Politics - The Salt Lake Tribune

Committee to make school budget recommendations

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:28:02 MDT

Committee to make school budget recommendations

By Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 01:28PM MDT

After weeks of discussions, the Legislature’s education budget committee plans to make recommendations Wednesday evening on how much cash to give schools. They’ll also likely discuss possible changes to state law that would affect school district coffers. The meeting is at 5 p.m., in Room 445 at the State Capitol. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, told fellow committee members Monday that he’d like them to consider putting language in the forthcoming education budget bill that would gradually sh...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah House OKs anti-bias bill in custody cases

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:15:20 MDT

Utah House OKs anti-bias bill in custody cases

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 01:15PM MDT

The Utah House approved a bill Tuesday that would prevent mothers from getting preferential treatment during child-custody disputes. Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, sponsored HB88 after custody of 3-year-old Aubree Jo Anderson was awarded to her mother despite a history of drug abuse. The girl was killed when the mother blacked out while driving and slammed into a brick wall at 48 mph. The mother was later found to have marijuana and OxyContin in her system and eventually pleaded guilty to a second-d...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mormon church seeks to boost party caucus turnout

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:32:49 MDT

Mormon church seeks to boost party caucus turnout

By Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 12:32PM MDT

The LDS Church’s top leaders are telling their Utah congregations, in stronger-than-usual language, to cancel meetings when parties hold their caucuses next month and strongly encouraging Mormons to attend those political gatherings instead. Critics of the caucus system praised the move, saying it may help prevent extreme groups from controlling parties —which can happen when only activists attend the neighborhood meetings that select convention delegates. Democrats also applaud the church’s s...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Embattled Utah city councilman resigns

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:17 MDT

Embattled Utah city councilman resigns

By christopher smart The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 12:00PM MDT

Syracuse City Councilman David Matthew Kimmel has resigned his seat weeks after being charged with a misdemeanor in connection to a real estate deal. “I have accepted an employment opportunity out of state, therefore, I will be moving with my family,” Kimmel wrote in a resignation letter he sent to City Hall last week. Kimmel could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. On Jan. 31, a class A misdemeanor was filed against him in Farmington’s 2nd District Court by Davis County Attorney Tr...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

World War II vets honored in Utah House

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:25:44 MDT

World War II vets honored in Utah House

By David Montero The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 07:25AM MDT

World War II veterans were in the spotlight in the Legislature on Monday when a group of Japanese-American soldiers were honored for fighting on the battlefield while another individual was praised for disobeying an order and refusing to fire a shot. Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, got his resolution honoring the Nisei Military Intelligence Service passed after offering a heartfelt tribute to the Japanese-American unit that accomplished a 3,000-foot vertical climb and breached a German fortress in ...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Obama budget proposes change in Utah water project

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:25:44 MDT

Obama budget proposes change in Utah water project

By Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 07:25AM MDT

Washington • President Barack Obama on Monday proposed merging the multi-million-dollar, decades-old Central Utah Project (CUP) back under the Bureau of Reclamation to save money and erase duplicative efforts in the nation’s large-scale water projects. The president’s 2013 budget pitch suggests that the CUP — which, when completed, will bring water from eastern Utah’s Uinta Basin to the Wasatch Front — fits better “organizationally” under the Bureau of Reclamation and could save $8 million a yea...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Study: 40% of Utah voter registrations have problems

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:19:28 MDT

Study: 40% of Utah voter registrations have problems

By Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 14, 2012 07:19AM MDT

About two of every five voter registrations in Utah have significant problems. The voter may have a duplicate registration elsewhere, may be dead or simply has an address that is wrong. That’s according to research by the Pew Center on the States reported to the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office, said Mark Thomas, director of elections. Pew released a nationwide study Monday that says nationally one out of every eight voter registrations is invalid or significantly inaccurate. Problems identifie...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Orem man pleads no contest to impersonating immigration cop

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:49:35 MDT

Orem man pleads no contest to impersonating immigration cop

By Donald W. Meyers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 07:49PM MDT

Orem • Alcides Souza said his eight years in Utah before June — two as an LDS missionary from Brazil and six as a student at LDS Business College and Brigham Young University — left him with a good impression of the state. But a June 9 encounter with a self-described Orem activist who suspected Souza of being in the county illegally has left the student “looking over my shoulder” since then, he told Orem Justice Court Judge Reed Parkin on Monday. “It was a really sad day to me because of the co...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah bill to change school employment laws advances

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:46:40 MDT

Utah bill to change school employment laws advances

By Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 07:46PM MDT

It was an unusual sight at the Legislature: Republicans, Democrats, teachers and education leaders all agreed Monday on a bill that would significantly change school employment laws in Utah. The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved SB64, a bill that aims to hold teachers, administrators and other district employees more accountable for their performance by tying it to pay and continued employment. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration. “What’s exciting about this bi...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Panel endorses gold, silver commerce

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:46:40 MDT

Panel endorses gold, silver commerce

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 07:46PM MDT

A resolution urging the use of gold and silver in commerce won the approval of a House committee Monday, a move the sponsor says would help Utah stave off inflation and weather impending economic crises. Rep. Brad Galvez, R-West Haven, sponsored legislation last year to recognize gold and silver as legal tender in the state, but doing business with the metals remains impractical. Galvez’s resolution would encouragee the adoption of a legal and commercial system to make gold and silver more funct...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Senate honors rescuers for selfless acts

