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Senate hopeful's secret campaign weapon: give away guns. Count My Vote deal awaits guv's signature. Immigration law on hold awaiting fed waiver.
Happy Thursday. Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia, who is running to replace Sen. Saxby Chambliss, says he's found a good way to raise money and drive up support: give away guns. Broun, who contends that President Barack Obama and his likely Democratic opponent, Michelle Nunn, want to take away Americans' 2nd Amendment gun rights and has already held one raffle to give away an AR-15 assault rifle. A second giveaway is planned. [HuffPost]
Topping the news: The compromise between lawmakers and Count My Vote organizers now awaits the governor's signature. [Trib] [DNews] [Herald] [KUER] [Fox13] [ABC4] [UtahPolicy] James Humphreys of Protect our Neighborhood Elections and Taylor Morgan of County My Vote give their takes on the proposal. [Fox13]
-> The House and Senate are at odds on how to fund House Speaker Becky Lockhart's proposal to put more technology in schools. [Trib]
-> Lawmakers put a hold on implementing a landmark state immigration law while waiting for a federal waiver. [Trib]
Tweet of the day: From @BjaminWood: "Rep. Moss and Sen. Stephenson are co-sponsoring a bill. I'm now questioning everything I believe to be true."
On the Hill: So much legislating, so little time. Today's schedule [Trib]
-> Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, released a Medicaid expansion plan that would take all the federal money offered to the state. [DNews]
-> The Senate passed legislation to keep future waste incinerators more than two miles away from residential areas. [Trib]
-> The Senate moved toward a final vote on a bill to reform payday lending. [Trib] [KUER]
-> A Senate committee passed two bills aiming to clean up the air. [Trib]
-> The House killed a bill to give tax breaks to those who buy transit passes during inversion months. [Trib]
-> Supporters rally for a bill that would allow Utahns to vote on a county-by-county basis on raising sales tax to fund alternative transit options. [DNews]
-> The House passed a bill making it easier for bars to have Breathalyzers. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Activists spoke out in support of legislation to ban housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, even though the bill is not likely to be heard this session. [Trib] [DNews] [APviaHerald] [Fox13] [KUTV] [ABC4]
-> The House passed a bill to create direct nonpartisan elections for state school board members. [DNews]
-> A House panel advanced a proposal to fund after school programs to help children in poverty. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The same panel passed legislation taking away some consequences for students with a 3.5 GPA or higher who skip school. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Senate moved toward a final vote on legislation to exclude new schools, alternative high schools and students in individualized learning programs from the calculations on the grade the school receives. [DNews]
-> A Senate committee advanced a bill allowing for grandparents to petition for visitation rights even after the rights of the biological parents has been taken away. [Trib]
-> The House passed a proposal allowing a third-party to petition that children with one parent accused of killing the other be put into protective custody. [DNews]
-> Legislation to hold a meeting on whether to end Daylight Savings Time passed a Senate Committee. [DNews] [Herald]
-> Democrats are not happy about a bill the Senate passed that removes partisan requirements for members of the Utah State Tax Commission. [Trib]
-> A proposal to increase the penalty for cockfighting is on its way to the House floor after passing a committee. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [KUTV]
-> A Senate committee advanced legislation to ban local governments from banning specific breeds of dogs. [DNews]
-> The Senate voted in favor of renaming a stretch of S.R. 73 where Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Cory Wride was killed after the fallen officer. [Trib]
-> With less than a week to go, lawmakers met until 10 p.m. last night. [Fox13]
-> Bryan Schott offers his take on the stages of grief caucus supporters have gone through over the deal with Count My Vote. [UtahPolicy]
-> A House committee passed a bill requiring nail salons to have vacuum devices while working on acrylic nails. [Fox13]
In other news: Some Utah companies say marriage equality is good for business. [Trib]
-> Sen. Orrin Hatch's top communications aide, Antonia Ferrier, is moving to K Street. [Politico]
-> The Salt Lake County Council rejected a request to rezone an area of pastoral Dimple Dell Road for higher density housing. [Trib]
-> Alaska's capital city ditched the blue parking kiosks that Salt Lake City is now using because of glitches in the system. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley takes a look at a page from Rep. Paul Ryan's book on how to serve the poor. [Trib]
Nationally: Watch a congressional shouting match at an Oversight hearing over the IRS targeting of tea party groups. [WaPost]
-> The Washington Post's Dan Balz says the real story behind the Texas primary results this week is the ascendancy of the right wing to power in the state. [WaPost]
-> Senators from both sides of the aisle voted to block Debo Adegbil from becoming chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. [WaPost]
Where are they?
Rep. Chris Stewart meets with Emery County officials, hits an Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing, votes and flies back to Utah.
Gov. Gary Herbert has breakfast with Ted Wilson, attends the legislative leadership discussion, Red Cross Hero Recognition luncheon and awards, meets with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and has a bill signing.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox speaks to the Professional Republican Women group.
President Barack Obama participate in a town hall meeting on how the Affordable Care Act is important for Latinos and hosts In Performance at the White House: Women of Soul.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Thomas Burr and Topher Webb Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/topherjwebb