Plus, congrats to Judge Hall and Rep. Pierucci, top gymnasts testify before the US Senate and 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | September 16, 2021 It's Thursday and National Play-Doh Day. Did you know it was originally created for cleaning wallpaper?? Now it's loved by kids everywhere - and hated by moms with carpet. National Hispanic Heritage month has begun! It runs from September 15 - October 15. You can find events happening near you by going to the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs' website. or check out the programming PBS has planned all month long. Be in the Know Afghan refugees are coming to Utah, more than 750 of them out of the first batch of 37,000. âWeâre working closely with Utahâs Refugee Services Office, resettlement agencies, humanitarian groups, private sector leaders, Afghans in Utah and engaged citizens to put processes in place to support new arrivals,â Governor Cox said. The US will help resettle 65,000 Afghans by the end of this month and another 95,000 within the next year. Congrats to former Rep. Craig Hall, who is now Judge Hall. He was confirmed unanimously yesterday morning. And, congrats also go to Rep. Candice Pierucci for being named one of "20 under 40" state leaders by nonpartisan Council of State Governments. This award goes to those who "not only exemplify strong leadership skills but have also demonstrated a true commitment to serving the citizens of their state." Four of the world's best gymnasts testified in front of the US Senate yesterday about the mishandling of the FBI's investigation into Larry Nassar. âTo be clear I blame Larry Nassar but I blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,â said Simone Biles. Senator Romney tweeted: "The women athletes appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today are stunningly courageous. It requires immense strength to share such heartbreaking stories, but their words speak truth to power." The pandemic marks another grim milestone: 1 in 500 Americans have died of COVID-19. People older than 85 make up only 2 percent of the population, but a quarter of the total death toll. One in 35 people 85 or older died of covid, compared with 1 in 780 people age 40 to 64. However, the racial disparities grow in the younger group - 1 in 240 for Native Americans ages 40 to 64 but 1 in 1300 for white Americans in the same age group. Ogden is not messing around when it comes to water usage. Use culinary water for your lawn and you could be facing criminal penalties. No culinary water on lawns after Oct 1, no spot-irrigating after Oct 31, no washing driveways or patios and no outdoor irrigating before 10 am or after 6 pm. Water restrictions don't apply to universities, golf courses or parks. | | |
| | FROM OUR SPONSOR Surging case counts fuel more COVID-19 debates as Utah prepares to draw new political boundaries. Ben Winslow, Fox 13 News reporter; Kate Bradshaw, Bountiful City Councilwoman; and Jay Evensen, Deseret News columnist, join host Jason Perry on The Hinckley Report this Friday at 7:30 p.m. to discuss how the pandemic is affecting the redistricting process and a tough midterm election. | | |
Utah Headlines General The man who could have been Salt Lake City's mayor: David Ibarra (Utah Stories) Lost lamb at the University of Utah gains fame as the âEwe of U.â as it evades animal control (Salt Lake Tribune) Church of Jesus Christ will pay $250M into fund for Boy Scout sexual abuse claims (Deseret News) Wiser: Government supports our responsibility to help others (Standard-Examiner) Additional water restrictions in effect in Ogden due to drought (Standard-Examiner) Tourists from China sue Utah over deadly tour bus crash near Bryce Canyon National Park (The Spectrum) Politics Utah legislature asked to block businesses from mandating COVID-19 vaccines (Fox13) Group opposing vaccine mandates floods Utah legislative committee meeting (KUER) Utah legislature may tweak Supreme Court ruling on transgender rights (Fox13) Brian Steed, head of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, asks legislators to extend drought emergency declaration (KUER) Remembering 9/11, Biden vaccine mandate, Sen. Manchin op-ed (Political as Heck podcast) COVID Corner 1885 new cases, 11 new deaths. School-aged kids account for 416 of the new cases Just because youâre vaccinated doesnât mean you canât get COVID-19 - but you're a lot less likely to end up in the hospital or dead (Deseret News) Utah COVID-19 testing site faces staff and rapid test shortage: âWe havenât seen this kind of demand since November and Decemberâ (ABC4) Data shows reasons why Utahns chose to not be vaccinated against COVID (Fox13) Dr. Fauci warns of possible âmonsterâ variant of COVID-19 (Deseret News) Florida vaccine advocate loses 6 unvaccinated family members to Covid-19 within 3 weeks (CNN) Alaska's largest hospital says the strain of COVID is forcing it to ration care (NPR) Economic Development St. George tech company raises $69 million to invest in services, jobs (St. George News) Health IN FOCUS Discussion: National Suicide Prevention Month (ABC4) USU study: Women's mental health impacted more by COVID-19 pandemic (Herald Journal) Housing Will these tent cities for homeless people be a model or a warning? (Deseret News) National Headlines General Why nations that fail women fail (The Economist) âItâs always going to haunt meâ: How the Capitol riot changed lives (New York Times) Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies (AP) Thousands of Afghans on American military bases await resettlement. (New York Times) Simone Biles condemns U.S. Olympic Committee, FBI for sex-abuse crisis (Reuters) Star gymnasts give senators an unsparing account of FBI's failures in Larry Nassar investigation (Wall Street Journal) Politics Joe Manchin gets all the attention. But Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democratsâ spending plans. (Washington Post) Democrats see a midterm map in California recall success (AP) Senate hopeful flexes power of AGâs office through lawsuits (AP) Two women of color will compete to become Bostonâs next mayor, marking historic shift (Washington Post) Trump's election fraud claims pose risks for GOP in midterms (The Hill) Third Republican drops out of race to replace Cheney after Trump endorses challenger (The Hill) Economy US retail sales rose 0.7% in August (Wall Street Journal) Rising shipping costs are companies' latest inflation riddle. From Michelin tires to Pampers diapers, transportation expenses are working their way through global supply chains (Wall Street Journal) International France issues angry response to nuclear submarine deal between US, UK, Australia (Fox News) France calls killing of Islamic State leader big victory (AP) Putin says dozens of people in his entourage tested positive for COVID-19 (Politico) | | |