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:44:47 MDT

Senate honors rescuers for selfless acts

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 07:44PM MDT

A pair of amazing rescues — one from beneath a burning car, the other from an icy river — were honored Monday by the Utah Senate, with rescuers praised as selfless heroes whose acts saved lives. Senators honored eight people who helped lift a car off Brandon Wright, a motorcyclist who was struck by a car and trapped underneath the vehicle while his bike burst into flames. And they presented a citation to 16 people who plunged into the icy Logan River to turn over a vehicle that had slid off the...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wine sampling bill blocked by Senate committee

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:40:03 MDT

Wine sampling bill blocked by Senate committee

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 06:40PM MDT

A Senate committee rejected a bill Monday that would have enabled wine brokers to give samples of fine wines to buyers at restaurants. Sen. Ross Romero’s bill would have allowed licensed brokers to travel to restaurants or resorts to provide small samples of fine wines. The buyers could smell and taste the wine but not swallow. He said that currently there is no effective way for buyers to sample wines, making it difficult for buyers to pair them with food at a restaurant or justify the expense...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Lawmakers side with farmers in fight with Central Utah Project

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:13:02 MDT

Lawmakers side with farmers in fight with Central Utah Project

By Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 06:13PM MDT

Legislators sided Monday with some Utah County farmers seeking to protect their land from a big, new pipeline proposed by the Central Utah Project. The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee declined to act on SB86 by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, which could help the CUP put that pipeline on the farmland. The committee simply moved to other agenda items, thwarting the bill for now. The CUP had sought to use eminent domain to condemn some farmland for a large pipeline to s...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bill would shorten claim period in short sales

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:09:03 MDT

Bill would shorten claim period in short sales

By David Montero The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 06:09PM MDT

Banks would only have 90 days to file a claim on the unpaid balance of a home in a short sale under a bill passed out of a House committee unanimously Monday. The proposal, SB42, by Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, would change the current law that gives lenders six years to chase after money not recovered in a short sale, but the lawmaker argued that was too long. He said it was hurting real estate agents trying to sell distressed properties and it kept the property owners who initiated the sh...

No preferred drug list for mental health patients

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:58:03 MDT

No preferred drug list for mental health patients

By heather may The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:58PM MDT

A bill that would have created a preferred drug list for mental health patients on Medicaid died Monday in the Senate Health and Human Services committee. Advocates for the mentally ill feared patients would be denied the right drug and that the time needed for doctors to get drugs not on the preferred list would be a hassle, limiting timely care. Sponsor Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, tried to allay those fears by saying that any patient who was stable on a drug not on the list could co...

Utah Legislature: Bill would notify Social Security fraud victims

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:54:02 MDT

Utah Legislature: Bill would notify Social Security fraud victims

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:54PM MDT

The state agency that doles out welfare benefits would have the power to notify victims of Social Security fraud under a bill that passed through a committee unanimously and was sent to the full House Monday afternoon. Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, said HB366 would change the current rule that allows the Department of Workforce Services only to refuse benefits when confronted with a person using a false Social Security number. His measure would allow a Social Security number being used by multi...

Senate bill could halt health-care mandates

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:40:03 MDT

Senate bill could halt health-care mandates

By robert gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:40PM MDT

Any health care mandate passed by the Legislature would have to cover public and higher education employees and make the state pick up the tab, under a bill that passed the Senate on Monday. Critics say that could increase the cost to the state of health care mandates many times over, effectively making it impossible to get new coverage mandated in the state — including a proposal to require health plans to provide autism treatment. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said there are 14 proposed ma...

Shift of housing division passes first hurdle

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:15:02 MDT

Shift of housing division passes first hurdle

By David Montero The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:15PM MDT

A bill that would mash the state’s housing division within the Department of Workforce Services passed through committee 5-1 Monday despite a steady stream of testimony from opponents. Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, said HB139 came after Gov. Gary Herbert requested a year of study about the restructuring of the Department of Community and Culture. Moving the Division of Housing and Community Development to the Department of Workforce Services was the most controversial component of the measur...

Panel OKs bill to allow some sex offenders to leave Utah registry early

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:11:53 MDT

Panel OKs bill to allow some sex offenders to leave Utah registry early

By Sheena McFarland The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:11PM MDT

After little debate, a committee of senators approved a bill that would allow some sex offenders to petition a judge for early removal from the sex offender registry. HB13, sponsored by Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, would allow offenders convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old or unlawful sexual activity with a 14- or 15-year-old minor to attempt gaining the early removal. They must have completed all required counseling and broken no other laws since their sexual offe...

Oil ‘pre-refinery’ endorsed for Uinta Basin

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:05:18 MDT

Oil ‘pre-refinery’ endorsed for Uinta Basin

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:05PM MDT

Lawmakers expressed support Monday for perhaps building a new “pre-refinery” for thick, waxy crude oil in the Uinta Basin. The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment committee unanimously endorsed SCR8 by Sen. Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal, and sent it to the full Senate. Van Tassell said the oil industry is exploring the possibility of building a facility that would “crack” the molecules of waxy crude, allowing it to remain in liquid form and be transported by pipeline. Otherwise, ...