Archive

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics – March 6, 2014

··

Hosue approves the compromise with “Count My Vote.” House and Senate leadership are at odds on how to fund Speaker Lockhart’s education technology proposal. Democratic lawmaker introduces a bill for Utah to accept full Medicaid expansion.

 

Countdown:

  • 7 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
  • 8 days until the Utah candidate filing period opens
  • 12 days until the Utah Democratic Party caucus meetings
  • 14 days until the Utah candidate filing period closes
  • 14 days until the Utah GOP caucus meetings
  • 50 days until the Utah State Republican and Democratic conventions
  • 110 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
  • 243 days to the 2014 midterm elections
  • 606 days to the 2015 elections
  • 671 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
  • 977 days to the 2016 presidential election

Today’s Utah political news highlights:

  • The House approves the compromise with “Count My Vote” [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
  • House and Senate leadership are facing off over how to fund Speaker Lockhart’s proposal to increase technology use in Utah’s schools [Tribune].
  • Democratic Senator Gene Davis unveils a bill pushing for the state to accept full Medicaid expansion [Deseret News].
  • LGBT protesters return to the Hill to rally for the stalled statewide non-discrimination law [Deseret News, Tribune, Daily Herald].
  • The Senate advances a measure to crack down on payday lenders [Tribune].
  • Rep. Greg Hughes’ measure allowing bars to provide a breathalyzer for use by patrons moves out of a House committee [Tribune, Deseret News].
  • A House committee approves a bill making cockfighting a felony [Tribune, Deseret News].
  • Utah’s Democrats complain a bill approved by the Senate is just a way to remove members of the minority party from the Utah State Tax Commission [Tribune].
  • The House approves a plan to make Utah’s State School Board elections nonpartisan affairs [Deseret News].
  • The Senate advances some changes to Utah’s controversial school grading system [Deseret News].
  • Lawmakers delay the effective date of of Utah’s guest-worker program until 2017 [Tribune].
  • Higher education officials are urging Utahns to attend this month’s caucus meetings [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

  • The Alamo fell to Mexican forces in 1836.
  • The Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case that slaves were not citizens in 1857.
  • Oreo cookies were first introduced in 1912.
  • Retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. died in 1935.
  • Walter Cronkiet signed off as anchor of “The CBS Evening News” for the final time in 1981.
  • Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was convicted of lying and obstructing the investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.