Governor orders flags lowered in honor of victims of Santa Fe High School Shooting
SALT LAKE CITY (May 18, 2018) – President Donald Trump has issued a directive to lower flags to half-staff at all federal facilities in honor of the victims of the attack at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas this morning. Per this directive, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert has ordered the flags of the United States of America and the state of Utah to be flown at half-staff at all state facilities for the same duration. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly flags at half-staff until sunset on May 22, 2018.
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Governor Gary R. Herbert’s Schedule
May 21, 2018 - May 25, 2018
**The Governor’s schedule is subject to frequent change**
Monday, May 21
No Public Events
Tuesday, May 22
12:30 p.m. Meetings with Higher Education Officials
Location: Salt Lake City
Wednesday, May 23
Department of Public Safety Summit - All Day
Location: St. George
Thursday, May 24
10:00 a.m. Governor’s Monthly News Conference
Location: KUED Studios, Salt Lake City
Media Availability
12:00 p.m. “Let Me Speak to the Governor” Show on KSL Newsradio
Location: KSL Studios, Salt Lake City
Friday, May 25
No Public Events
Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox’s Schedule
April May 21 - May 25, 2018
**The Lt. Governor’s schedule is subject to frequent change**
Monday, May 21
12:00 p.m. Interview with the Salt Lake Tribune
Location: Lt. Governor’s Office
12:30 p.m. Meet with Staff
Location: Lt. Governor’s Office
7:30 p.m. Speak at North Summit High School Graduation
Location: Coalville
Media Access
Tuesday, May 22
8:30 a.m. Speak at Faith Leaders Conference: Preventing and Responding to Suicide in Faith Communities
Location: Salt Lake City
Media Access
10:00 a.m. Film Interview at ABC4
Location: Salt Lake City
12:30 p.m. Executive Higher Education Summit
Location: Salt Lake City
Wednesday, May 23
Department of Public Safety Summit - All Day
Location: St. George
Media Access
Thursday, May 24
8:30 a.m. American Dream Ideas Press Conference
Location: Salt Lake City
Media Access
12:00 p.m. Meet with Constituent
Location: Lt. Governor’s Office
12:30 p.m. Elections Review with Staff
Location: Lt. Governor’s Office
3:00 p.m. Meet with Staff
Location: Lt. Governor’s Office
Friday, May 25
No Public Events
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Sen. Lee Seeks Biking Access in Wilderness Areas
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act Thursday, a bill that would empower local managers of wilderness areas to decide whether to allow and how to regulate non-motorized travel in wilderness areas.
“The National Wilderness Preservation System was created so that the American people could enjoy our country’s priceless natural areas,” Sen. Lee said. “This bill would enrich Americans’ enjoyment of the outdoors by expanding recreational opportunities in wilderness areas.”
Specifically the bill would:
1) Give local wilderness managers two years to determine whether to open routes in their wilderness areas to non-motorized travel
2) If a local manager fails to make a determination regarding which routes to open or keep closed within two years, all routes in that official’s wilderness jurisdiction would be open to non- motorized travel unless and until the official affirmatively closes them.
3) Local wilderness managers would retain authority to open and close routes and regulate their use after the initial two-year window.
4) Land managers would be free to regulate non-motorized travel in their jurisdictions however they see fit, such as by requiring a permit, limiting group size, establishing speed limits, etc.
Bill text and an online version of this release can be found here.
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Chairman Rob Bishop Thanks Rep. Connolly for Leading Task Force Hearing
“Restoring the Partnership”
WASHINGTON – The Speaker’s Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs held its 4th hearing aimed at exploring the reconstitution of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. At the request of Task Force Chairman Rob Bishop, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) spearheaded the hearing titled, “Restoring the Partnership.”
Rep. Rob Bishop, Chairman of the Task Force said, “My thanks to Rep. Connolly for bringing together a varied group of witnesses to address the merits of reestablishing the Commission. These hearings signify great strides towards creative and coordinated solutions to improve the lives of the American people through federalism.”
Witnesses:
Executive Director,
Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
Former Exec. Director of the U.S. ACIR
Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service
Lafayette College
Former Assistant Director of the U.S. ACIR
James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Former Director of White House Office on Intergovernmental Affairs
President, Build America’s Future
Former Governor of Maryland
President, Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute
BACKGROUND: In May of 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced the creation of this Task Force with the mission of partnering with states, tribes, and local governments to balance the interests of government. Speaker Ryan designated Rep. Rob Bishop to serve as Chairman of the Task Force.
