Eight Things You Need to Know About Utah Politics for Tuesday
Bryan Schott
Valentine set to become chair of the Utah Tax Commission. Chaffetz hosts a prominent Democrat on a tour of Utah. Cox and McAdams set to rumble on Saturday.
Countdown:
91 days until the 2014 midterm elections
174 days to the opening day of the 2015 legislature
455 days until the 2015 elections
531 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
826 days until the 2016 presidential election
Monday’s top headlines:
Sen. John Valentine will leave the legislature after 26 years to become the new chairman of the Utah State Tax Commission [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News, Daily Herald].
Rep. Jason Chaffetz hosts Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings on a tour of Utah [Tribune, Deseret News].
James Brady, the press secretary injured during the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, passed away at the age of 73 [Real Clear Politics].
The Utah Education Association names Lisa Nentl-Bloom as their new executive director [Tribune].
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox will face off in a demolition derby on Saturday in South Jordan [Tribune, Deseret News].
Rep. Steve Handy considers the future of Utah’s State Fairpark [Utah Policy].
A deal will keep two anti-fracking measures off of Colorado’s ballot in November [Los Angeles Times].
A new commission seeks solutions on how to bridge Utah’s gender wage gap [Tribune].
On this day in history:
1861 – The federal government levied an income tax for the first time.
1884 – The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid in New York Harbor.
1981 – The federal government began firing striking air traffic controllers.
2010 – The Senate confirmed Elana Kagan as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice.
2011 – Standard & Poor’s lowered the United States’ AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus.