About Utah Politics - March 17, 2014

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics - March 17, 2014

Chaffetz and Bishop shoot for committee chairmanships. Utah finalizes its argument in the appeal of Amendment 3. Caucus meetings are this week.

Countdown:

• The Utah Democratic Party caucus meetings are tomorrow
• 3 days until the Utah candidate filing period closes
• 3 days until the Utah GOP caucus meetings
• 39 days until the Utah State Republican and Democratic conventions
• 99 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
• 232 days to the 2014 midterm elections
• 315 days to the start of the 2015 Utah Legislature
• 595 days to the 2015 elections
• 660 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
• 966 days to the 2016 presidential election

Today's Utah political news highlights:

• Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Rob Bishop are gunning for committee chairmanships in the next Congress [Tribune].
• State attorneys argueallowing the ruling invalidating Amendment 3 to stand would be a "judicial wrecking ball" [Deseret News, Tribune].
• Keep track of all the candidate filings here [Utah Policy].
• UtahsDemocrats and Republicans hold their mass meetings this week [Deseret News].
• Here's a great primer on how to navigate the caucus system [Deseret News].
• Would Speaker Becky Lockhart be a contender if she were to run for governor in 2016? [Deseret News]
• Sen. Wayne Niederhauser says focusing on the budget during the first part of the 2014 session helped the process during the final days [Utah Policy].
• How did a bill allowing local elections to raise transit taxes die during the final hours of the 2014 Legislature? [Tribune]
• Utah's county jails may have to start releasing some felony prisoners because they're not getting enough money from the state to house them [Deseret News].
• Lawmakers passed a bill to cut down on adoption "forum shopping" [Tribune].
• Davis County's elections this year will be a test case forvoting by mail [Standard-Examiner].
• Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker will help lead a national effort to solve the problem of chronic homelessness among veterans [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

• The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City.
• 1776 - British forces evacuated Boston during the Revolutionary War.
• 1905 - Franklin D. Roosevelt married his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt in New York City.
• 1942 - General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific during World War II.
• 1959 - The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India after a failed uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule.
• 1969 - Golda Meir was sworn in as prime minister of Israel.
• 2003 - President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq.
• 2009 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its final print edition.
• 2011 - The U.N. Security Council voted to authorize military action and impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

Today At Utah Policy

Niederhauser on the Pace of the 2014 Session (Video)
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser (R-Sandy) says the 2014 session was, for all intents and purposes, a rousing success....

2014 Candidate Tracker
Who's in and who's challenging? Keep up to date with the latest candidate filings....

Real Estate Giving Dominates Utah Politics
Here's an interesting map that shows which industries dominate political giving in each state. In Utah, real estate interests are the major donors in state-level politics....

Bernick and Schott...And Herbert on Politics (Video)
Governor Gary Herbert joins Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick to discuss the 2014 legislative session, what bills he is concerned about, whether he will run for re-election and his plan as an alternative to Medicaid expansion.Watch!...

Bob Bernick's Notebook: Grading the 2014 Legislature
We all remember the little train that could challenged to get a heavy load over the mountain pass it chugged and chugged and finally made it.Well, the 2014 Legislature could be called the little train that didn't....

Herbert Says He Will Decide on a 2016 Run This Summer
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert told UtahPolicy on Thursday that he's leaning toward running for re-election in 2016 and will make known his decision run or not this summer, moving the announcement up by six months....

Featured Items

Utah Policy/KSL Insider Survey: Grading the 2014 Legislature
We asked our "Political Insiders" and readers to give a final grade to the 2014 Utah Legislature....

Houweling's Tomatoes Brings Green Thumb and Green Practices to Utah
The Governor's Office of Economic Developmentand Houweling's Tomatoes announcedthe company will build a new, environmentally friendly greenhouse tomato farm in Juab County that will create more than 280 new jobs....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Rolly: Did the ghost of Eagle Forum kill adoption bill again?