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May 18, 2018
"to elevate the condition of men--to lift artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all, to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance, in the race of life." --Abraham Lincoln
Chairman's Note: Peace in the Middle East requires acknowledging an independent Israel
In 1841, Orson Hyde, an early Latter-day Saint and distant family relative of my wife, visited the Holy Land. He said a prayer on the Mount of Olives, preparing that land for the return of the historic inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Jewish people.
More than 175 years later, as I witnessed the official opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, I thought of Hyde’s pilgrimage and all that it meant for him, his faith and our country.
Hyde’s prayer of dedication was part of an ongoing journey for the Jewish people and indeed the world. Over time, the Jewish people managed to establish a Jewish homeland in a land where their ancestors once lived. This week we celebrated another milestone along that journey.
Monday was a monumental day for United States-Israel relations. Anytime two allies can speak honestly with each other, both are better for it. And Monday, for the first time in many years, the United States formally acknowledged the reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. In so doing, the United States courageously led the way for some of our allies to do the same.
For decades, while the world recognized a Jewish state, it did not recognize the Jewish capital. While Israelis recognized Jerusalem as their seat of government, the world refused to do so. It would be as if we as Utahns recognized Salt Lake City as our capital, but outside states and our national government disregarded our decision and obstinately continued claiming Fillmore was our capital.
Congress first made a step to rectify this problem when it passed a law recognizing Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel in 1995. Unfortunately, every president since then has failed to execute that statute, leaving the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv. President Trump, however, followed through on his campaign promise to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, and I applaud him for doing so.
Despite harrumphing resolutions of condemnation and disapproval by such bodies as the United Nations and protests by the European Union, the United States has remained firm in our commitment to Israel and to commonsense foreign policy that puts embassies in national capitals.
This move establishes firmly and unequivocally our support for Israel. Peace in the Middle East will not be possible until all parties involved acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a separate, independent state. With the location of our embassy no longer a lingering question, we now hope to engage in broader dialogue for the future of peace and stability for Israel and the region.
Both before and after the ceremony, I received countless expressions of gratitude from Israelis thanking us for acknowledging the true capital of their country. This was a deeply meaningful act for the Israeli people as well as for those of us who recognize Jerusalem’s undeniable influence throughout time as the center of history and hope for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Originally published by the Deseret News
Issue in Focus: SMARTER Anti-Trust Enforcement
Ask any child and they will admit they have a preference for which parent to ask for permission. One parent may be typically more lenient with enforcing bedtime while the other might be more lax with curfew enforcement or what shows the child is allowed to watch or eat for dinner.
While this can be an endearing quirk of parenting, a similar unequal application of the law by government agencies is a recipe for chaos.
Unfortunately the federal agencies charged with enforcing our nation’s anti-trust laws have developed just such a dysfunctional habit. Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice are tasked with enforcing Section 7 of the Clayton Act, the prevailing antitrust law which prohibits mergers or acquisitions that would “substantially lessen competition’ or “tend to create a monopoly.”
So whenever two or more private companies attempt to complete a merger or acquisition, they must notify the FTC and the Antitrust Division. The agencies will then decide between themselves who will scrutinize the merger for section 7 violations, and then the agency in charge will have a period of time to analyze the transaction.
If it is determined that some part of the transaction would violate section 7, the agency will seen an injunction in federal court. If the injunction is granted, the parties involved in the proposed transaction often abandon the merger; if the injunction is denied, the parties move forward with the transaction.
Unfortunately, however the two agencies – the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ – are held to different standards when seeking a preliminary injunction. The FTC has a special statue that allows them to have an injunction granted with a lower burden of proof than the standard to which the courts hold the DOJ.
Additionally, if the FTC loses a preliminary injunction in federal court, it has the power to litigate its case in an administrative proceeding. The DOJ does not have that option.
This means that the same law is being applied differently depending on which agency is in charge.
And that disparity is why the Antitrust Modernization Commission recommended that Congress standardize the agencies procedures. As a result, I, along with Sens. Hatch (R-Utah), Tillis (R-NC), and Chairman Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act. This bill requires that the FTC go through the same procedures that the DOJ goes through when enforcing antitrust law.
Additionally, the bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission, which is required to decide on certain communications-related mergers, to follow their own 180-day decision window. This FCC fix would help eliminate uncertainty and ensure that parties receive a timely decision on their merger.
Just as good parents put rules in place and strive to enforce those rules uniformly, it is important to ensure agencies in charge of executing the same law do so in a uniform way. The SMARTER Act is a step towards achieving this.
