This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Trump's Supreme Court pick helps smooths things over with Republicans. D.C. residents complain about Chaffetz's meddling. Utah Senate backs runoff elections.
Happy Thursday. After lurching from one Trump administration crisis to another, exhausted Republican lawmakers are basking in President Donald Trump's smooth rollout of a conservative Supreme Court pick. It couldn't have come too soon for some who have been worried about the president's first days. [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-supreme-court-gorsuch-234520">Politico</a>]
<strong>Topping the news: </strong>Residents in Washington, D.C., say they didn't vote for Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz and want him to stay out of local matters. But Chaffetz says it's his job to be involved as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over the city. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891467-155/chaffetz-getting-gripes-from-constituents-?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill creating primary runoff elections, which lawmakers hope will resolve litigation the Utah Republican Party filed in response to changes in the state's voting laws. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4890890-155/utah-senate-appears-ready-to-ok?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] (More Legislature news below)
-> A new report suggests a top BLM law enforcement officer demanded perks at Burning Man that organizers were afraid to deny. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886786-155/utah-blm-agent-used-position-to">Trib</a>]
<strong>Tweets of the day: </strong>From @<a href="https://twitter.com/samsanders">samsanders</a>: "Dear Internet: Please make a Twitter account for Orrin Hatch's epic pinstriped suit. Thanks."
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT"; target="_blank">@ChrisMurphyCT</a>: "I made a Top 100 Possible Trump Administration Foreign Crises list & I gotta admit 'Rupturing US-Australia Relations' was NOT on there."
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien"; target="_blank">@ConanOBrien</a>: "The most underappreciated job in the White House is the assistant who reminds Mike Pence to blink."
-> From @<a href="https://twitter.com/DebateState">DebateState</a>: "Does it mean anything that I keep trying to type Gorsuch and Twitter keeps auto-correcting it to Grouch?"
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/ddale8"; target="_blank">@ddale8</a> "'I don't watch CNN' is maybe Trump's funniest repeated lie. It's like someone saying 'I don't eat cake' with icing all over their cheeks."
<strong>Happy Birthday: </strong>To state Reps. Michael Kennedy and Kay Christofferson.
<strong>In other news: </strong>Some outdoor industry executives have called for the Outdoor Retailer convention to leave Utah for a state that better promotes public protection of land — and Colorado may be positioning itself as an alternative. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891383-155/is-colorado-trying-to-lure-outdoor"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> Salt Lake County passed a resolution to stand "for the religious freedoms of all people," voting 6-2 to call to rescind President Donald Trump's executive orders concerning immigration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4890326-155/salt-lake-county-council-condemns-trumps"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/salt-lake-county-resolution-criticizes-trumps-travel-ban"; target="_blank">APviaKUTV</a>] [<a href="http://www.ksl.com/?sid=43046745&nid=148&title=sl-county-council-urges-revocation-of-trumps-refugee-and-immigration-order">KSL</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Meanwhile, Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said immigrants "don't need to be scared" after Trump's executive order on refugees, assuring residents that officers seek immigration status only after arrests. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4889669-155/utah-sheriff-says-law-enforcement-has"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/02/01/salt-lake-county-sheriff-clarifies-departments-stance-on-enforcing-federal-immigration-law/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://www.ksl.com/?sid=43056473&nid=148&title=sheriff-says-jail-policies-remain-the-same-despite-trumps-executive-order"; target="_blank">KSL</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Salt Lake City's Catholic Diocese said it is "dismayed and alarmed" after Trump's executive orders on immigration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891361-155/salt-lake-citys-catholic-diocese-dismayed"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/catholic-diocese-of-slc-issues-statement-on-trumps-immigration-order"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> At the Salt Lake County Council's public hearing on proposed revisions to zoning in the foothills and canyons area, residents came back frequently to the issue of distance from buildings to stream channels. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4887044-155/stream-setback-is-key-issue-for?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> The county's officials also want to use a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve homes that test positive for lead-based paint. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672340/Salt-Lake-County-program-helps-families-prevent-lead-poisoning.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/thousands-of-utah-children-at-risk-of-neurological-developmental-issues/648429597"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Sen. Orrin Hatch met with Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, and gave him advice on navigating the confirmation process. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891359-155/utahs-hatch-meets-with-trumps-supreme"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Utahns Speak Out, a newly-organized political group, is asking for a town hall meeting with Hatch to increase "accountability and access." [<a href="http://www.ksl.com/?sid=43049023&nid=148&title=utah-group-wants-town-hall-with-sen-orrin-hatch"; target="_blank">KSL</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Drugs and overcrowding may be pushing Salt Lake City's homeless population into Provo. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/officials-say-homeless-moving-from-salt-lake-city-to-provo">APviaKUTV</a>]</p>
