Politics - The Salt Lake Tribune

Hatch, Schumer strike Senate immigration deal

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:24 MDT

Hatch, Schumer strike Senate immigration deal

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 05:52PM MDT

Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch has struck a deal with Democrats to make it easier for high-tech companies to get temporary help from foreign workers. The compromise paves the way for Hatch, R-Utah, to support the major immigration overhaul when it comes up for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. With his support, it is expected to pass on a vote of 13 to 5 on its way to a debate in the full Senate. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is also a member of the committee, has announced his opp...

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County Council vote aids non-traditional couples

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:24 MDT

County Council vote aids non-traditional couples

by Mike Gorrell The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 05:52PM MDT

Salt Lake County is poised to create a “mutual commitment registry” that could help an individual in a non-traditional relationship obtain access to his or her partner’s benefits — including a family pass at county recreation centers. The County Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to give preliminary approval to an ordinance instructing the county clerk to set up a “registry for adult relationships of financial dependence or interdependence.” That registry, said sponsoring Democratic Councilman Arlyn Bra...

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Utah governor: Grand bargain and state taking fed lands ‘complementary’

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:55 MDT

Utah governor: Grand bargain and state taking fed lands ‘complementary’

by Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 05:28PM MDT

Washington • Gov. Gary Herbert backed the idea of a congressional “grand bargain” to solve the decades-old contentious public lands debate in Utah but he still says the federal government should hand over public lands to the state. Herbert said the two viewpoints aren’t contradictory, but are “complementary,” and that the state would still want to preserve some land and open other parts up to oil and gas drilling. “The only difference is that we’re suggesting the title of that property should be...

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Salt Lake City plume now on Superfund list

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:57:45 MDT

Salt Lake City plume now on Superfund list

by Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 03:57PM MDT

A contaminated groundwater plume on Salt Lake City’s east side is among the latest additions to the Superfund cleanup list. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the PCE plume at 700 South 1600 East is among nine new sites being prioritized for cleanup nationally. “Sites that pose serious risks to human health and the environment and warrant Superfund attention continue to be identified by EPA and our state partners,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office o...

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Sen. Mike Lee renting house from friend who bought his home in short sale

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:57:33 MDT

Sen. Mike Lee renting house from friend who bought his home in short sale

by Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 03:57PM MDT

Washington • Sen. Mike Lee sold his home in a short sale two years ago to a friend and then rented a home nearby from the same man, a neighbor, federal contractor and campaign donor. Lee was forced to forfeit his down payment and sell his sprawling million-dollar Alpine home — at a big loss to his mortgage bank, J.P. Morgan Chase — in 2011 after he was elected to the Senate and couldn’t afford the payments. The buyer, property records show, was Ron McMillan, an author and co-founder of VitalSmar...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Veterans push child identity protection in immigration bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:56:02 MDT

Veterans push child identity protection in immigration bill

by Derek P. Jensen The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 03:56PM MDT

Bountiful • Too many Utah children fall victim to identity theft at the hands of undocumented immigrants and the contentious immigration reform bill in Congress does nothing to curb the crime. A group of Utah veterans made that claim Tuesday outside an American Legion hall, insisting tens of thousands of Utah minors have had their Social Security numbers usurped and their futures “ruined.” “True immigration reform must not, in fact it can not, ignore this problem,” said Ron Mortensen, a retired ...

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Wilde declares candidacy for Murray mayor

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:46:47 MDT

Wilde declares candidacy for Murray mayor

by Mike Gorrell The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:46PM MDT

A Murray man through and through, Salt Lake County Councilman David Wilde wants to be the next mayor of that city, in place of the retiring Dan Snarr. “My roots run deep in Murray City. My ancestors helped settle this area more than 150 years ago, and I personally have called Murray home from the time I was just 1-year old,” said Wilde, 57, an attorney who has represented the central valley on the County Council since it replaced the commission form of government in 2000. “From my youngest days...

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Dreamers press Senate panel on immigration bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:44:02 MDT

Dreamers press Senate panel on immigration bill

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:44PM MDT

Washington • Itza Hernandez came to the United States as a 4-year-old girl on a vacation with her family. That was 17 years ago. Now she’s a politically engaged woman living in Salt Lake City without legal status and she’s following every twist and turn of a Senate bill that, if passed, would offer her and her family members and friends an eventual path to citizenship. Through the group United We Dream, Hernandez traveled to Washington, D.C., to observe the Senate Judiciary Committee’s debate on...

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IRS lied by omission, Hatch said

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:34:09 MDT

IRS lied by omission, Hatch said

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:34PM MDT

Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch slammed top Internal Revenue Service officials Tuesday for failing to tell Congress that the tax agency inappropriately targeted conservative groups when they were directly asked. IRS officials held their ground before the Senate Finance Committee, arguing the actions were a mistake but not politically motivated and while they may not have been forthcoming, they were truthful when responding to letters sent by Hatch, R-Utah, and other senators about accusations that...

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Hatch poised to back immigration bill with changes

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:21:12 MDT

Hatch poised to back immigration bill with changes

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 11:21AM MDT

Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is poised to support a massive overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, including a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants. He just wants the Democrats to make some concessions first. Hatch outlined his expectations in an impromptu news conference Monday, saying he’d support the bill when the Judiciary Committee votes later this week if Democrats compromise on temporary visas for high-skilled workers. And he’s willing to back the legislation when...

