About Utah Politics - March 14, 2014

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Friday, March 14, 2014 - 8:30am

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics - March 14, 2014

Lawmakers end the 2014 session. Gov. Herbert says he will decide on re-election sometime this summer. Sen. Mike Lee's name comes up in a criminal probe into former Attorney General John Swallow.

Countdown:

Today is the first day that candidates can file for office in Utah
4 days until the Utah Democratic Party caucus meetings
6 days until the Utah candidate filing period closes
6 days until the Utah GOP caucus meetings
42 days until the Utah State Republican and Democratic conventions
102 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
235 days to the 2014 midterm elections
318 days to the start of the 2015 Utah Legislature
598 days to the 2015 elections
663 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
969 days to the 2016 presidential election

Today's Utah political news highlights:

Gov. Gary Herbert reflects on the 2014 session which ended Thursday night [Utah Policy].
Herbert says he will decide whether to run for another term as Governor sometime this summer [Utah Policy].
Uh oh. Sen. Mike Lee and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid come up in a probe into former Attorney General John Swallow [Tribune].
In the fight between Herbert and Speaker Lockhart, Herbert came out the clear winner [Tribune].
Lawmakers leave the hill without coming to an agreement on Medicaid expansion [Tribune].
Retirements from the legislature are hitting Utah's Democrats hard [Tribune].
Voters will get to weigh in on a proposed Constitutional amendment over whether the Utah Tax Commission should have a partisan requirement [Tribune].
Lawmakers approve a pilot project allowing Utahns to register to vote on election day [Tribune].
A bill criminalizing "revenge porn" heads to the governor's desk [Deseret News,Tribune].
Legislators approve a bill allowing the taking of DNA samples from people booked into jail on felony charges [Deseret News, Tribune].
A bill restricting the use of drones for spying wins final approval [Tribune].
Lawmakers want to study whether the state should dump Daylight Saving Time [Daily Herald].

On this day in history:

1743 - The first recorded town meeting in America was held in Faneuil Hall in Boston.
1794 - Eli Whitney received a patent for the cotton gin.
1883 - Karl Marx died at the age of 64.
1879 - Physicist Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany.
1900 - Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.
1950 - The FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list debuted.
1964 - A jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy.
2005 - A judge in San Francisco ruled California's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

Today At Utah Policy

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....

Pat Shea Mulling Bid Against Gene Davis for Democratic Nomination in Senate District 3
Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis' 27-year tenure on Utah's Capitol Hill may be challenged from within his own party in 2014 as lawyer Patrick Shea is mulling a bid for Davis' seat this year....

Lawmakers Approve Funding to Hire Part-Time Staff
With some discussion during the interim, but little public talk during this session, House and Senate leaders have decided to hire new staffers to help them individually with constituent services, office work and other non-political matters....

Bryan Schott's Political BS: Nothing Beside Remains
He who laughs last, laughs best....

Investigation Says Swallow Hung a 'For Sale' Sign on AG's Office
Former Utah Attorney General John Swallow hung a "for sale" sign up on his door, and helped his friends and others who donated tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaign, the newly-released, $4 million report by a House special investigation committee concludes....

Featured Items

Weekly Survey: Grading the 2014 Legislature
What grade would you give to lawmakers as they finish the 2014 Legislative session? Vote now in our weekly survey....