This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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 awards himself an A+ for effort. New legislation introduces Zion Moat, doesn't nix Zion Curtain. Utah legislators discuss medical marijuana with no intention to legalize it.
Happy Tuesday. Five weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump has awarded himself a few letter grades for job performance. Achievement? A. Effort? A+. Messaging? "I would give myself a C or a C+," he said in an interview taped Monday. Trump suggests that while his administration has "done great things," it hasn't touted his accomplishments well enough. "I and my people, I don't think we've explained it well enough to the American public," he said in a rare moment of critical self-assessment. Trump has a chance to express his goals and his performance during an address to Congress tonight. [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-grades-himself-fox-interview-235479">Politico</a>]
<strong>Topping the news: </strong>A long-anticipated bill that would reform Utah's liquor laws was met with controversy and industry opposition — largely because it would not eliminate the "Zion Curtain," a 7-foot-tall structure that keeps children from seeing drinks get mixed. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4990698-155/zion-curtain-bill-quickly-runs-into"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/utah-alcohol-law-amendments-unveiled-on-capitol-hill/663672167"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/02/27/the-zion-curtain-bill-is-finally-unveiled-heres-whats-in-it/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-liquor-bill-would-swap-zion-curtains-for-buffer-zones"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
-> The Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted to approve a road map for the cultivation, production and selling of medical marijuana, creating a structure to accommodate prescription pot if it's ever legalized in Utah. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4990159-155/utah-lawmakers-are-planning-for-exactly"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> After meeting with President Donald Trump and other state governors, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he supports a proposal to cap funding for the Affordable Care Act. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674405/After-Trump-meeting-Herbert-says-he-supports-proposal-to-cap-Medicaid-funding-in-exchange-for.html"; target="_blank">APviaDNews</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/02/27/governor-herbert-meets-president-trump-in-d-c-gets-preview-of-policy-plans/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]
<strong>Tweets of the day:</strong> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/DanDeuel">@<span class="u-linkComplex-target">DanDeuel</span></a>: "Zion Moats call for Zion Crocodiles so children really know we are super serious."
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/kathybiele"; target="_blank">@kathybiele</a>: "I think we need a Zion Moat around the Utah State Legislature. <s>#</s>swimforit"
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/DeidreHenderson"; target="_blank">@DeidreHenderson</a>: "You know it's <s>#</s>week6 of the <s>#</s>utleg session when: your intern falls asleep on Frontrunner on the way to work and ends up in Woodscross"
<strong>Happy Birthday: </strong>To Pat Shea, a Salt Lake City-based lawyer who has taken on many cases related to freedom of the press.
<strong>In other news: </strong>The defense for former Utah Attorney General John Swallow asked the Salt Lake County district attorney's office to provide a clear basis for the racketeering charges he currently faces. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4991413-155/swallow-defense-motion-seeks-clear-basis?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> The Gateway is offering a $5,000 grant to incentivize festival owners and directors to move their events in an effort to draw more festivals to the mall. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/gateway-plans-to-host-more-festivals-offers-grant-incentive"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>
-> Paul Rolly says a small group of zealots in the Utah Republican Party who are spearheading the continuation of a lawsuit addressing changes to the state's election laws represent another case of the tail wagging the dog. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4986722-155/rolly-its-baaaack-rancor-returns"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> West Jordan residents expressed uncertainty and disapproval last week at the city council's first public hearing on a ballot question that would change its form of government. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4976762-155/west-jordan-struggles-over-change-of-government-issue"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> A new report from Utah-based Metrostudy shows that growing housing demands in the Salt Lake Valley combined with labor shortages are increasing home costs. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674420/Housing-affordability-an-issue-in-new-construction.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<strong>From the Hill: </strong>The Mormon church seems to favor proposed overhauls to the state's liquor policies, with a spokesman for the church calling the bill an "admirable attempt" to limit underage drinking and alcohol abuse. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/mormon-church-appears-to-back-liquor-overhaul"; target="_blank">APviaKUTV</a>]
-> The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to kill a controversial bill that would have stopped the current practice of sometimes considering the race or gender of potential judicial candidates to increase diversity on the bench. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4992198-155/panel-kills-proposed-ban-on-considering"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> A Senate committee advanced a bill that would require the testing of all rape kits, but some still wonder if lawmakers will be able to fund the cost of its implementation. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4992142-155/rape-kit-bill-advances-but-lawmakers"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The House voted to approve legislation calling for term limits in Congress. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674426/Resolution-calling-for-congressional-term-limits-passes-House.html"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The Senate unanimously passed a bill from Sen. Todd Weiler that would allow legal action on behalf of minors injured by pornography. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674373/Senate-passes-bill-allowing-legal-action-on-behalf-of-minors-injured-by-pornography.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/top-stories/bill-that-would-allow-parents-to-sue-pornographers-advances/663613723"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]
-> A Senate committee voted in favor of providing Utah's manufacturing industry with a $60 million tax break, despite criticism from some lawmakers that the benefit to manufacturers would come at the detriment to state services, such as public education. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4991897-155/senate-gives-early-approval-to-60"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674423/Big-tax-break-for-business-may-be-limited-to-refineries-sponsor-says.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]
-> If Bears Ears National Monument were rescinded, a Utah lawmaker hopes to already have plans in place to re-designate a small slice of the land as a state park, protecting a portion of the 1.35 million acres of land. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/lawmaker-pushes-for-state-to-buy-sliver-of-bears-ears-land"; target="_blank">APviaKUTV</a>]
