Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 70th day of the year. There are 296 days left in 2016.
Fiorina endorses Cruz. Lawmakers almost reach a compromise to kill SB54. Lawmakers put money aside to fight the feds over public lands.
The clock:
- The final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature is today – (3/10/2016)
- The Utah candidate filing period opens tomorrow- (3/11/2016)
- Five days to the Florida, Ohio and North Carolina primaries – (3/15/2016)
- Seven days until the Utah candidate filing period closes – (3/17/2016)
- 11 days to the GOP presidential debate in Salt Lake City – (3/21/2016)
- 12 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
- 20 days to the last day the governor may sign or veto bills (3/30/2016)
- 44 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
- 60 days to the last day a veto override session may begin (5/9/2016)
- 110 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
- 130 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
- 137 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
- 243 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 319 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 364 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Thursday:
- Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash over immigration in a debate in Florida. Most observers say Sanders came out on top [Politico, Washington Post, New York Times].
- Carly Fiorina endorses Ted Cruz [Yahoo Politics]. Jeb Bush plans to meet with Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich before Florida for a possible endorsement. He won’t meet with Donald Trump [New York Times].
- Lawmakers were working on a compromise on SB54, which included a full repeal of the law in 2017, but it was nixed before anyone could vote on it [Utah Policy].
- Legislators set aside $4.5 million for the first payment in a lawsuit to challenge the federal government over control of public lands within the state [Tribune].
- Utah’s Democrats say they won’t stop pushing for full Medicaid expansion [Deseret News, KUER].
- Lawmakers approve new regulations on payday lenders [Tribune].
- The Senate passes a measure changing the partisan makeup of a key legislative subcommittee, giving Republicans a majority for the first time [Tribune].
- Lawmakers finally reach a compromise to shift transportation funds to water projects and education [Tribune, Deseret News].
- A bill to curtail the use of non-compete contracts wins final approval and is on the way to the governor’s desk [Deseret News].
- Lawmakers approve a plan to spend about $10 million on an ambitious plan to address homelessness [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1496 – Christopher Columbus concluded his second visit to the Western Hemisphere as he left Hispaniola for Spain.
- 1862 – The U.S. Treasury issued “legal tender notes” in denominations from $5 to $1,000, the first American paper money.
- 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first telephone message to his assistant in the next room: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”
- 1969 – James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray died in prison in 1998.
- 2008 – New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer apologized after allegations surfaced that he had paid thousands of dollars for a high-end call girl, a scandal which eventually led to his resignation.
