Chaffetz to meet with Trump. Tuesday's Utah political briefing from UtahPolicy.com

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 38th day of the year. There are 327 days remaining in 2017.

Lawmakers say there's not much extra money to go around this year. Chaffetz set to meet with Trump. Bill to dump the Zion Curtain will debut later this week.

The clock:

• 21 days until President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress (2/28/2017)
• 30 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
• 273 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
• 638 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1365 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Ten talking points for Tuesday:

1. Legislators say there won't be much extra money to go around this year when they set the final budget because the state's revenue picture isn't expected to pick up much [Utah Policy, Deseret News].
    
2. Rep. Jason Chaffetz is set to meet with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday [Utah Policy].
    
3. A bill to make State Board of Education elections non-partisan will die without a hearing this year [Utah Policy].
    
4. Sen. Brian Shiozawa is pushing a resolution that puts the state on the side of refugees and immigrants [Utah Policy].
    
5. Rep. Brad Wilson says his alcohol reform bill, which includes a provision to get rid of the Zion Curtain in bars and restaurants, is set to debut later this week. The bill has ballooned to 150 pages [Utah Policy, Tribune].
    
6. Attorney General Sean Reyes and Rep. Mike Noel each took a clandestine trip last week that were possibly related to jobs with the Trump administration [Utah Policy].
    
7. The Outdoor Retailers show is looking at leaving Utah over the state's stance on public lands. The massive convention is soliciting bids from other cities to host the twice-a-year event. Patagonia said they would no longer come to shows in Utah after Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution last week asking President Donald Trump to erase the Bears Ears national monument [Tribune, Deseret News]. 
    
8. A legislative panel rejects a bill to allow parents to enroll their kids in comprehensive sex education classes [Deseret News, Tribune].
    
9. Sugar House residents are pushing the legislature to block funds for a proposed homeless shelter near a residential area. Meanwhile, state officials are asking lawmakers for $3.5 million for building four proposed shelters in and around Salt Lake City [Tribune, Deseret News].
    
10. Some lawmakers are blasting the decision to audit the University of Utah Athletic Department. The audit came after the school canceled a scheduled basketball game against Brigham Young University [Tribune, Deseret News].

On this day in history:

• 1962 - President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.
• 1964 - The Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time and immediately set off a frantic wave of "Beatlemania."
• 1973 - The Senate voted to set up a committee to investigate a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington's Watergate complex.
• 2012 - A federal appeals court ruled California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Today At Utah Policy

Lawmakers say there won't be much extra money to spend this year
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Lawmakers expect a very tight budget year in 2017, and there's not much extra cash to go around....

Trump to meet with Chaffetz on Tuesday
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
President Donald Trump will sit down with Rep. Jason Chaffetz in the Oval Office on Tuesday....

Non-partisan school board election bill is finished for 2017
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
It appears the Utah House will not hear a bill that would make the State Board of Education elections non-partisan....

Proposed resolution at odds with Trump's immigration order
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The Utah Legislature is set to wade into the political quagmire surrounding President Donald Trump's immigration ban....

Zion Curtain bill coming later this week
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
House Majority Leader Brad Wilson tells UtahPolicy that by the end of this week he hopes to have his alcohol reform bill formally introduced and ready for consideration....

Reyes and Noel moving closer to taking posts with the Trump administration? (Updated)
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
The worm is turning for two Utahns who could have important jobs in the Donald Trump Administration – Attorney General Sean Reyes and state Rep. Mike Noel....

Policy News

Fifty by Fifty: EDCUtah develops tool to compare locations using 50 metrics across all 50 states
Expanding or relocating businesses often struggle to quantitatively compare sites when making location decisions. Fifty by Fifty (50x50), a new tool developed by the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, will help make the analysis much easier....

Senate leaders applaud action by White House to stop big government 'fiduciary rule'
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), along with U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) praised action by President Donald Trump to preserve access to retirement planning for middle-income American families by...