<p class="p1">-> Clean air advocates are calling on Gov. Gary Herbert to veto bills they say would hamper future clean air policies, calling such legislation "pro-pollution." [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/clean-air-advocates-call-on-herbert-to-veto-bills/663739986"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> The Senate Health and Human Services Committee advanced a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe naloxone, which can sometimes reverse the effects of an opiate overdose. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674372/Lawmakers-weigh-option-of-co-prescribing-naloxone-with-opiates.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Both mobile home park owners and their residents supported a bill designed to better define the rights of each group. The legislation passed unanimously through the House and now heads to the Senate for further consideration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4991630-155/house-oks-bill-with-rare-support"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> House members jokingly mooed in approval as they passed a measure that would criminalize harassment of livestock with aerial drones or all-terrain vehicles. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4990829-155/harass-a-cow-and-you-could"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674378/Cows-drones-and-ATVs-Utah-lawmaker-pushing-unique-anti-harassment-bill.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Though the sponsor of a bill that would initially withhold the names of officers involved in a shooting says the legislation would protect members of law enforcement and their families, opponents say it would further erode public trust. [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/proposed-bill-would-shield-officers-name-after-police-shootings/663730446"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-bill-would-keep-police-names-secret-after-shootings-02-27-2017"; target="_blank">APviaKUTV</a>]</p>
-> A bill that would create a pilot program to offer highly effective teachers bonuses to stay at low-income schools received approval in the House and now heads to the Senate for consideration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4991589-155/house-backs-5k-bonuses-to-draw"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> After a lengthy debate, a House committee approved a bill that would require graduates of a university education program to pass a test before obtaining a teaching license. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4992294-155/house-panel-oks-requiring-teachers-to"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> The House approved a bill that would allow the director of the Utah School Children's Trust to have independent authority and the potential for unlimited six-year terms in an effort to insulate him or her from politics. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4991234-155/house-votes-to-give-power-independence"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
-> The Senate Education Committee moved forward without voting on a proposal to cap the amount of income tax awarded to higher education. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4990324-155/bill-to-stop-the-flow-of"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Lawmakers have decided not to pursue legislation that would create limits to non-compete clauses in job contracts, saying they will focus instead on finding "the optimal solution for Utah's long-term economic health." [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4990734-155/lawmakers-drop-plans-for-bills-addressing"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Lawmakers donated blood at the Capitol to mark the start of Red Cross Month on Wednesday. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674394/Legislators-take-time-out-to-make-a-lifesaving-donation.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]
<strong>Nationally: </strong>White House officials announced President Donald Trump's intentions to increase military spending by $54 billion and cut nonmilitary programs by the same amount in next year's budget. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/us/politics/trump-budget-military.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/trump-budget-proposal/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/white-house-propose-54-billion-defense-spending-increase-n726206"; target="_blank">NBCNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-pentagon-military-spending-budget-235425"; target="_blank">Politico</a>]
-> Meeting with the nation's governors, Trump said the United States' health care system is in danger of imploding and urged Congress to make changes. [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/trump-health-care-complicated/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/us/politics/trump-concedes-health-law-overhaul-is-unbelievably-complex.html"; target="_blank">WaPost</a>] [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/27/trump-calls-for-replacement-of-obamacare/?utm_source=RSS_Feedutm_medium=RSS"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/02/27/us/politics/ap-us-healthcare-overhaul.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>]
-> The Senate approved billionaire Wilbur Ross to lead Trump's Commerce Department in a 72-27 vote that included the support of more than a dozen Democrats. [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/27/wilbur-ross-confirmed-trumps-commerce-secretary/"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>] [<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/billionaire-heads-confirmation-commerce-secretary-45773033"; target="_blank">ABCNews</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/us/politics/wilbur-ross-commerce-secretary.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/321473-senate-confirms-wilbur-ross-as-commerce-secretary"; target="_blank">TheHill</a>]
<strong>Where are they?</strong>
<ul>
<li>Rep. Jason <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse"; target="_blank">Chaffetz</a> </strong>eats breakfast with the Utah Association of Counties, manages a floor debate of Oversight Committee bills and attends Trump's address to a joint session of Congress.<strong> </strong></li>
<li>Rep. Chris <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepChrisStewart"; target="_blank">Stewart</a> </strong>speaks to the Utah Association of Counties, attends a GOP conference meeting and chats separately with members of the United Postmasters and Managers of America, Utah neurologists and the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. Later, he meets with the Utah Medical Association and the America Outdoors Association before attending the president's joint address to Congress.</li>
<li>Rep. Mia <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove"; target="_blank">Love</a> </strong>meets with members of the Utah Association of Counties and attends a planning meeting with GOP members before considering bills at a Financial Services Committee meeting. Later, she meets with constituents from Rio Tinto, participates in a panel discussion about historically black colleges and universities, talks with Utah Credit Union leadership and attends the president's joint address to Congress.</li>
<li>Gov. Gary <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/GovHerbert"; target="_blank">Herbert</a> </strong>attends National Governors Association meetings in Washington and speaks with local media via a conference call.</li>
<li>Lt. Gov. Spencer <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerJCox"; target="_blank">Cox</a> </strong>receives updates from the Legislature.</li>
<li>State Auditor John <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong></strong>teleconferences separately with the attorney general's office and the Department of Workforce Services before meeting with representatives from the Utah School Boards Association. Later, he speaks with the media and attends a winter open house.</li>
<li>President Donald <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Trump</a> </strong></strong>receives his daily intelligence briefing and meets with the National Association of Attorneys General before eating lunch with members of the press. Later, he signs HR321 and HR255 and two executive orders before visiting with guests. In the evening, he addresses the Congress before returning to the White House.</li>
</ul>
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— Courtney Tanner and Taylor Stevens