-> In response to an 11-page letter from SLC Against Sexual Assault, a student and alumni group at the University of Utah, the university's president detailed plans to improve how college officials respond to sexual assault on campus. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885513-155/u-details-efforts-to-improve-response"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole is still not fully electronic, despite a 2016 state audit calling on the group to move away from tracking inmates and parolees with handwritten notes and paper files — methods online tracking proponents say cause more mistakes. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/board-of-pardons-and-paroles-paper-problem-still-not-fixed"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Salt Lake City ranked second-highest for job creation and third-lowest for unemployment rates in 2016 among the country's largest metropolitan areas. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4889622-155/salt-lake-city-ranked-no-2"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Robert Gehrke argues it's "unnecessary" for a new bill tackling domestic violence to merge the issue with the fight over concealed weapon permits. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886641-155/gehrke-perry-bill-takes-solid-steps?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Pat Bagley compares the relationship between Utah lawmakers and educators to a sad country song. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/4891526-155/bagley-cartoon-like-a-sad-country"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<strong>From the Hill: </strong>Though every Democrat in the Utah House voted against a bill eliminating the requirement for partisan diversity on all state boards and commissions, the state's Republican supermajority pushed through the legislation. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4890576-155/house-gop-votes-to-eliminate-requirements?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672382/House-bill-removes-requirement-for-bipartisan-representation-on-24-state-boards.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/02/01/bill-stripping-bipartisan-membership-on-boards-and-commissions-passes-utah-house/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/bill-would-gut-rule-requiring-non-republicans-on-24-boards"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
<p class="p1">-> Sen. Jim Dabakis introduced a resolution to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment with language barring discrimination against anyone as a result of their sex or gender identity. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672386/Senator-Who-in-2017-could-be-opposed-to-ratifying-Equal-Rights-Amendment.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
-> A Senate committee advanced two bills that may help shorten voter wait times on Election Day — a response to lines that stretched up to four hours long in Salt Lake County last November. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891703-155/after-4-hour-election-lines-bills-advance"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault said it believes a new bill making confidential most written and verbal communication between campus advocates and student sexual assault survivors will encourage more victims to come forward. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885832-155/utah-lawmaker-proposes-making-campus-advocate?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> A group of business leaders say they plan to gather signatures and pressure a vote by the people if lawmakers don't increase school funding in this year's Legislature. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/business-leaders-say-the-legislature-must-fund-schools"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A bill introduced in the Senate this week would help provide public legal defense to juveniles who can't afford their own attorneys and face the possibility of jail time. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891529-155/bill-seeks-to-include-juvenile-defendants"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> The House will consider legislation preventing Utah cities from offering landlords financial incentives for not renting to people with criminal records. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891581-155/bill-ban-utah-cities-from-rewarding"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Utah lawmakers are attempting to decrease the rising number of prescription drug overdose deaths in the state through legislative limitations on accessibility. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672380/Utah-bills-attempt-to-limit-access-to-potentially-addictive-drugs.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A "stand your ground" bill from Rep. Cory Maloy would make clear that Utahns need not retreat from an attacker and would prohibit attorneys from implying a victim should have done so. