Secretary Ben Carson says “there are more complexities” running Housing and Urban Development than conducting brain surgery. DACA recipients in Utah and across the nation face uncertainty as “deadline” passes. With more female interns on the Hill, Utah lawmakers and coordinators are working to ensure there’s no harassment.
Happy Tuesday. Ben Carson was a neurosurgeon for decades before he joined President Donald Trump’s staff. And he’s found his new job running the Department of Housing and Urban Development — with little experience in the field — to be quite vexing. “There are more complexities here than in brain surgery,” Carson said. “Doing this job is going to be a very intricate process.” [NYTimes]
Topping the news: The “deadline” for DACA renewal applications has passed, leaving Utah’s young immigrants facing an uncertain future. [Trib]
-> As more women intern with the Utah Legislature, lawmakers and internship coordinators are working to make sure they don’t have to deal with discrimination or harassment during their time on the Hill. [Trib]
-> A Utah House committee rejected a bill Monday that would create a restraining order to restrict firearm access for those at risk of shooting themselves or others. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [KUTV] [Fox13] [KSL]
-> The Utah State Bar sent a photo of a topless woman to lawyers statewide Monday and is now investigating the situation. [Trib] [Fox13]
Tweets of the day: From @RobertGehrke:“Apparently the Utah Bar is now the Utah Topless Bar (not a restaurant).”
-> From @pourmecoffee: “Sam Nunberg just called into QVC’s Shopping With Jane to say if Mueller wants a piece of him he knows where to find him.”
In other news: While Innovations Early College High School touted soaring graduation rates, the principal was profiting thousands from marketing, public funds were spent on candy and ice cream, and students got mediocre grades. [Trib]
-> Now, students who attend Innovations High School and signed up for supposedly free classes at Salt Lake Community College will have to pay the costs out of their own pockets. [Trib]
-> A memo written by Christopher Steele, the man behind the dossier on President Donald Trump, says Russia played a role in Mitt Romney not being appointed secretary of state. [Trib]
-> The Green Party will host its convention in Utah this year despite disagreeing with Utah leaders on downsizing the former Bears Ears National Monument and public lands management. [Trib]
-> State Democratic lawmakers have denounced a bill that would name a scenic state highway after President Donald Trump. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [KUTV] [Fox13] [KSL]
-> State lawmakers and members of a ballot campaign to hike taxes to fund education said Monday they are considering a compromise that would fund schools by freezing the property tax rate and increasing the gas tax. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL]
-> The Senate passed a bill that would help fund police and first responders for cities that host homeless shelters. [Trib]
-> The House Business and Labor Committee endorsed a bill Monday that forces the Utah GOP to ignore a recent bylaw change that disqualifies signature-gatherers from getting on the ballot. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [Fox13] [KSL]
-> A bill aiming to restructure the Utah Transit Authority was stripped of most of its proposed tax hikes Monday and approved by the House Transportation Committee. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The state sales tax on food will remain after a bill to end it passed in the House but was shot down in a Senate committee Monday. [Trib] [ABC4]
-> The Utah Senate approved a bill Monday that would abolish the state school board. [Trib]
-> The Utah House passed a bill Monday to expand Medicaid in Utah — though the bill is weaker than an initiative that could be on the November ballot. [Trib]
-> Hundreds of Utah students rallied at the Capitol on Monday, calling for lawmakers to do something about poor air quality. [ABC4]
-> A new study shows that ending federal energy leases would help to decrease carbon dioxide emissions across the country. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley shows common Republican “talking points” about shrinking national monuments in Utah and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke argues that proponents of a campaign to hike taxes to fund education would be wise to strike a deal with lawmakers to get school funding another way. [Trib]
-> Gehrke also examines what lawmakers are spending money on — including an online golf tournament and a military air show — while they have denied requests for money to study the gender wage gap in Utah and fund a school program to steer students away from gangs. [Trib]
Nationally: Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg has been subpoenaed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Nunberg said in a series of interviews Monday he will refuse to appear before the grand jury. [WaPost]
-> Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., announced Monday he will retire from the U.S. Senate in April due to health concerns. [NYTimes]
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— Courtney Tanner and Madalyn Gunnell
Follow @sltribpolitics