Situational Analysis | September 30, 2021

Today is Thursday and the last day of the federal fiscal year. It's also National Love People Day - always a good reminder, especially where politics are concerned.

Be in the Know

A government shutdown has been averted (were you surprised? I wasn't). A deal was reached late last night and voting will happen today to keep the government open. It will be passed as a stand-alone resolution, leaving three other major issues in limbo.

The other three issues are these: the debt limit (Republicans are not helping the Dems this time), infrastructure (the bipartisan Senate bill is definitely at risk here), and social policy reconciliation, the "Build Back Better" plan. In the end, I predict lots of money will be spent, but compromises will be made, leaving no one very happy.

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The Hinckley Report with Jason Perry

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SL Chamber announces keynotes for 2021 Women & Business Conference

Four-time Olympian Catherine Raney Norman and National Speakers Association CPAE Hall of Fame Speaker Christine Cashen will keynote the 2021 Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon, the Salt Lake Chamber announced today.

“Overcoming adversity has become an important subject for all of us during the past year,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Catherine and Christine are no strangers to surmounting challenges and growing stronger in the process. At the 2021 Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon, they will share their first-hand experiences overcoming obstacles and becoming the best versions of ourselves, from shifting perspective to utilizing an athlete mentality in everyday life.” (Read More)

Sen. Romney, colleagues call out harmful marriage penalties in Democrats’ reconciliation bill

In response to the harmful tax penalties for married couples included in the Democrats’ “Human Infrastructure” bill, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today led his colleagues in a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) to remove any proposals that would discourage marriage.

“Federal policy should be designed to foster strong marriages, which are the foundation of strong families and strong communities,” the senators wrote. “Unfortunately, despite its original rollout as part of the ‘American Families Plan,’ the current draft of the reconciliation bill takes an existing marriage penalty in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and makes it significantly worse.”

“We believe that marriage is a vital social good. It is misguided and unfair for the government to build bigger barriers for couples to marry,” the senators continued. (Read More)

Rep. Owens introduces Women’s Choice in Service Act

In response to a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY22 that requires women between the ages of 18 and 26 to register for the selective service, Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), Michelle Steel (CA-48), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), and Chris Stewart (UT-02) introduced the Women’s Choice in Service Act. The bill amends the Military Selective Service Act and allows women to opt-in to the draft. (Read More)

Rep. Owens’ statement on safe school reopenings

Republican Leader of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Burgess Owens (UT-04) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a subcommittee hearing on safe school reopenings:

“The American Rescue Plan did not deliver on its promise to help schools safely reopen in the fall. If it had, we would not be sitting in this hearing today. Untargeted funding was never the answer to safe school reopenings, and Democrats sabotaged those efforts even further by voting not to require in-person learning as a condition of COVID-19 relief funding.

“Our top priority must be protecting children’s access to the classroom for full-time, in-person learning. To accomplish that goal, we must lean on scientific facts and not political fictions. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Mayor Troy Walker gets to The Point

By Holly Richardson

Mayor Walker talks with Utah Policy about The Point and its impact on the community he serves and on the state at large. He has been involved with discussions about prison relocation and development of that area for the past 14 years. He shares his vision for what he hopes to see come with the build-out of The Point, including the River to Range feature that will link the Jordan River Parkway trail and the Porter Rockwell Trail.

The Framework Plan for The Point was released in August 2021.

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On This Day In History

From History.com

Wise Words

“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

-Elie Wiesel

Lighter Side

Speaking of the potential of a government shutdown:

“It would be what one economist called ‘financial Armageddon.’ That’s bad news and even worse timing, because America’s already scheduled a plague Armageddon, a climate Armageddon and a democracy Armageddon.”

— STEPHEN COLBERT

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