facebook-pixel

Politics

(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah State Capitol building is pictured in March 2022.

Republicans expand control of Utah House ahead of 2023 session, while Democrats make history

By Jacob Scholl | Christopher Cherrington | December 2, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Robert Gehrke.

Utah’s water socialism leads to waste, Robert Gehrke writes. Shouldn’t we pay for the water we use?

By Robert Gehrke | November 26, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The independent redistricting commission presents their map proposals to the Legislature at the Capitol on Monday Nov. 1, 2021.

State lawyers ask Utah Supreme Court to step in after judge declines to dismiss gerrymandering lawsuit

By Bryan Schott | November 26, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) l-r Noella Sudbury, founder and CEO of Rasa Public Benefit Corporation and executive director of Clean Slate Utah, Ciara Gregovich, director of outreach and Amy Daeschel, director of client services at work in the Rasa office, April 15, 2022. Rasa-legal.com is launching a phone app that would allow Utahns to check their criminal records to know what is eligible to expunge from their criminal records under the new Clean Slate Law.

A new app is helping some 450 Utahns get a second chance. Robert Gehrke explains how.

By Robert Gehrke | November 23, 2022, 7:44 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Representatives work on the house floor at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 4, 2022, during the final day of the Utah Legislature’s 2022 general session. During an interim committee meeting on Nov. 15, 2022, members of the Legislative Management Committee voted to submit an amicus brief opposing the injunction on the state’s abortion trigger law.

Utah Republican lawmakers vote to make rare stand against judge’s block of Utah’s abortion trigger law

By Emily Anderson Stern | November 16, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Anh Khoa Le, left, and Joyce Wang, both students at Skyline High School and members of the Utah Attorney General Youth Advisory Committee present a possible bill revision regarding digital safety and an improved school curriculum. The students spoke during the Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission meeting at the Utah Capitol on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.

Should Utah high school seniors pass an online safety test to graduate? These students think so.

By Jacob Scholl | November 16, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Highway Patrol posts the colors for the start of the 2022 legislative session in the Senate chamber at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Utah Lawmakers have nearly $1.4 billion in extra money to spend next year and are already preparing to cut taxes in the 2023 legislative session.

Utah’s budget has nearly $1.4 billion in extra cash. Lawmakers are pushing ahead with more tax cuts — again.

By Bryan Schott | November 16, 2022, 1:21 a.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New housing construction in Eagle Mountain, seen on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. The Utah Legislature is taking up a raft of new ideas to encourage more affordable housing, including some that are politically delicate.

Here’s how Utah may force your city to build more affordable housing

By Tony Semerad | November 18, 2022, 8:33 p.m.

(Rebecca Blackwell | AP) Incumbent Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives to speak to supporters at an election night party after winning his race for reelection in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Nearly 100 Utah Republican officeholders are urging DeSantis to jump into the 2024 GOP nominating contest against Donald Trump.

‘Quite frankly, I’m tired of losing.’ These Utah Republicans want Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024 — not Donald Trump

By Bryan Schott | November 14, 2022, 10:58 p.m.

(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah State Capitol building is pictured during a rain storm as the last day of the legislative session comes to an end on Friday, March 4, 2022.

The Utah Senate elected their new majority and minority leaders. Here’s who they picked.

By Bryan Schott | November 11, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The House Chamber of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 25, 2022. Republicans are poised to expand their supermajority in the Utah Legislature following midterm elections.

How did the Utah Legislature expand its GOP supermajority? Early results show it wasn’t just the voters.

By Bryan Schott | November 10, 2022, 9:19 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022.

Utah Legislature midterm races: Trevor Lee takes early, narrow lead over write-in candidate Steven Handy

By Bryan Schott | November 9, 2022, 6:42 a.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, speaking on the floor of the Utah State Senate on Friday, March 25, 2022. Thatcher announced on Twitter on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, that he had suffered a stroke on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. He wrote that he shows "no lasting impairment."

“I still abide.” Utah state Sen. Dan Thatcher says he’s home recovering after a stroke

By Sean P. Means | November 5, 2022, 2:46 p.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Samantha Hansen pictured in her home, Oct. 20, 2022. Hansen was a student at Brigham Young University in 2014 when she became pregnant after she was sexually assaulted. Hansen, then 21, considered an abortion but ended up miscarrying. Hansen is against a newly-proposed Utah bill that would keep clinics from offering abortions to rape victims who can't provide a law enforcement-generated case number. The bill's sponsor is her sister, Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan.

A sexual assault survivor is sharing her story in an attempt to stop her lawmaker sister’s abortion bill

By Emily Anderson Stern | October 31, 2022, 12:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Robert Gehrke.

Utah voters should resist the Legislature’s latest power grab, Robert Gehrke writes

By Robert Gehrke | October 26, 2022, 9:55 p.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) More cars than ever are speeding on Utah freeways, the Utah Highway Patrol said Tuesday, with many in excess of 100 miles per hour.

‘Is it time we start electronic surveillance?’ When ticketing has little impact on Utah’s super speeders, what’s left?

By Sofia Jeremias | October 21, 2022, 7:26 p.m.

(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah State Capitol building is pictured during a rain storm as the last day of the legislative session comes to an end on Friday, March 4, 2022.

Utah kids couldn’t get gender-affirming surgeries if a new bill finds traction in Legislature

By Bryan Schott | October 20, 2022, 10:16 p.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, discusses a bill during the Legislative session, Jan. 28, 2022. After the conclusion of an investigation by the Utah Senate into sexual misconduct allegations by Davis, the longtime state senator was removed from his committee assignments on Oct. 19, 2022.

Gene Davis to retire early after removal from committee assignments following Utah Senate investigation into sexual misconduct

By Emily Anderson Stern | October 20, 2022, 1:22 a.m.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, discusses a bill during the Legislative session, Jan. 28, 2022. The Salt Lake County Democratic Party has called for Davis' resignation from the Legislature one month after a former intern and campaign staffer accused him of sexual misconduct.

Salt Lake Democrats suspend Gene Davis after investigation into sexual misconduct allegations

By Emily Anderson Stern | September 28, 2022, 12:13 a.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Trevor Lee speaks with Senate President Stuart Adams, at the Davis County Republican nominating convention at Farmington High School, on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Utah House GOP leaders have rebuked Lee for anonymous posts he made on Twitter that attacked LGBTQ people and criticized Gov. Spencer Cox for his support of transgender girls.

GOP candidate Trevor Lee ran a secret Twitter account that attacked LGBTQ people and Utah Gov. Cox. Now he’s been rebuked by Republican leadership.

By Bryan Schott | September 23, 2022, 2:56 p.m.