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Morning Must Reads for Thursday, November 17, 2016

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Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 322nd day of the year. There are 44 days left in 2016.

Orrin Hatch says he is seriously considering running for an eighth term. Lawmakers will have to come up with more than $100 million to deal with student growth. A report says Utah is not losing money by refusing to expand Medicaid.

The clock:

  • 32 days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
  • 64 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
  • 67 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
  • 112 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
  • 355 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
  • 719 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

Ten talking points for Thursday:

  1. Sen. Orrin Hatch says he’s being urged by supporters to mount a bid for an eighth term in Washington despite his vow that this would be his last go-round [Utah Policy, Roll Call, Tribune].
  2. Utah lawmakers will have to come up with more than $100 million to pay for new students in the state’s public schools [Utah Policy].
  3. A new report shows Utah is not losing money by refusing to expand Medicaid [Utah Policy].
  4. Lawmakers will spend about $50,000 to fund a public opinion survey about non-compete contracts [Utah Policy].
  5. Drain the swamp! Donald Trump announces people who join his administration will be banned from becoming a registered lobbyist for five years. They will also not hire anyone who is a current lobbyist [CBS News].
  6. Donald Trump‘s policy advisors are reportedly considering adopting a registry for Muslims who enter the United States. One of his supporters says Japanese-American internment camps set a precedent for the move [Huffington Post]. Constitutional law experts say requiring Muslims entering the country to sign up for a registry would not be illegal [Politico].
  7. Lawmakers fix a problem in the funding calculations for the money raised from last year’s gas-tax hike [Deseret News, Tribune].
  8. Traffic could become a major headache for planners deciding what to do with the land near Point of the Mountain once the prison is moved [Tribune].
  9. Former Rep. Kraig Powell wins confirmation as a state judge despite opposition from the LGBT community [Deseret News, Tribune].
  10. Rep. Jeremy Peterson says a state income tax credit for rooftop solar panels will take $80 million from Utah’s education budget over the next two years unless lawmakers make some changes [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

  • 1800 –  The U.S. Congress convened in at the Capitol in Washington for the first time.
  • 1871 – The National Rifle Association was founded.
  • 1973 – President Richard M. Nixon told an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, Fla., “I’m not a crook.”
  • 1993 – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to establish NAFTA.
  • 2003 – Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California.