Here are some news quips, quotes, and tidbits from our Capitol Hill reporters on day #2 of the 2018 Utah Legislature.
Rep. Chris Stewart tried to compare President Donald Trump’s brash style to Rodney Dangerfield’s portrayal of Al Czervik in “Caddyshack.”
He said Trump, like Dangerfield’s Czervik, has a golf swing where he “approaches the ball at a run, and it’s just as ugly as anything you’ve seen, but the ball goes down the middle of the fairway.”
That never happened in Caddyshack, as Czervik was quite a terrible golfer.
He was probably referring to Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.”
The gopher from Caddyshack could not be reached for comment.
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If you are a bit tired of seeing Utah U.S. senators and representatives taking floor time in the House or Senate to address their captive audiences. No more in the House.
It was announced Tuesday that if federal delegation members want to talk to the 75 House members, they will go to the GOP and Democratic Tuesday/Thursday caucuses — likely open to the media and public.
That will save around two hours or more of House floor time. The Senate heard from Rep. Stewart on the floor Tuesday, but he appeared before the caucuses at noon and said he preferred that venue.
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Utah House Majority Leader Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, tells UtahPolicy it is way too early to think about a race for House speaker.
But Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, is retiring this year, and so there will be an open speakership (and other leadership positions) election by the House GOP caucus right after the November general election.
Wilson said “all other things being equal” he would be looking at a step up in leadership.
“But that decision will come this summer,” said Wilson, who was first elected to the House in 2010, elected majority leader after the 2016 elections.
A homebuilder by profession, Wilson would not be the first developer to be a top GOP leader.
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, is a CPA/developer.
Like Wilson, Niederhauser is running for re-election to his seat this year, but has not yet said whether he will run for president again or step back into the main, 29-member Senate.