Policy News Gov. Cox provides update on Afghan refugees coming to Utah Today the U.S. Department of State confirmed that Utah can expect to resettle 765 Afghan arrivals in the coming months. The first Afghans from this group will begin arriving in October, though specifics about the timeline are still being determined. Gov. Cox has provided the following statement: (Read More) Chamber presenting federal priorities to Utah delegation on Washington, D.C. visit The Salt Lake Chamber will lead a business delegation of executives and community leaders to our nationâs Capitol this week. The Chamber will meet with members of Utahâs federal delegation to discuss the business communityâs federal priorities for 2021. Due to the pandemic, the annual trip was held virtually last year, but executives are excited to once again attend events and meetings in person and network with each other. (Read More) Romney, Rubio reintroduce bill giving parents option for paid leave using their Social Security U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced the New Parents Act, legislation which creates a voluntary option for paid parental leave by allowing new parents to use a portion of their Social Security after the birth or adoption of a child. The bill also provides parents the flexibility to use their benefits in a way that works best for their household by allowing parents to combine their leaves, or transfer them to one parent. Many parents, especially those with low incomes, will be able to finance three months of leave, or longer, under the New Parents Act. A one pager of the bill, which the senators first introduced last Congress, is available here. (Read More) Curtis, Gottheimer introduce bipartisan bill promoting healthy lifestyle Last week, Representative John Curtis introduced the bipartisan Dietary Supplements Access Act alongside Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), which will give millions of Americans more choice in how they are maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The legislation would permit individuals and families investing in health savings accounts to use pre-tax dollars to purchase dietary nutritional supplements, which are currently ineligible for purchase. (Read More) Sens. Lee, Kingâs âMade in USAâ bill passes Senate The United States Senate unanimously passed Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Angus Kingâs (I-ME) Reinforcing American-Made Products Act which establishes a national standard for products to be labeled âMade in USAâ in interstate commerce. Currently, businesses must navigate conflicting federal and state definitions and regulatory requirements to label products as âMade in USA.â The Federal Trade Commission has an existing national definition of âMade in USAâ that does not supersede state requirements under current laws. This bill will simplify and standardize the product labeling and allow countless businesses who already qualify under the federal definition to sell their products as âMade in USAâ nationwide. (Read More) Rep. Blake Moore joins Rep. Tom Emmer and colleagues in sending letter to protect the privacy rights of Utah families and credit unions from burdensome regulations Earlier this week, Congressman Blake Moore joined Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN) in sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Ways and Means Chair Neal, Department of Treasury Secretary Yellen, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Rettig to express concern with a recent IRS data collection proposal that will increase tax information reporting requirements on financial institutions. (Read More) Romney joins colleagues in introducing bill to honor 13 American heroes killed in Afghanistan with Congressional Gold Medals U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined his colleagues, led by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), in introducing a bipartisan bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 American servicemembers who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26th. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that Congress can bestow. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming "Our Constitutional Order: Freedom, Responsibility and Power" with Senator Mitt Romney, sponsored by the Wheatley Institution â Sept 17, 11 am. Join here "Celebrating Women" virtual conference by USU Extension â Sept 18, 9 am - 1:15 pm. Register here A virtual discussion on civic education with Sen. John Cornyn with the Hatch Foundation - Sept 20 @ 10:30 am. Register here Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett â Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here One Utah Summit held at SUU â Oct 4-6. Register here Women in the money: Utah Financial Empowerment Conference with Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks â Oct 8, 8:30 am - 4 pm. Register here Growth, Grit and Grace - SLC Chamber's Women & Business Conference and ATHENA awards â Nov 19, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Register here | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1620 - The Mayflower sets sail 1845 - Phineas Wilcox is stabbed to death by fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois, because he is believed to be a Christian spy. 1875 - James Cash Penney, American department store founder (JC Penney), is born on this day. 1887 - Louise Boyd is born. The American explorer led expeditions to the Arctic and wrote several books about her experiences. Her amassed knowledge of the Arctic led the U.S. government to appoint her as the head of an investigation of magnetic and radio phenomena in the Arctic. 1920 - The "Wall Street bombing" occurs at 12:01 when a horse-drawn wagon explodes on Wall Street, New York, killing 38 and injuring 143. 1932 - Gandhi begins fast in protest of caste separation 1940 - The Selective Service Act is passed, the first peacetime draft in history 1941 - Adolf Hitler orders that for every dead German, 100 Yugoslavs should be killed 1971 - Amy Poehler, aka Leslie Knope is born Wise Words âThereâs nothing we canât do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk all other responsibilities in our lives.â -Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation Lighter Side âA vast majority of Californians voted no on the recall. So many people marked no, it was like the R.S.V.P.s for a destination wedding.â â JIMMY FALLON | | |
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