Op-ed: Utah caucus system is like corruped Teamsters Union

Op-ed: Farm Bureau, landowners should have taken stream-access deal

Op-ed: Chaffetz is tackling Internet sales-tax issue

Op-ed: Utah legislators stood up for Fourth Amendment

Op-ed: Moderate voters win session; Lockhart, lungs lose

Editorial: Utah education funds barely keep up with the need

Editorial: Utah Legislature tots up some small successes

Editorial: Utah bill only partly hides voter info, and that's OK

Study: Utah boasts some of the highest employment rates for youth

Swallow scandal helped break logjam on ethics bills

Lawmakers didn't act on anti-bias, liquor reform or same-sex marriage

Utah elections reshaped with compromise on Count My Vote initiative

In Utah Legislature's final hours, transit tax election bill died swiftly, unexpectedly

Real Women Run course teaches women to be confident candidates

2014 Utah legislative session: Guv emerges the victor

Ukraine unrest hits global market, Utah farmers

Days after Charlee's Law passes, Charlee Nelson dies at age 6

The two faces of Utah: Healthy but mentally ill

Utah lawmakers make move to stop adoption 'forum shopping'

Deseret News

Mike Lee: It will be our ideas that win in 2014

John Florez: Legislators' lip service: Losing credibility

Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Legislative all-stars: How our elected players performed

Editorial: Political restructuring will lead to moderation

Editorial: Wins and losses in the 2014 legislative session

Editorial: Democracy and political participation

Utah prosecutors forward allegations against Sens. Mike Lee, Harry Reid to feds

E-cigarette bill vaporized when time in legislative session ran out

Can House speaker be a 'real fighter' in governor's race?

New steps taken to break the cycle of poverty

Utah lawmakers stand pat on liquor laws

New legislation contributes to education goals, but major reforms remain out of reach

Utah's caucus system made easy

Caucus meetings this week give public a chance to get involved

Bill passed by Legislature may mean Utah jails will release some felons early

Parents remember child, 6, who died days after law was passed in her name

Other

Legislation may be remembered for what wasn't passed (Daily Herald)

Lockhart bids farewell to Legislature (Daily Herald)

Op-ed: Budget covered all needs, and a few wants (Standard-Examiner)

Editorial: Pols wanting on air quality (Standard-Examiner)

Ogden lawmaker announces resignation to work for Mike Lee (Standard-Examiner)

Top of Utah candidates crowd in to file for 2014 elected offices (Standard-Examiner)

Riverdale's vote by mail produces twice the votes for half the cost (Standard-Examiner)

Davis County vote-by-mail election is state test case in 2014 (Standard-Examiner)

Utah voter data privacy bill rapped by open government advocates (Standard-Examiner)

Legislation aims to protect unmarried fathers' custody rights; local lawmaker stirs controversy on topic (Logan Herald Journal)

National Headlines

Fast and Furious echoes in CIA-Senate fight (Politico)

Internet transition triggers GOP backlash (Politico)

Russia's most aggressive move since Cold War? (The Hill)

Senators: We need to stand up to Putin (The Hill)

Lobbyists stick with Putin (The Hill)

Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps Sr. reportedly near death (New York Daily News)

A tale of two Pauls: Rand, Ryan, and 2016 (Christian Science Monitor)

Shaheen Wants To Limit Outside Cash In Senate Race (Associated Press)

Obama adviser Pfeiffer says president isn't a midterm liability (CNN)

Campaigners urge: give whistleblower Edward Snowden political asylum in iScotland (Herald)

Under 30? The President Would Like You To Know Health Care Is Hip (WYSO)

2014
Bizarre, Crazy, Silly, Unknown Holidays & Observances

*Campfire Girls Day

*St. Patrick's Day

*National Irish Coffee Day

Well-Elderly or Wellderly Day

Turkey Vultures Return to the Living Sign: 11-17
American Chocolate Week: 16-22 (Always 3rd  Full Week)  Link
Campfire USA Birthday Week: 16-22 ( 3rd Full Week)
Health Information Professionals Week: 16-22 Link
National Animal Poison Prevention Week: 16-22 (3rd Full Week)
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week: 16-22 Link
Termite Awareness Week: 16-22
Flood Safety Awareness Week: 17-21 Link
Act Happy Week: 17-23 (Starts on 3rd Monday)
Flood Awareness Week: 17-21 Link
Wellderly Week: 17-23 (3rd Mon-Sun Week)
Wildlife Week: 17-23
World Folktales & Fables Week: 17-23
National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/13
*Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination: 21-27
Tsunami Awareness Week: 23-29 Link