Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 349th day of the year. There are 16 days remaining in 2017

Daily Briefing

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 349th day of the year. There are 16 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

• 18 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)
• 38 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 83 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 84 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)
• 90 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)
• 95 days until the statewide caucus meetings for Utah Republicans and Democrats (3/20/2018)
• 127 days until the Utah GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)
• 134 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention (4/28/2018)
• 193 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 326 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,054 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• Budgets, Alabama, Count My Vote, a tax overhaul and Utah lawmakers are heading toward the exit. Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott chew over the last week in Utah politics [Utah Policy]. Here's a podcast if that's what you prefer [Utah Policy].
   
• Sen. Brian Shiozawa's exit has Republicans and Democrats scrambling to fill the seat. There are 8 Republicans so far who are running to replace Shiozawa. Democrats, on the other hand, are trying to find someone to challenge Kathie Allen for the Democratic nomination because they worry Allen has too much baggage to win an election [Utah Policy].
   
• Bob Bernick says all he wants for Christmas is Mitt Romney to run for Orrin Hatch's Senate seat [Utah Policy].
   
• Sen. Mike Lee says he is still not on board with the GOP tax overhaul package. Lee wants to see a more significant expansion of the child tax credit [Deseret News].
   
• Utah Republicans are fighting over a proposal to pay off the party's $400,000 debt. Several members of the State Central Committee have called a special meeting for Saturday to vote on the bailout, but chairman Rob Anderson says the meeting is not legitimate [Tribune, KUTV].
   
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has hired Ken Bullock to handle intergovernmental relations for the city. Bullock previously resigned from the Utah League of Cities and Towns after a state audit found he improperly charged $57,000 to a credit card which he used as loans for personal purposes. Bullock also had about $130,000 in questionable charges he could not provide receipts for [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Utah County legislators are discussing ways to make it easier to remove county officials from office after the controversy involving Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves. Graves has been accused of improper workplace conduct but refuses to resign [Daily Herald].
   
• Local Utah officials testify before a Congressional committee about a proposed new national park and three new national monuments in southern Utah [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• The Salt Lake Chamber calls on the Utah Legislature to make revamping the tax code a top priority during the 2018 session [Deseret News].
   
• BYU and UVU have entered into an agreement with the Utah Transit Authority to provide free passes to university students and faculty [Daily Herald, Deseret News, Tribune].

National headlines:

• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has put the survival of the GOP tax overhaul plan in serious doubt after announcing he would not vote for the bill unless they can find $80 billion for a larger child tax credit [NBC News].
   
• The GOP tax bill is projected to add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, but it might cost much more than that. Many of the assumptions about cost are based on ending individual tax breaks which some argue will never happen. The bill also relies on higher revenue estimates than many say are reasonable [Axios].
   
• House Speaker Paul Ryan is denying reports he may retire from Congress next year [Associated Press].
   
• The FCC voted Thursday to kill Obama-era rules regulating the internet. The rules prevented internet providers from blocking or slowing down some websites. ISPs could also charge more for customers to access certain content online [USA Today].
   
• Republicans and Democrats in Congress are fighting over funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program. Money for the program ran out at the end of September, and it might not be replenished until next year [Politico].
   
• Black women voters powered Democrat Doug Jones to his unlikely victory in Alabama. Now they want the party to start addressing their issues [Associated Press].
   
• Republican Senators are joining the push to lift the veil of secrecy on sexual harassment accusations against members of Congress and force members to pay for their own legal settlements instead of using taxpayer money [Reuters].

On this day in history:

• 1791 - The Bill of Rights became law when it was ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
   
• 1890 - Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull was killed in a skirmish with U.S. soldiers along the Grand River in South Dakota.
   
• 1933 - The Twenty-first Amendment becomes effective, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment that prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
   
• 1939 - Gone with the Wind premiers at Loew's Theater in Atlanta.
   
• 1961 - Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity.
   
• 1973 - The American Psychiatric Association reversed its longstanding position and declared being gay isn't a mental illness.

