Happy Monday. President Donald Trump is readying his 2020 re-election campaign that will mirror his message that got him elected in the first place. But, unlike 2016, where the campaign was largely spontaneous and ran without a large staff, the new effort includes a massive data-gathering and get-out-the-vote push aimed at dwarfing any previous presidential reelection effort, according to campaign advisers. [WaPost]
Topping the news: State Sen. Daniel Thatcher’s hate crime bill, a piece of legislation that would increase penalties on perpetrators who target a victim because of their race, religion, sexual orientation and several other aspects, passed through the House committee, but not without a hint of controversy. Thatcher was reprimanded and later apologized for making comments that suggested the bill is less likely to pass in the House than it was in the Senate — a comment that several representatives took to mean they were less likely to understand the legislation than the lawmakers from the Senate. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [KUTV] [ABC4]
-> With the U.S. Senate set to vote on a resolution overriding President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to secure funds in order to build the border wall, Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney have yet to announce whether they will be against the declaration or falling in line with the majority of their party. A Washington Post article ranked Romney and Lee as two of seven Republicans most likely to vote for the resolution. [Trib]
-> Since November the Utah Legislature has revised two of the voter-approved ballot initiatives — Proposition 2’s medical cannabis act and Proposition 3’s medicaid expansion. The Legislature has been criticized by some and lauded by others for their actions. Now lawmakers have introduced a series of bills that would rework current ballot initiative policy. [Trib]
Happy Birthday: to Tim Robison, senior policy adviser for Rep. Chris Stewart.
Tweets of the day: From @Patbagley: “Riddle me this: When does a tax cut look like a new taxes? When the Utah Legislature tries to find a new way to give their wealthy donors even more breaks from paying for essential government services while saddling the rest of us with the bill.”
-> @Nonfinality: “I don’t want Manafort to be treated like my clients. I want my clients to be treated like Manafort. And it’s insane that we think that four years is not a lot of time to spend in prison.”
-> @RandPaul: “People seem to be forgetting that the ultimate authority on security clearances is @realDonaldTrump, not some bureaucrat. He decides who gets them & what is classified or not. Real issue is leak of personnel and security files - would seem to be criminal or at least fireable.”
-> @aedwardslevy: “WASHINGTON -- In a stunning setback for clocks across the nation this weekend...”
In the news: Parents of students who attended Oquirrh Hills Elementary, a school that was closed by the district in 2018 for being the worst performing in the state, expressed their frustration about the little notice they were given about the school’s closing. A Utah lawmaker introduced a new bill last week that would require districts and school boards to notify their respective communities at least 120 days before a school is designated as turnaround and to give annual updates on how the school is doing. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL]
-> Edged forward with the support of lawmakers from rural Utah, members of the House forwarded a bill to the Senate that would expand the planned inland port project from a single site operation to a multisite approach that would spread and utilize rural parts of the state. [Trib] [KSL]
-> The Senate voted in favor of a bill that would create a permanent funding stream across seven counties aimed at developing additional projects to move Utah minerals onto the market. [Trib]
-> Pamela Atkinson, renowned advocate for the homeless, joined lawmakers on Capitol Hill during a Senate committee hearing and pushed for a piece of legislation that would help the homeless and low-income Utahns by contributing several million dollar donations to the Olene Walker Housing Loan Trust Fund. [Trib] [DNews]
-> In wake of the voting chaos brought on by the 2016 presidential election, Utah lawmakers are pushing forward a piece of legislation that would mandate presidential primaries on Super Tuesday and curb previous issues like long lines and ballot shortages. [Trib]
->The Utah House voted to create a committee to review the Utah state flag and potentially derive a new design to replace the current flag that is more than a century old. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL] [KUTV]
-> The Utah House killed a bill that would have made it easier for communities to leave their county and create their own jurisdiction, despite southwest Salt Lake County leader’s support for the legislation. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> One of this legislative session’s most touted plans, a major tax overhaul program, collapsed on Thursday prompting Utah leaders to announce that the reform would take longer than anticipated. Coinciding with their declaration, legislative leaders canceled a key budget meeting on Friday that was meant to finalize the state’s spending plan for next year. [Trib]
-> Sandy City council members voted to start taking bids from third-party groups to launch an investigation into last month’s tainted water issues. However during a Tuesday night council meeting, the members voted to revise their plan and focus on communication issues rather than the technical aspects of what happened and why. [Trib]
-> Utah lawmakers are currently considering a $10 million appropriation that would create a nuclear research lab — a move that some local leaders claim may create hundreds of new jobs and put the state on the map for clean energy. [Trib]
-> A former Army special forces soldier trained and armed a Utah polygamous group in secret. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley offers his take on Utah lawmakers’ decision to table the tax reform plan. [Trib]
Nationally: Satellite images analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies show that North Korea has not been working towards nuclear disarmament as was promised. Rather the country has been adding to its weapons and building up rockets despite the ongoing talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump. [NYTimes]
-> Trump reportedly plans to ask Congress for $8.6 billion in his annual budget proposal to help build the border wall as well as an additional $3.6 billion for military construction funds to repay the money he diverted to begin the project. The proposal will be submitted to Congress on Monday. [NYTimes] [Politico] [WaPost]
-> According to interviews obtained from Politico reporters, Senator Democrats could support presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders if he emerges as the strongest candidate during election season. During his run in 2016, the Vermont Senator was given a less than warm welcome — but that may change this upcoming year. [Politico]
-> Trump traveled to Alabama on Friday to greet survivors in wake of tornados that ripped through the state — the nation’s deadliest in six years. He signed several Bibles and gave them to victims while standing in a church. [NYTimes] [Politico]
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-- Thomas Burr and Sahalie Donaldson