What You Need to Know About Utah Politics Today - February 11, 2014
LGBT protesters arrested at the Capitol. The LDS Church and other groups jump into the Amendment 3 appeal. Bill to fund schools by making big families pay more taxes moves forward.
Countdown:
•30 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
•133 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
•266 days to the 2014 midterm elections
•629 days to the 2015 elections
•694 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
•1000 days to the 2016 presidential election
Today's Utah political news highlights:
•Police arrest a group of protesters at the Capitol who demanded lawmakers give a hearing to a statewide non-discrimination bill[Tribune, Deseret News].
•The LDS Church and other groups make their arguments in support of "traditionalmarriage" to a federal court [Tribune, Deseret News].
•Did AG Sean Reyes actually ask lawmakers to kill SB 100 because of the state's pending appeal on Amendment 3? [Publius Online]
•A Senate committee approves a bill to pump money into schools by capping the number of state personal income-tax exemptions for large families [Tribune, Standard-Examiner].
•Lawmakers and Gov. Herbert may be headed to a showdown over some of Herbert's ideas for cleaning up Utah's dirty air [Tribune].
•Sen. Stuart Adams will sponsor legislation to add $1 per month to utility bills in order to fund air-quality projects [Tribune].
•The House committee that investigated former Attorney General John Swallow will hold one of their final meetings on Wednesday [Tribune].
•Rep. Kraig Powell introduces legislation calling for Utah to join a constitutional convention to pass a balanced budget amendment [Utah Policy].
•Sen. Todd Weiler wants to expose so-called "dark consulting" in some political campaigns [Utah Policy, Tribune].
•Rep. Paul Ray introduces legislation to limit the powers of federal law enforcement on federal lands [Standard-Examiner].
•Mia Love's Congressional campaign is among the top fundraisers in the nation [Tribune].
•Advocates say the number of domestic violence cases is on the rise in Utah, but funding from the state to help victims is failing to keep pace [Tribune].
On this day in history:
•Robert Fulton patented the steamboat in 1809.
•Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law that clearly favored his own party - giving rise to the term "gerrymandering" in 1812.
•President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement in 1945.
•Ayatollah Khomeini's followers seized control of the Iranian government in 1979.
•South African leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison after more than 27 years in 1990.
•Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation in 2013.
Utah's Daily Business Resource | Brought to you by Utah Pulse
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Overstock.com Senior Vice President Resigns
Overstock.com, Inc. Senior Vice President Stephen Tryon has resigned from his position to pursue interests related to his book, "Accountability Citizenship."...
Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. Helps Dispel Home Buying Myths on 'Designing Spaces'
Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. will help dispel home buying myths this winter on "Designing Spaces,"-airing on Lifetime TV and produced by O2 Media, Inc. The episode was filmed on January 22 at the PRMI Branch Office located at 200 S. Andrews Ave...
Owning Utah's Air Quality Problem
When Ted Wilson was Salt Lake City mayor in the 1980s, he liked to take morning jogs above the city's Avenues district to Twin Peaks....
Integra Increases Ethernet over Copper Access More Than 25 Percent
Integra has expanded its Ethernet over Copper (EoC) network footprint to an incremental 43 fiber-fed Local Serving Offices....
Financing your Exports: SBA Loan Guarantee Programs
Many businesses think they are too small to compete in the world market. In fact 97 percent of all U.S.Exportersare small businesses....
CenturyLink fires up new fiber-optic network (Salt Lake Tribune)
Seminar aims to help Utah companies do business in Mexico (Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah company's rifles receive rave reviews (Salt Lake Tribune)
Home sales in Park City area are strong (Park Record)
Construction rebuilds after recession (Park Record)
Trade mission to visit Colombia, Panama (Deseret News)
Myriad Genetics reports big boost in net, revenue (Salt Lake Tribune)
RootsTech Conference expected to attract thousands to Utah (Salt Lake Tribune)
Myriad Genetics to expand with acquisition of disease monitoring company (Deseret News)
Ruling against OMT means ECB will stay on sidelines (MarketWatch)
Commercial pilots often try to land at wrong airports, research shows (Detroit Free Press)
Illinois partners with The Onion to push Obamacare enrollment (Chicago Tribune)
McDonald's U.S. Same-Store Sales Fall for Third Month (Bloomberg)
Preliminary list shows recalled beef sold to Latino meat markets (Los Angeles Times)
Pacific storm eases California drought, but state has long way to go (Reuters)
Rackspace CEO retires as web hosting firm shifts focus (Reuters)
Layoffs at Barnes & Noble Nook Unit (New York Times)
What does the Yahoo-Yelp partnership mean for Foursquare? (Fortune)
Obamacare delay sparks new mandate fight (Politico)
Hasbro Is Banking on Movie Blockbusters to Sell Toys to Boys (Bloomberg)
February 10, 2014
Lee Outlines Higher Education Reform at Policy Summit
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee outlined legislation that would greatly expand access to higher education for many working- and middle-class students, as well as many individuals seeking non-traditional forms of education.
In a speech at the Conservative Policy Summit, sponsored by Heritage Action for America, Lee argued that federal policy on higher education has not kept up with technology and, as a result, is leaving millions of students behind.
“Today, technology has made it possible for students to take classes from professors in another state; for academics to conduct research with colleagues across oceans; and for anyone with an iPad to carry a library around in their backpack,” said Lee.
“For the first time in history, students don’t have to go to college to go to college,” Lee added. “Unfortunately, this innovative, alternative market is being cordoned-off from the vast majority of students by increasingly outdated federal policy governing higher-education accreditation.”
He explained that the problem is the current federal accreditation policy, which only allows degree-issuing institutions to be accredited and, therefore, ensures only they can receive federal student loans. Blocking out competition for education dollars drives up the cost of getting a degree.
“In effect, Washington’s offer to most Americans after high school is: go tens of thousands of dollars into non-dischargeable debt to pursue an over-priced degree there’s no guarantee you’ll receive, or spend the rest of your life locked out of the middle class,” said Lee.
To fix this, Lee has recently introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act (S. 1904). The bill would allow states to voluntarily create parallel accreditation systems that expand educational options eligible for federal student loan dollars.
“There are too many valuable opportunities and invaluable people current law excludes. It’s time to decouple Title IV eligibility and enrollment at degree-issuing institutions,” said Lee.
“In higher education, as in so many other areas, the greatest threats to equal opportunity are the unintended consequences of dysfunctional policies. The current system has helped a lot of people, but it has left many others behind. Reform needs to circle back and make equal opportunity a reality for everyone.”
Read the full speech here: http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2014/2/reforming-higher-educa...
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Bizarre, Crazy, Silly, Unknown Holidays & Observances
Shrovetide: 10-12
Westminster Dog Show: 10-11
*Be Electrific Day: 11
*Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day: 11 Link
Get Out Your Guitar Day: 11
*Make A Friend's Day: 11 Link
*Pro Sports Wives Day: 11
*National Shut-in Visitation Day: 11
*Satisfied Staying Single Day: 11
*White Shirt Day or White T-shirt Day : 11 Link
*World Day of The Sick: 11 Link
Extraterrestrial Culture Day: 11 ( 2nd Tuesday)
Extraterrestrial Visitor Day: 11 Link (2nd Tuesday)
