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Morning Must Reads for Tuesday, January 10, 2017

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Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 10th day of the year. There are 355 days remaining in 2017.

Lawmakers are wary of a proposed tax hike to fund Utah’s schools. Barack Obama prepares to give his farewell speech. The confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General begin Tuesday.

The clock:

  • 10 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
  • 13 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
  • 58 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
  • 301 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
  • 665 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
  • 1393 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Ten talking points for Tuesday:

  1. Planning ahead. Get a jump on 2017 with our “master calendar” of key political dates for the next year [Utah Policy].
  2. School funding battle looming. Utah lawmakers are very wary of a proposed income tax hike to fund public schools as they worry the measure could slow down Utah’s economy [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune]. Lawmakers are also starting to push back against the proposal even before proponents get started [Utah Policy].
  3. Republicans in control. LaVarr Webb argues Donald Trump‘s bombastic style is overshadowing the political success Republicans are enjoying [Utah Policy].
  4. Show them how to say goodbye. President Barack Obama heads to Chicago to deliver his farewell address tonight [Washington Post].
  5. Confirmation squabble. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump‘s pick for Attorney General, goes before the Judiciary Committee Tuesday for his confirmation hearing [New York Times]. Sen. Cory Booker will testify against Sessions during the confirmation process, marking the first time a sitting senator testifies against another sitting senator during a confirmation hearing [CNN].
  6. Obamacare latest. A group of moderate Republicans in the Senate want to slow down the speeding train racing to repeal Obamacare to give Republicans more time to find a replacement [Politico]. 
  7. Aggressive reform agenda. Rep. Jason Chaffetz plans to pursue some changes as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that has many federal workers on edge [Washington Post].
  8. Keeping it in the family. Donald Trump names his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as one of his senior advisors, immediately raising fears he’s violating nepotism laws [Wall Street Journal].
  9. Hate crimes redux. Sen. Daniel Thatcher is bringing back a hate crimes proposal to the 2017 legislature, but he’s hoping to keep the focus on the perpetrator of the crime instead of the victim [Deseret News].
  10. Housing plans. Salt Lake City unveils a plan to create affordable housing and boost business creation in downtown [Deseret News, Tribune].

On this day in history:

  • 1776 – Thomas Paine published the pamphlet “Common Sense.”
  • 1789 – The first presidential election was conducted. Electors chosen by the voters unanimously picked George Washington as president and John Adams as vice president.
  • 1861 – Florida seceded from the Union.
  • 1878 – A constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote was introduced in the Senate. It wasn’t until 42 years later that the amendment was enacted.