Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 71st day of the year. There are 295 days left in 2016.
A surprisingly civil GOP debate. Lee endorses Cruz. Lawmakers put the wraps on the 2016 session.
The clock:
The Utah candidate filing period opens today – (3/11/2016)
Four days to the Florida, Ohio and North Carolina primaries – (3/15/2016)
Six days until the Utah candidate filing period closes – (3/17/2016)
Ten days to the GOP presidential debate in Salt Lake City – (3/21/2016)
11 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
19 days to the last day the governor may sign or veto bills (3/30/2016)
43 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
59 days to the last day a veto override session may begin (5/9/2016)
109 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
129 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
136 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
242 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
318 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
363 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Friday:
Republican candidates debate for the 473,981st time. This event turned out to be a surprisingly civil affair in contrast to previous debates as the field decided to talk policy instead of insulting each other [Politico, Mashable, New York Times, Washington Post].
Sen. Mike Lee offers his endorsement of Ted Cruz and calls on Marco Rubio to drop out of the race [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
Legislative leaders say the 2016 session was marked by some big accomplishments [Utah Policy].
Lawmakers give final approval to the state’s $15.1 billion budget for next year [Utah Policy].
A bill legalizing medical marijuana died without a vote in the Utah House on Thursday night [Tribune, Deseret News].
The death penalty repeal law quietly dies on the legislature’s final night after backers decide to pull the bill in the last hours [Tribune, Deseret News].
Lawmakers set up the funding mechanism for a proposed lawsuit against the federal government over public lands [Tribune].
Lawmakers give a thumbs up to a proposal to make Utah’s school board elections a partisan affair starting in 2017 [Tribune].
State election officials argue that, if a judge strikes down the signature gathering requirement in SB54, the state would then place all eligible candidates on the primary ballot [Deseret News, Tribune].
On this day in history:
1861 – In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas adopted the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America.
1941 – The Lend-Lease Bill to help Britain survive attacks by Germany was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev, the youngest member of the ruling Politburo, was chosen to succeed President Konstantin Chernenko as Communist Party chief.
2011 – Japan was hit by a magnitude-9 earthquake that struck about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. The quake caused a tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.