|
The Week Ahead
It’s a rather slow political week as a number of scheduled legislative committees have been cancelled (see legislative calendar). However, two important education committees meet on Thursday. . . . Downtown will fill up with LDS General Conference visitors toward the weekend and a lot of locals will get out of town to avoid the congestion. . . . Lots of political events listed on our calendar in the right-hand column below.
Gov’s Transportation Summit is Oct. 14
Gov. Jon Huntsman and Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert have scheduled a Utah Transportation Summit on Oct. 14, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast. Huntsman will present his vision for the future of Utah transportation during the summit. The summit will be held at the Davis Conference Center, 800 West Heritage Park Boulevard, Layton, and will end at 3 p.m.
Please RSVP for each panel discussion and the lunch by sending an email to tylerallen@utah.gov or by calling Tyler Allen at 801-538-1041.
Huntsman will welcome participants and open the summit, followed by four panel discussions. The summit will close with public comment and closing remarks by Herbert. The topics of the four panel discussions are:
- Transportation funding: Can current revenue sources meet Utah’s transportation needs?
- Innovation: What innovative solutions are available to help meet transportation needs?
- Partnerships: How can state and local governments partner to help meet critical transportation needs?
- Utah’s Multi-Modal Transportation Systems: Transportation is about more than roads.
UTA Scrutinizes School Districts
The Utah Taxpayers Association has released its Utah School District Spending Report for fiscal year 2004. Every year, the association analyzes revenues and expenditures for all 40 Utah school districts. The report reveals how much school districts spend per student on instruction, administration, transportation, interest, facility construction, and several other areas and how much school district revenue comes from federal, state, and local sources.
Logan, Provo, South Sanpete, and Alpine districts spend the largest share of their budgets on classroom instruction. Nebo, Tintic, Tooele, and Jordan -- districts with rapid enrollment growth and/or low tax bases -- have the highest property tax rates. Park City and Daggett have the highest property tax base per student. As a percent of total operations costs, Park City, Rich, and Jordan are the least dependent upon federal sources while San Juan and Uintah are the highest. Logan, Alpine, Cache, and Washington have the lowest administrative costs per student.
Three Utah Demos Honored
The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) is honoring Utah Democrats Maura Carabello, an Exoro Group partner; Steve Barth, a former state legislator; and Patrick Leary, chief administrator at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office, with the Gary L. McPherson Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. this week. The Republican recipient this year is Emily J. Reynolds, secretary of the U.S. Senate.
The award, named for the late Gary L. McPherson, recognizes ACYPL alumni who have distinguished themselves in their leadership abilities in their careers and communities.
The American Council of Young Political Leaders was formed in 1966 as a nonprofit bipartisan educational exchange organization to enhance foreign policy understanding and exposure among rising young American political leaders and their counterparts around the world. The program achieves its goals through a broad range of practical education programs, including international exchanges, foreign policy and democracy conferences, and election study programs. Award recipients are selected by a bipartisan selection committee of ACYPL Trustees and staff.
Blog Watch
Long-time SLC public relations professional Jeri Cartwright has started a blog called Media Relations: Truth and Consequences. Her most recent post focuses on President Bush’s PR challenges.
In her opening post, Cartwright says, “I've been in the PR profession for 16 years. I specialize in media relations -- and am a former journalist (broadcast). I truly love my profession, but I am concerned about the way ‘media relations’ or ‘public relations’ is being used in many arenas - especially in politics. I've always believed in truth -- always coached clients to tell it. But truth comes in many shades of gray. Have members of this profession talked themselves into nearly lying at times -- yet thinking they speak the truth? An interesting question. This site is meant for a little professional soul-searching. I hope you will share your thoughts and experiences.”
Washington Watch
Hatch Sends NY Times a Letter
Last week’s NY Times editorial favoring nuclear waste storage in Utah prompted a letter to the editor (registration required) from Sen. Orrin Hatch, who wrote: “Did you know that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Licensing Board initially rejected the site as unsafe? Private Fuel Storage was able to turn the decision around only after two of the three judges on the board had been replaced.”
HUD Money for Provo, West Valley
Rep. Chris Cannon Congressman has announced the cities of Provo and West Valley will be receiving $4,470,144 in combined funds from three programs under the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Medicare Prescription Coverage for Utahns
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Friday that Medicare beneficiaries in Utah will be able to get prescription drug coverage in January, through their choice of either a newly approved stand-alone prescription drug plan that works with traditional Medicare, or a Medicare Advantage plan that offers drug coverage and other benefits. After the announcement Sen. Orrin Hatch’s office issued a press release (not yet posted) saying Utah’s Medicare beneficiaries may obtain prescription drug coverage for as little as $20 per month.
Now You Know
Utah Political Trivia
(From "Utah Trivia" compiled by Allan Kent Powell and Miriam B. Murphy)
Q: How many times did Franklin D. Roosevelt win Utah's electoral votes for the presidency?
A: Four (1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944).
Q: What conservative Utah Republican senator played a key role in the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy?
A: Arthur V. Watkins.
Q: What two women ran against each other for Congress in 1950?
A: Reva Beck Bosone, the winner, and Ivy Baker Priest.
Q: What former Utah governor served as secretary of war in Franklin D. Roosevelt's first cabinet?
A: George Dern.
Q: What Democrat defeated long-time U.S. senator Reed Smoot in 1932?
A: Elbert Thomas.
Q: What was the name given Mormon dissenters in the late 1860s and 1870s who, among other things, founded the Salt Lake Tribune?
A: The Godbeites.
Q: What U.S. senator composes religious hymns and was once a member of the AFL-CIO?
A: Orrin Hatch.
Q: In 1992 who was elected governor, sixteen years after his father was defeated for the same office?
A: Michael Leavitt (his father, Dixie Leavitt, lost the 1976 GOP primary election to Vern Romney).
Q: Who served six terms as mayor of Price, three terms as mayor of Salt Lake City, and two terms as governor of Utah?
A: J. Bracken Lee.
Q: Who was the first representative to hold Utah's Third Congressional District Seat?
A: Howard C. Nielson (elected to five terms beginning in 1982).
Q: What Ogden native served as Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan. A: Terrel H. Bell.
|
Utah Policy Daily
is a service