Archive

What You Need to Know About Utah Politics Today – October 17, 2013

··

Countdown:  There are 20 days to the 2013 municipal elections, 104 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature, 379 days until the 2014 midterm elections and 813 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses.

  • Congress breaks their impasse and votes to re-open the federal government. The only members of Utah’s delegation to vote in favor were Sen. Hatch and Rep. Jim Matheson [Tribune].
  • Rep. Rob Bishop says closing national monuments in Washington, D.C. during the shutdown may have been illegal [Tribune].
  • Rep. Matheson and Mia Love are nearly even in their latest fundraising reports [Tribune].
  • Just hours before the federal government shutdown ended, Utah lawmakers approved a number of measures to help alleviate the effects of the impasse in Congress [Utah Policy, Tribune].
  • Spencer Cox is sworn in as Utah’s 8th Lt. Governor [Tribune].
  • Lawmakers may have Utahns vote on whether they want to hike taxes to pay for schools [Tribune].
  • Legislators may consider hiking taxes on alcohol in order to curb binge drinking in Utah [Tribune].
  • Lawmakers may consider a raft of other alcohol-related measures next year [Tribune].
  • An advocacy group says a they will be pushing a medical-marijuana related bill during the 2014 session [Fox 13].
  • A gas tax hike may be up for debate during the 2014 Legislature [Standard-Examiner, Tribune].
  • Legislators mull ways to reduce air pollution through more alternative fuel vehicles and how to pay for that [Deseret News].
  • Want to know how liberal or conservative members of the Utah Legislature really are? You’re in luck! [Utah Data Points]
  • The group behind Count My Vote begins holding public hearings about their proposed citizen’s initiative [Tribune].
  • The number of applications for concealed carry permits in Utah are soaring [Deseret News].
  • The amount Utah pays counties for housing state prisoners is less than the actual costs of housing those prisoners [Tribune].
  • University of Utah hospitals are reconsidering sending their medical waste to an incinerator in North Salt Lake [Tribune].
  • The board of Pioneer Craft House continues to fight an eviction notice given to them by South Salt Lake [City Weekly].
  • The West Point city council approves a ban on roosters in residential areas [Tribune].
  • Utah is quickly becoming a hot-spot for home rentals [Tribune].