Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing Morning Must Reads for Tuesday, January 3, 2017

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Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - 10:30am

Utah Policy

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 3rd day of the year. There are 362 days remaining in 2016.

Utahns want Donald Trump to curtail his use of Twitter. The fight over Bears Ears is just beginning. House Republicans move to gut an independent ethics office.

The clock:

17 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
23 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
65 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
308 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
672 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

Ten talking points for Tuesday:

Utahns want fewer Trump tweets. A new survey shows most Utahns either want President-elect Donald Trump to either stop using Twitter altogether or cut back on his use of the social media platform [Utah Policy].
Bears Ears latest. Utah GOP Chairman James Evans says he's reached out to Donald Trump's team to suggest that Donald Trump could move to lease the Bears Ears area back to Utah for $1/year for 99 years and let the state manage the new national monument [Utah Policy]. Utah AG Sean Reyes says he plans to file a lawsuit over the new monument designation [The Hill]. Supporters of Bears Ears are gearing up for a fight over the monument's future [Tribune]. Rep. Jason Chaffetz wants to see White House documents and communications about the decision to protect Bears Ears [Deseret News]. Here's a deep-dive into how Bears Ears became a monument [Tribune].
Drain the swamp? In a surprise move, House Republicans vote to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics. The move, if approved by the full Congress, would give lawmakers more control over ethics investigations [New York Times].
Happy New Congress! The new Congress gets underway today. House Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to easily win re-election to that post [Wall Street Journal]. Republicans are expected to move quickly on implementing a conservative agenda [Wall Street Journal].
Let's get ready to ruuummmble! Republicans in Congress are expected to move quickly to repeal Obamacare, but getting rid of the law may prove trickier than their rhetoric seems [Politico]. Democrats are planning to aggressively defend the health care law [CBS News].
Swearing in. Even though the inaugural celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, all of Utah's constitutional officers took their oath of office on Monday [Tribune].
Drunk driving crackdown. Rep. Norm Thurston says he wants to lower the blood alcohol level to determine whether a driver is impaired from .08 to .05. The move would make Utah the first state to lower the threshold [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
Targeting smut peddlers. Sen. Todd Weiler is planning legislation that would allow Utahns to sue the producers of pornography [Tribune].
School funding fight. The group pushing a tax hike to better fund Utah's schools are pushing forward with their plan in the face of opposition by lawmakers [Tribune].
Tragedy averted. Former Utah lawmaker and Salt Lake County GOP Chairman Chad Bennion is safe after going missing for a few days in southern Utah. Bennion was reported missing after going for a run on Saturday. His car became stuck, and he didn't have cell phone service to call for help [Tribune, Deseret News].

On this day in history:

1777 - The Continental Army commanded by Gen. George Washington defeated the British at Princeton, N.J.
1933 - Minnie Craig becomes the first female Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives. Craig was the first woman to hold a speakership in the United States.
1959 - Alaska became the 49th state.
1967 - Jack Ruby, the man who fatally shot accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.
1990 - Ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.

Today At Utah Policy

Utahns Want Trump to Cut Down on Tweeting
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Most Utahns want Donald Trump to either stop tweeting altogether, or at least tweet less, a new UtahPolicy poll finds....

Be Glad You Live in Utah in 2017
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
Utah enjoyed a successful 2016 and, as the new year begins, the state can expect low unemployment, strong population growth, a vigorous economy, a healthy state budget, and solid, steady, conservative governance....

Will Hatch Call It Quits?
By Golden Webb
Politico looks at therumors swirling around Sen. Orrin Hatch'sretirement plans (or lack thereof), noting that the octogenarian's decisionabout whether to stay or go could roil the 2018 midtermelection and shake up thepower structure in the Senate.Hatch pledged in 2012 to ste...

Peering Into the Crystal Ball for 2017
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Here are my political predictions for 2017.Some are serious, some not so much....

New Year's Resolutions in Utah Politics
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Now that 2016 is in the rear view mirror, we asked our "Political Insiders" and readers to make some New Year's resolutions for someone or something in Utah politics....

Rep. Norm Thurston Proposes Lowering Blood Alcohol Content Levels From .08 to .05
By Press Release
Rep. Norm Thurston, District 64, is preparing to sponsor legislation for the 2017 General Session to lower the state’s legal blood alcohol concentration levels for driving under the influence from 0.08 to 0.05 for the general population....

Evans: Lease Bears Ears Back to Utah
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
With all of the vows to fight the newly created Bears Ears Monument coming from Utah Republicans, GOP Chairman James Evans is floating a novel idea to the incoming Trump administration. Create the monument, then lease the land back to Utah so the state can manage it....

Policy News

Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico Releases Final Report
The bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico released its final report with policy recommendations that aim to promote economic growth and long-term prosperity in the territory. ...

Governors of Colorado, Utah and Nevada Announce Joint Action to Build Regional Electric Vehicle Corridor
The Governors of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada jointly announced that they will work together over the next year to develop complementary plans for building an electric vehicle charging network across key highway corridors in their states. ...

Does Nevada Hold the Key to Future Policy Decisions on Solar Power?
It’s cheaper than ever before for people in the U.S. to install rooftop solar panels as an energy source. ...

Gov. Herbert Statement on LaVell Edwards
Gov. Gary R. Herbert issued the following statement following the death of former Brigham Young University Football Coach LaVell Edwards:...

Hatch Statement on the Passing of LaVell Edwards
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, issued the following statement on the passing of his friend LaVell Edwards:...

Lee Statement on the Passing of BYU Legend LaVell Edwards
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) released the following statement following the death of legendary Brigham Young University football coach LaVell Edwards....