Policy Buzz

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Rob Bishop: Publicity Hound

By LaVarr Webb

What's going on with Congressman Rob Bishop?

He used to be Utah's invisible Congressman, rarely sending out news releases and rarely getting his name in the papers. In the Deseret News column which we co-write, Frank Pignanelli and I used to regularly poke fun at Bishop for being so quiet and unnoticed. Now we may have to poke fun at him for being a media star (well, maybe not quite).

Bishop has suddenly become a lot more aggressive with communications.

tags: publicity, rob bishop, western caucus
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Four Questions We Should Be Asking Our Elected Leaders As They Balance the State Budget

By Natalie Gochnour, COO, Salt Lake Chamber

Much has been said about how our elected leaders should address the estimated $850 million structural budget deficit for FY11. We will learn more in the next few weeks as state economists update their revenue forecasts and the governor releases his budget recommendations.

Here are four questions that we should be asking our elected leaders as they address this very serious situation:

tags: budget, deficit, economy, legislature, rainy day fund
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Becoming the New Utah

By Pamels S. Perlich, Senior Research Economist, BEBR

The extraordinary demographic transformation that is unfolding around us presents significant challenges to Utah's policymakers. One thing is clear: planning for the future cannot be based on an obsolete view that the future population is simply a supersized version of an idealized past.

tags: demographics, ethnic groups, labor, migration, population, utah
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Online Education is Texas-Sized Innovation

By Robyn Bagley, Board Chair, Parents for Choice in Education

They say everything is "bigger" in Texas. Maybe that's why the "biggest" Innovation in K-12 education has chosen to hold its annual conference in Austin this year. iNACOL’s (International Association for K-12 Online Learning) Virtual School Symposium (VSS) is THE online learning conference for leaders looking to help shape the future of education. ...

I have the good fortune of attending and I must say the excitement here is palatable. This is one of the most promising new frontiers in education, and everyone knows it. Online learning in K-12 schools is growing explosively.

tags: disruptive innovation, education, on-line learning, schools, technology
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Draft Legislation to be Reviewed

By LaVarr Webb

This week is important for the Utah Legislature. A number of important commmittee meetings are scheduled today and a full slate of interim committees will be held on Wednesday.
Many committees will be reviewing important draft legislation for introduction in the January session. Much of the interim committee work of the entire year will be considered for a final time before the holiday season and the Jan. 25 session start.
For a complete list of the committees, see the legislative calendar: http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/cal.asp.
Click on a specific meeting for the agenda, location, and meeting notice.

tags: interim day, laws, legislation, legislature
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Wise Words

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Experience

Source: Brainy Quote

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way". Mark Twain

tags: wise words

Lighter Side

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Don't Ask Don't Tell

Source: Political Humor

"Speaking of 'Don't ask, don't tell,' Congressman Barney Frank said yesterday that the military's 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy will be repealed next year. It's going to be replaced by the policy, 'Yeah, we knew.'" Jimmy Fallon

tags: lighter side

Today in
Political History

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Nov 20, 2009

Source: NY Times

1969: The Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phase-out.

tags: today in political history

Connect with us

Upcoming
Events

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November 2009
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[+] Register To Add An Event

11/23/2009 Breakfast with Tim Bridgewater in Kanab
11/23/2009 Lunch with Tim Bridgewater in Cedar City
11/23/2009 Governor Herbert will accept the "Best of the Web" award for the State's website - www.utah.gov
11/23/2009 SUU College Republican's Student Forum with Tim Bridgewater
11/23/2009 Student Forum at Dixie State with Tim Bridgewater, Hosted by the College Republicans
11/25/2009 Governor Gary R. Herbert to participate in KUTV's Food Drive for the Utah Food Bank
12/01/2009 Last day for governmental entities to request bills without floor approval
12/01/2009 Last day for legislators to prioritize up to three bills
12/02/2009 Brigham Young University Kennedy Center Lecture: Shane R. Strate
12/02/2009 Master of Public Administration (MPA) Information Session at the George W. Romney Institute at BYU
12/03/2009 Council on Foreign Relations Academic Conference Call
12/03/2009 BYU MPA Lecture Series with Josh Probert on Nonprofit Administration
12/03/2009 ASPA Lunch "The State of Public Employee Compensation, Benefit, and Retirement Systems
12/03/2009 Salt Lake County GOP Central Committee Meeting
12/15/2009 Executive Appropriations Committee Meeting
12/16/2009 Last day for Executive Appropriations Committee to set initial budget matters
01/04/2010 Utah in the Union: The Story of the 45th State
01/12/2010 Senate Republican Leadership Breakfast
01/12/2010 Utah Health Data Committee Quarterly Meeting
01/25/2010 First day of Legislative session
02/03/2010 Last day for the Legislature to either pass or defeat each base budget bill (by noon)
02/04/2010 Last day to request bills or appropriations without floor approval (by noon)
02/04/2010 Last day to approve bills for numbering without floor approval (by noon)
02/04/2010 Lincoln Day Dinner