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State to shoulder Utah counties’ RS2477 court costs

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:44:34 MDT

State to shoulder Utah counties’ RS2477 court costs

by Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 07:44AM MDT

Utah counties asserting legal title to disputed routes over federal land can expect some financial relief under a special appropriation recently authorized the Legislature. Most of the state’s 29 counties have filed costly lawsuits against the federal government claiming ownership to rights of way under the now-repealed federal law known as RS2477. While several state lawyers are assigned to litigate these cases, Kane and other counties are generating hefty legal bills with outside firms as they...

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Millard School District, taxpayers group, to provide more evidence in open-meetings case

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:41:02 MDT

Millard School District, taxpayers group, to provide more evidence in open-meetings case

by Donald W. Meyers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 06:41PM MDT

Fillmore • Two high school gymnasiums have been spared from demolition, at least until a judge decides whether Millard County school officials broke open-meetings law. Fourth District Judge James Brady continued an emergency restraining order Monday barring the Millard County School District from demolishing the gyms at Delta and Millard high schools. He also gave the district and Millard County Taxpayers for Responsible Government time to provide evidence before he rules on issuing a temporary...

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Senate panel supports Hatch’s pot farming penalties

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:10:02 MDT

Senate panel supports Hatch’s pot farming penalties

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 04:10PM MDT

Washington • The Senate’s immigration bill now includes tougher criminal penalties for growing marijuana on public lands after the Judiciary Committee unanimously accepted an amendment offered by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on Monday. The new criminal penalties largely target Mexican cartels that for years have set up one-season marijuana farms on Forest Service and BLM land throughout the western United States, including throughout southern Utah. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, explained the amendment as ...

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State senator to Beretta: Come make guns in Utah

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:46 MDT

State senator to Beretta: Come make guns in Utah

by Derek P. Jensen The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 03:00PM MDT

Utah Sen. Howard Stephenson just messed with Texas. The Draper Republican, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, opened a bill file at the Legislature to lure Beretta and other gun manufacturers to Utah through tax incentives after the iconic gun maker announced that strict gun-control laws just passed in Maryland will force Beretta to bolt that state. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has openly courted gun companies to relocate to the Lone Star State. Titled “Shelter From The Storm: Utah’s Opport...

Utah’s Lee restores immigration fraud laws in reform bill

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:32:02 MDT

Utah’s Lee restores immigration fraud laws in reform bill

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 02:32PM MDT

Washington • At Sen. Mike Lee’s request, the Senate Judiciary Committee amended the immigration bill to ensure police could continue investigating immigrants who attempt to use fraudulent documents to enter the country or get a job. The bipartisan sponsors of the immigration-reform bill welcomed the changes offered by Lee, R-Utah, which reestablished existing laws that they inadvertently dropped. One amendment made it a criminal offense to knowingly use a fraudulent document to bypass E-verify, ...

Hatch wants immigrant fingerprints taken at airports

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:59:03 MDT

Hatch wants immigrant fingerprints taken at airports

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 12:59PM MDT

Washington • The federal government would start collecting fingerprints from foreigners at the nation’s busiest airports under a plan sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch. The Senate Judiciary Committee accepted the Utah Republican’s amendment to a broad immigration reform bill Monday, saying it is a financially feasible step toward a universal biometric security system at all land, air and sea ports. “It is a good proposal, as we all said we would love to move to a biometric system but we have to mak...

Utah GOP again rejects reforms to nomination process

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:40 MDT

Utah GOP again rejects reforms to nomination process

by Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 11:44AM MDT

The Utah Republican Party again rejected a series of reforms to the party’s nominating process in a move that could trigger a threatened ballot initiative to overhaul the system for picking candidates. Count My Vote, a group made up of several prominent Republicans, including former Gov. Mike Leavitt, argued the current system puts too much power in the hands of a small group of delegates, depresses turnout and leads to radicalization of Utah politics. The group had said if changes weren’t ...

Paul Rolly: Dick Cheney and me, what a pair

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:42:09 MDT

Paul Rolly: Dick Cheney and me, what a pair

by Paul Rolly tribune Columnist

Published May 20, 2013 06:42AM MDT

I met former Vice President Dick Cheney when he was a Wyoming congressman in the 1980s and I was an officer for the Utah Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. We were on a panel at an SPJ conference in Denver. The discussion centered on the government’s need for secrecy versus the public’s right to know. While there were four people on the panel, including a couple of academics, the discussion quickly devolved into a debate between Cheney and me because we were the most passionate...

In surprise to NSA, Utah Data Center may pay tax on electricity

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:07:31 MDT

In surprise to NSA, Utah Data Center may pay tax on electricity

by Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 06:07AM MDT

Under a bill the 2013 Utah Legislature passed, the National Security Agency’s new Bluffdale data center might be taxed on the millions of dollars of energy it is expected to consume, providing a potential windfall for an obscure state authority. The NSA is protesting the possible tax, even though a Utah attorney said he informed the agency about HB325, and the top U.S. electronic spy agency voiced no opposition until an official emailed Gov. Gary Herbert’s staff weeks after Herbert signed the ...

Hatch has plan to attack public-lands pot farms

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:26:54 MDT

Hatch has plan to attack public-lands pot farms

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 19, 2013 07:26PM MDT

Washington • Somewhere in the remote wilderness of southern Utah on land controlled by the federal government, members of a Mexican cartel are putting new marijuana plants in the earth in hopes of reaping a multimillion dollar harvest this fall. And it eats at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Sue Thomas. “They have taken over our public lands. They have no stake in Utah,” she said. “They are here to use and abuse our public lands for their own profit,” she said. These illegal flash farms a...