous (Deseret News) Long time coming? Trump wants Treasury Department to stop producing pennies (Deseret News) Hegseth orders US Army to restore name of Fort Bragg (Reuters) Ukraine and Russia Russia plays hardball on Ukraine peace discussions after Trump talks of Putin contact (Reuters) Ukraine offers rare earth deal to Trump for more US military aid (AP) Israel and Gaza Hamas postpones release of more hostages âuntil further noticeâ (New York Times) Trump demands Hamas release hostages or 'let hell break out' (KUTV) Other world news Shining a light on the ongoing atrocities in Sudan. How clerics are serving as the moral backbone of a broken country (Deseret News) | |
| News Releases From F-35 crew chief to hypersonic researcher, Weber State student brings engineering skills to next era of aerospace For the past 10 years, Steven DiPani has worked on F-16 and F-35 fighter jets at Hill Air Force Base. Now heâs studying mechanical engineering at Weber State University to expand his knowledge and bring those skills to the civilian sector. For six years on active duty, DiPani served as both a propulsion specialist and crew chief in the 388th Fighter Wing. For a year, he was also lead technician for the world-renowned F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team, which saw him traveling the nation. âGetting to see the broader picture of the aerospace industry, both public and private, that got me even more excited to be in engineering,â DiPani said. âBeing in school has shown me all the opportunities out there, the different ways I can use my engineering experience to serve my country in a different way.â (Read More) Lee to chair Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement upon taking the gavel as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights: I am honored to reclaim the gavel from my colleague Senator Klobuchar and resume my role as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights for the 119th Congress. Antitrust and competition policies are fundamental to maintaining dynamic markets and ensuring the strength of our American economy. Capitalism thrives on competition, which fuels innovation, efficiency, and consumer benefits. (Read More) | |
Upcoming Feb 11 â "Heart on the Hill" Day with the American Heart Association, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm, Copper Room in the Senate Building Feb 12 â Navigating the 2025 Tax Reconciliation Bill webinar with the Hatch Center, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, MST, Register here Feb 12 â Crossing the Divide: Making an Impact in Career and Community with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here Feb 20 â BioHive Live, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Hale Centre Theater, Sandy, Register here Mar. 7 â Utah legislative session ends | |
On This Day In History 1805 - Sacagawea gives birth to a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. He came with her two months later when she left with Lewis and Clark on their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back to the Louisiana Territory. 1916 - Emma Goldman, a crusader for womenâs rights and social justice, is arrested for lecturing and distributing materials about birth control. 1918 - President Woodrow Wilson makes a speech before Congress and announces 'the Four Principles' which supplement his 14 points. 1958 - Ruth Carol Taylor, a journalist and nurse, became the first Black flight attendant in the United States when she joined Mohawk Airlines on this day. 1977 - Clifford Alexander, Jr. is confirmed as the first Black Secretary of the Army. He will hold the position until the end of President Jimmy Carter's term. 1989 - Rev. Barbara Harris became the first woman bishop in the American Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion worldwide. 1990 - Nelson Mandela released from prison after TWENTY-SEVEN years. 1993 - President Clinton selects Janet Reno to be first female US Attorney General Quote of the Day "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity." âLeo Tolstoy On the Punny Side My buddy wants to get a nose job and asked which one I liked the most, but I didn't answer. After all...you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. | |
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