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Political Portal

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Memo to Readers: We're Trying to Eliminate Duplicate Links

UtahPolicy.com uses a partially automated system to aggregate news stories related to politics and government in Utah.

For some time we've had a glitch that results in some headline links staying in the UPD newsletter beyond one day. We still haven't eliminated the glitch (it has to do with when the newspapers post and update their stories), but we're attempting to manually eliminate the duplicate links.

We appreciate response and feedback about any Utah Policy concerns you have. Just e-mail us at info@utahpolicy.com.

Today at Utah Policy

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Networking with Other Municipal Leaders is Invaluable

By Mike Winder, Mayor-elect, West Valley City

Thursday was Day Two of new mayor’s training here at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. I’m back here this week with Mayor-Elect John Curtis from Provo and 18 other mayors-elect from various large cities throughout the U.S. John and I were commenting today that the more we talk to other elected officials from around the country, the more we appreciate the well managed state that Utah is, the relative strong economy we enjoy, and the good people of our cities.

tags: mike winder
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Election Central: Making an Example of Bennett

By Bryan Schott

Imagine the situation in New York’s 23rd Congressional District repeated in a statewide race in Utah. That’s a very real possibility facing incumbent Senator Bob Bennett in his bid for a fourth term in Senate. Not only are conservatives inside the state building opposition to him, but there’s more and more pressure coming from outside the borders.

The conservative blog Red State says the best way for party members worried about the “leftward drift” of the GOP establishment is to pick off Bennett.

tags: bob bennett, club for growth, election central
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Washington Watch

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Keeping up with Utah's Congressional Delegation

To the Barricades, Mon Ami!: Senator Orrin Hatch has a one-word suggestion for Americans if Congress passes health care reform. “Rebel.”
tags: harry reid, healthcare, orrin hatch, washington watch
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Rep. Chaffetz - Freshman Year

Rep. Jason Chaffetz talks healthcare and celebrates Halloween in his latest Freshman Year video for CNN.

Watch video after the jump.

tags: freshman year, jason chaffetz, washington watch
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Hatch: Senate Health Care Bill Uses "Accounting Gimmicks"

Senator Orrin Hatch discusses the Senate healthcare bill with Fox News' Neil Cavuto.

Watch video after the break.

tags: healthcare, orrin hatch, washington watch
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Hatch: KSM Trial Should be in Military Court

Senator Orrin Hatch tells Fox and Friends the decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a New York criminal court is ridiculous.

Video after the jump.

tags: orrin hatch, washington watch
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Chaffetz: 'Two Competing Visions for America's Future': In his latest piece for CNN, Rep. Jason Chaffetz says the health care reform debate is "about two competing visions for America's future. One vision holds that government can and should solve our problems, meet our basic needs and compel the wealthy to sustain the poor. The health care bill that passed in the House reflected that vision. In contrast, the conservative vision holds that wealth and prosperity come when productivity and self-interest are rewarded rather than punished, and that freedom is enhanced when government is as limited and as local as possible."
tags: competing visions for america's future, health care reform, house health care bill, jason chaffetz, washington watch
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Featured Articles

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Hot or Not: Who's Hot This Week?

By Bryan Schott

Some of Utah's politicians jumped back into the media limelight in a big way this past week.

Representative Jason Chaffetz lit up the mediaverse after he spoke with the celebrity gossip website TMZ.com about former Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Senator Orrin Hatch got a ton of media attention this week due to his proposed amendment to the Senate healthcare bill limiting the purchase of insurance policies that cover abortion.

Representative Jim Matheson continued to generate news for his no vote on the House healthcare bill.

