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What You Need to Know About Utah Politics Today – November 15, 2013

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Countdown:  There are 73 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature, 221 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections, 354 days until the 2014 midterm elections and 781 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses.

  • Gov. Gary Herbert says his upcoming budget proposal won’t include Medicaid expansion as he will consider the issue separately [Tribune].
  • Gov. Herbert says he is willing to consider a proposal by outgoing Senator Pat Jones to eliminate the per-child tax credit on state income taxes to help fund education [Standard-Examiner].
  • The Trib’s editorial board says it’s clear Attorney General John Swallow, and his predecessor Mark Shurtleff, could not say “no” to anyone offering donations for their political ambitions [Tribune].
  • Congressional candidate Mia Love tries to distance herself from the “Tea Party” label, saying she wants to represent more than one constituency [Deseret News].
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee advances the nomination of Utahn Carolyn McHugh for the federal bench [Tribune].
  • Rep. Jason Chaffetz slams President Obama’s “false promises” on healthcare reform [Tribune].
  • Can Utah lawmakers be trusted to reform their own ethics and improve the state’s elections? [Utah Policy].
  • Clean air advocates launch an effort to get health care providers to stop sending their medical waste to an incinerator in North Salt Lake [Tribune].
  • An analysis shows the average interest charged for a payday loan in Utah is 473% annually [Tribune].
  • The Utah Transit Authority sells just over 2,000 of their new electronic fare cards in the first month [Tribune].
  • Salt Lake County Auditor Greg Hawkins has ordered his staffers to don badges [Tribune].
  • Critics decry UTOPIA’s efforts to make public officials sign non-disclosure agreements before being briefed on the network’s future plans [Standard-Examiner].
  • After union machinists in Washington rejected a contract proposal from Boeing, Utah officials immediately made it known the Beehive State would be interested in taking over manufacture of the new 777X airliner [Tribune].