About Utah Politics - February 27, 2014

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Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 7:45am

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics - February 27, 2014

Lawmakers could be heading toward a face-off over Medicaid expansion. "Count My Vote" organizers say they've already collected 100,000 signatures. Legislators meet with members of the LGBT community.

Countdown:

14 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
15 days until the Utah candidate filing period opens
19 days until the Utah Democratic Party caucus meetings
19 days until the Utah candidate filing period closes
21 days until the Utah GOP caucus meetings
58 days until the Utah State Republican and Democratic conventions
117 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
250 days to the 2014 midterm elections
613 days to the 2015 elections
678 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
984 days to the 2016 presidential election

Today's Utah political news highlights:

A showdown may be brewing between House and Senate Republicans over whether Utah will accept federal Medicaid expansion money [Deseret News].
The group behind "Count My Vote" announce they've already collected 100,000 signatures [Daily Herald, Standard Examiner].
SB 54, which would make "Count My Vote" moot, is not going to pass in time to force Gov. Herbert's hand on a veto before the end of the 2014 session [Utah Policy].
A proposed Constitutional amendment to give political parties complete control in how they choose their nominees advances [Tribune, Standard Examiner].
Lawmakers meet with members of the LGBT community [Tribune, KSL].
Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Amendment 3 case file a brief with the court claiming Utah's ban on same-sex marriage treats those couples as "legal strangers' [Deseret News].
House Speaker Becky Lockhart's plan to expand technology in Utah's schools passed out of a House committee, but there are still questions on how Utah is going to pay for the bill's massive price tag [Deseret News, Tribune].
A number of bills designed to strengthen Utah's control over federal lands within the state move ahead on the Hill [Tribune].
Lawmakers take the first step toward approving a sales tax hike to fund mass transit [Tribune].
A proposed bill would impose harsher penalties for texting while behind the wheel [Utah Policy, Deseret News].
Sen. Ralph Okerlund is backing a bill to help protect farmers and ranchers from environmental regulators [Tribune].
A bill would allow judges to consider a parent intentionally exposing children to pornography as a factor in child custody cases [Tribune].

On this day in history:

The District of Columbia was placed under the jurisdiction of Congress in 1801.
The Reichstag caught fire in Berlin in 1933. The ruling Nazi party blamed the fire on Communists, which they used to suspend civil liberties in that country.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which limited a president to two terms, was ratified in 1951.
President George H.W. Bush announced the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Legislation banning most handguns in Britain went into effect in 1997.
Fred Rogers, host of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, died in 2003.
Conservative author William F. Buckley died in 2008.

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