Full results after the jump.

tags: bob bennett, gary herbert, google news, hot or not, jason chaffetz, jim matheson, orrin hatch, peter corroon, ralph becker, rob bishop
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Jeff Thredgold's Tea Leaf - "Rebound"

By Jeff Thredgold, CSP, President, Thredgold Economic Associates and Economist for Zions Bank

The consensus view of forecasting economists at mid-year 2009 was that the global economy, at that time in its first overall recession since just after WWII, would not likely emerge from recession until perhaps 2010’s second quarter. Like most forecasts, that view was wrong. The global economy has already begun to grow again.

tags: csp, jeff thredgold, president, thredgold economic associates and economist for zions bank
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Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report: A new holiday tradition begins this weekend at The Gateway with the Old World Christmas Market. Check out our listings for more events, including the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll, the Big Horn Sheep Festival in Moab, and much more.
tags: art, concerts, dance, festivals, film, fishing, hiking, hunting, markets, museums, music, outdoors, snowsports, theater
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Election Central: Possible Bennett Challenger Inches Closer to Run

By Bryan Schott

The Hill reports (sub. Required) that attorney Mike Lee made the rounds in Washington, D.C. this week. While there, Lee met with the Club for Growth, a conservative group critical of Senator Bob Bennett.

tags: bob bennett, club for grotwth, election central, mike lee
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"Going Rogue" Book Tour Coming to Utah

By Bryan Schott

According to her Facebook page, Sarah Palin is coming to Utah on December 9th.

tags: going rogue, sarah palin
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Learning the Ropes: Notes from a Newly Elected Mayor

By Mike Winder, Mayor-elect, West Valley City

Greetings from Harvard! I'm back here this week with Mayor-Elect John Curtis from Provo and 18 other mayors-elect from various large cities around the country. The Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has invited us (on their dime) to a newly elected mayor's training.

tags: mike winder
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Podcasts

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Featured Casts

Salt Lake Chamber Releases 2010 Budget Priorities
Natalie Gochnour, COO of the Salt Lake Chamber, discusses the Chamber's 2010 budget priorities.

This interview was conducted via Skype.
Voting on the Internet
Former Soviet Republic Estonia is the first country in the world to allow citizens to vote over the internet. Thad Hall, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah, recently observed the municipal elections in that country, which saw 20% of the vote conducted online. He tells Utah Policy how the country conducts the online vote and ensures the integrity of the election process on the internet.
Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: Utahns for Ethical Government
Panel discussion about the proposed citizen initiative to establish an independent ethics committee on Utah's Capitol Hill.
Karen Harbert, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy
Utah Policy's Bryan Schott speaks with Karen Harbert, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy.

This interview was conducted via Skype.
Wesley Smith, Salt Lake Chamber Director of Public Policy
Wesley Smith, Director of Public Policy for the Salt Lake Chamber, discusses the Utah Health Exchange and the upcoming Utah Health Forum.

Policy Industry News

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Featured Press Releases

Bennett Urges Obama to Lower National Debt and Abandon Current Spending Practices
WASHINGTON D.C.--Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the news that the national debt has exceeded the $12 trillion mark this week:
Bennett Promotes Legislation to Enhance International Contract Oversight
WASHINGTON, D.C.--At an Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight hearing today, Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) pushed for legislation to move forward that would hold international contractors accoun
Senate Help Committee Unanimously Approves Hatch-Sponsored FDA Food Safety Modernization Act
WASHINGTON--Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, today lauded the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s unanimous approval of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
Governor Appoints Keith Kelly to the Third Judicial District
SALT LAKE CITY--Governor Gary R. Herbert has selected civil litigator Keith A. Kelly to serve as a judge in the Third Judicial District.
Hatch Issues Statement on Barzee's Guilty Plea to Kidnapping in Elizabeth Smart Case
WASHINGTON--Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, today issued the following statement about Wanda Eileen Barzee’s decision to plead guilty to kidnapping charges in the Elizabeth Smart case:

Today's News

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Local News
Highlights

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November 20, 2009

By Bryan Schott

Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are not fans of the healthcare bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News).
The Sutherland Institute wants the state to abolish the Utah Office of Tourism as a cost cutting measure (Salt Lake Tribune).
Utah County GOP leader Taylor Oldroyd is cleared of a complaint that he violated party bylaws by campaigning against a Provo City Council candidate (Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune).
Utah League of Cities and Towns director Kenneth Bullock is elected to the National League of Cities board of directors (Deseret News).
Lawmakers are still looking to rectify bonuses paid to the heads of the state's Trust Lands agency (Salt Lake Tribune).