Mayor McAdams selects new director of Community Services Department
Mayor Ben McAdams today announced that Holly Yocom was approved by the Salt Lake County Council as his choice for Director of the Department of Community Services. Yocom had been serving as the Associate Director for the past two years....

Hatch: GOP united in repealing and replacing ObamaCare
In a speech on the Senate floor, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) outlined his views for a responsible repeal and replacement of Obamacare and said that while Republicans are united in achieving repeal and replace, reconciling initial policy differences i...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Utah's religious climate helps Muslim immigrants adapt

Editorial: Will Trump era undo Utah air quality progress?

Bill to erase 'Zion Curtain' grows to 150 pages, takes longer than expected

Lawmakers 'disappointed' with U. of Utah's $50M building request, say it won't ease doctor shortage

Rolly: Columnist in blunder-land? Deseret News goes down rabbit hole

Refugees arriving in Utah as Trump battles ban's stay

Bill to give poor school districts extra money passes first Senate vote

Jury selection to begin in Swallow trial

Utah bill mandating motorcycle helmets until age 21 clears first hurdle

Gehrke: Lawmaker's crusade against diversity threatens the legitimacy of Utah courts

Trump's refugee order could hurt a growing group: Iranian Mormons

Utah's Lee backs Trump's authority for immigration ban, if not his tack

Salt Lake City - plus Ogden, Provo - named nation's 10th best place to live

Utah sex ed needs attention, legislators say, but abstinence angle will continue

State leaders plead for homeless shelter funding but Sugar House neighbors protest

Outdoor Retailer show may leave Salt Lake City, seeks bids from other cities

Deseret News

Boyd Matheson: The disruption and transformation of public education

Derek Monson: Congress should put brakes on Medicaid expansion

Jay Evensen: How easy should it be for government to seize your property?

Editorial: Auditor's role shed light on public entities' business

Senators: U. athletics shouldn't have been audited

State revenue estimates may not go up, Senate budget chairman warns

Lawmakers, bikers debate benefits of helmet laws

'Critical' funding sought to support indigent defense in Utah

Department of corrections seeks $5.8M annually to boost employee pay

Residents opposed to Sugar House homeless shelter site turn to state for help

Granite seeks long-term plan to replace, renovate district's aging schools

Bill to remove incapacitated elected officials in works

Other

Editorial: Utah needs to stop shuffling its homeless population (Daily Herald)

Draper lawmaker introduces legislation to extend protective orders for domestic violence victims (Daily Herald)

Bishop says Trump's hiring freeze can't apply to Hill maintenance workers (Standard-Examiner)

Park City restaurants eager to see 'Zion Curtain' torn down (Park Record)

National Headlines

World leaders duped by manipulated global warming data (Daily Mail)

Trump pledges to build up military in first address to service members (The Hill)

Soros Fingerprints All Over Anti-Trump Lawsuits (PoliZette)

Trump's Former Rival Wynn Takes Over as His New GOP Money Man (Bloomberg)

How Washington state became the epicenter of resistance to Trump's agenda (Washington Post)

Trump refugee order could be headed to Supreme Court (Fox News)

Trump White House press briefings short? Only compared to Obama (CNN)

Anti-Trump protesters block ambulance with critically ill patient, forcing emergency work in traffic (TheBlaze)

He still gets pomp and circumstance: 21-gun salute for Reagan on his 106th birthday (Washington Times)

Scott Pruitt Is Seen Cutting the EPA With a Scalpel, Not a Cleaver (New York Times)

Tech Opposition to Trump Propelled by Employees, Not Executives (New York Times)

Wise Words

Nailed It
"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." Abraham Maslow

Lighter Side

Random Names
"White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced that four reporters would receive Skype seats for press briefings rather than being there in person. Spicer said he picked the four reporters at random. Then said: "CNN, BuzzFeed, The New York Times, and Telemundo." Just random names." Jimmy Fallon