Today At Utah Policy

Anti-Santa Claus visits Alabama - Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 353
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
Gov. Gary Herbert rolled out his $16.7 billion budget proposal. He wants to boost education spending by a little more than $200 million, but that's not as much as backers of the Our Schools Now ballot initiative are hoping for....

SD8 could be a battleground in 2018
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Both Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to find candidates to fill the seat in SD8 vacated by Republican Brian Shiozawa, who resigned suddenly this week to take a job with the Trump administration....

Bob Bernick's notebook: All I want for Christmas is Mitt Romney
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Dear Santa:On behalf of many Utahns, I'd like to ask you for something special for Christmas this year:Gov. Mitt Romney....

Weekly survey: Hatch's future/Santa's list
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Orrin Hatch is expected to announce his future political plans by the end of the month. What do you think his decision will be? Also, let us know who in Utah politics belongs on Santa's naughty and nice lists. Take our weekly survey right now....

Give us your nominations for the top Utah political news stories of 2017
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
What do you think were the top Utah political news stories of 2017? Was it President Trump slashing two national monuments? Jason Chaffetz resigning? Give us your nominations....

Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 353
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott reflect on the last week in Utah politics....

Policy News

Uintah County awarded state grant funds for local indigent defense services
The Utah Indigent Defense Commission (IDC) is pleased to add Uintah County to a growing list of local governments using state grant monies to improve local indigent defense services....

Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report
Outdoor Notes--Tribune: Popular sites have been removed from monument protection at former Grand Staircase-Escalante--Tribune: Alberty: These one-star reviews of Utah's natural wonders are hilarious--Tribune: Keep - not release - new mantra for fishing lake trout at Flaming ...

Utah honored with national innovation award
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) announced its 2017 Recognition Awards for outstanding achievement in information technology in state government. Utah.Gov online services were recognized in seven categories. NASCIO rec...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Sen. Hatch needs to get CHIP funded

Utah drivers improve! Now they're only 3rd worst in the nation.

Rolly: Utah GOP insiders call a rushed meeting to consider a $400K bailout, but party boss says it's not legit

After grumbling about Grand Staircase monument, House committee looks at creating a new, smaller national park

Bullock, disgraced former lobbyist for Utah cities, gets 'second chance' with Salt Lake City

Deseret News

Jay Evensen: Believe it or not, the air has gotten better

Greg Bell: Pollution solution? Think UTA

Editorial: Congress should make renewing CHIP a priority

Salt Lake hires ex-Utah League of Cities and Towns director

Salt Lake Chamber calling for modernized state tax code

Health exchange deadline arrives, but effects of moving it up remain murky

FCC unravels Obama-era net neutrality rules

Utah Sen. Mike Lee undecided on GOP tax bill

Congressional committee testily debates proposed national park in Utah

Other

Utah County legislators discuss making it easier to remove county officials from office (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

Trump Has Set A Judicial Confirmation Record In First Year (Daily Caller)

More troubling evidence of election meddling at the FBI (Wall Street Journal)

The Glenn Thrush scandal is a sex-reckoning test case (Vanity Fair)

Republicans Hunt for Ways to Pay for Tax Cuts (New York Times)

Paul Ryan Sees His Wild Washington Journey Coming to An End (Politico)

DOJ rejects charges over release of FBI agent's text messages (ABC News)

Trump Says His Regulatory Rollback Already Is the 'Most Far-Reaching' (New York Times)

Comey edits revealed: Remarks on Clinton probe were watered down, documents show (FOX News)

McCain trying to 'get rested up' after cancer treatment, friends say (Arizona Republic)

Music promoter unsuccessfully dangled Putin meeting for Trump during campaign (Washington Post)

U.S. labor board overturns Obama-era 'joint employment' ruling (Reuters)

Wise Words

Ugly Thing

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."John Stuart Mill
 

Lighter Side

Ireland

"Ireland will be collecting $15 billion from Apple in a settlement over back taxes. Ireland will receive the money on Friday, and Guinness will have it all by Monday." Conan O'Brien