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4891884-155/utah-lawmaker-pushing-stand-your-ground"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Rancher and state Rep. Scott Chew wants to pass a bill that would send people to jail for harassing farm animals with drones, all-terrain vehicles and dogs. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672353/Utah-bill-seeks-jail-time-for-flying-drones-near-livestock.html"; target="_blank">APviaDNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> After two- and a half-hours of testimony and debate, Utah's House Judiciary Committee voted to table a polygamy bill primarily addressing sex crimes. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886848-155/hearing-on-utah-polygamy-bill-focuses"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A bill prioritizing the leasing of public lands instead of selling them failed to advance out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672389/Democratic-leaders-land-lease-bill-stalls-in-Senate-committee.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> At "Film Day on the Hill," members of Utah's film industry gathered to "show the breadth" of an industry that the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reports generated $29 million in state gross domestic product in 2016. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4889866-155/utahs-film-industry-shows-off-to"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<strong>Nationally: </strong>As Democrats refused to attend a vote on two of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks for the second day in a row, Senate Republicans suspended committee rules to approve the nominees. [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-ram-through-committee-approval-of-trump-cabinet-nominees/2017/02/01/aa2b5458-e87f-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html?utm_term=.71f1f0b8077c"; target="_blank">WaPost</a>] [<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/317302-gop-changes-rules-to-push-through-nominees-after-dem-boycott"; target="_blank">TheHill</a>] [<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trumps-secretary-state-pick-headed-senate-approval-45185615"; target="_blank">ABCNews</a>]
-> After Iran conducted a ballistic missile test over the weekend, Trump's national security adviser accused the country of practicing "destabilizing behavior" and declared the United States was "putting [them] on notice." [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/world/middleeast/iran-missile-test.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/1/trump-talks-tough-puts-iran-on-notice-after-missil/"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/middleeast/iran-missile-test/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/white-house-puts-iran-notice-missile-test-n715501"; target="_blank">NBCNews</a>]
-> Trump abruptly ended a phone call with Australia's prime minister after a terse exchange, saying it was the "worst call by far." [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html?utm_term=.be23212d9aa5">WaPost</a>]
-> The U.S. Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson, former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, as secretary of state — a vote that fell on clear party lines. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/politics/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-confirmed.html?_r=0">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/tillerson-confirmation-vote-senate/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/rex-tillerson-confirmed-secretary-state-n715496"; target="_blank">NBCNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38835462"; target="_blank">BBC</a>]
<strong>Where are they?</strong>
<ul>
<li>Rep. Jason <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse"; target="_blank">Chaffetz</a></strong> chairs an Oversight Committee hearing on security and efficiency and attends a Judiciary Committee bill markup.</li>
<li>Rep. Mia <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove"; target="_blank">Love</a> </strong>participates in a national prayer breakfast and a Financial Services Committee meeting.</li>
<li>Gov. Gary <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/GovHerbert"; target="_blank">Herbert</a></strong> meets throughout the day with legislative leadership, staff and the Utah Transit Authority, holds a leadership strategy meeting and speaks with the media before attending a UCAIR event.</li>
<li>Lt. Gov. Spencer <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerJCox"; target="_blank">Cox</a></strong> visits with career and technical student organizations and legislative leadership and attends a legislative strategy meeting. In the afternoon, he meets with Utah State University President Noelle Crockett, lawmakers and the Utah Transit Authority before attending the governor's Rural Partnership Board annual legislative dinner.</li>
<li>State Auditor John <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong></strong>speaks with students participating in career and technical education, presents to the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee, attends the House Political Subdivisions Standing Committee and attends meetings with lawmakers.</li>
<li>President Donald <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Trump</a> </strong></strong>attends a national prayer breakfast, meets with his chief of staff and participates in a legislative affairs strategy session. He later meets with Sens. Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden, as well as Reps. Kevin Brady and Richard Neal, before having lunch with Harley Davidson executives and union representatives.</li>
</ul>
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— Thomas Burr and Taylor Stevens
<a title="Thomas Burr" href="https://twitter.com/thomaswburr"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/tstevens95">Twitter.com/tstevens95</a>