45 Days
Summary: On your mark, get set, #utpol. 45 Days takes you behind the scenes of the Utah Legislature's fast and furious annual session. Each week, KUER reporters highlight critical bills and how they could affect you. Along the way, we'll introduce the movers and shakers who convene every winter on Capitol Hill.
Podcasts:
We are live in Cedar City this week for a special recap of the 2018 legislative session. Joining Julia and Nicole on stage are three Utah lawmakers from the region: Rep. Walt Brooks of St. George, Rep. John Westwood of Cedar City and Sen. Don Ipson of St. George. What laws will have the biggest effect on southern Utah and how did the legislature tackle some of the critical issues facing it? This show was taped at Southern Utah University in partnership with the Michael O. Leavitt Center for
That's a wrap! The Legislature passed 534 bills this session, just one bill shy of their record during the 2017 session, and left hundreds more behind. Here are the highlights, plus a conversation with Gov. Gary Herbert.
Now, this is the story all about how Week 6 of the Legislature got flipped-turned upside down? Utah's beatboxing lawmakers are gearing up for their final spurt to the finish line with several big items still left on Republican leaders' to-do list. Notably, two proposals to add work requirements to Medicaid, the federal low-income health care program, are racing through the chambers as we speak. One lawmaker is also getting support for a last-minute bill to establish a "red flag" law to
Nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes, and legislators are tackling both in Week 5 of the session. This week we talk with reporter Whittney Evans about some surprise backers of a new death penalty repeal effort. We also look at the state's big budget surplus and try to divine what lawmakers might do with all that extra scratch. The Utah Legislature's bluest member Sen. Jim Dabakis announces he's done after this session, joining several other incumbents on their way out the door,
This week lawmakers paused to honor the 17 lives lost in a school shooting in Parkland, Fla. But the latest school violence is unlikely to persuade Republican leaders to propose any big changes to gun laws this session. Meanwhile, a committee finally approved something close to a resolution acknowledging climate change without actually using the phrase "climate change." We also talk about some air quality bills and medical marijuana. Rep. Steve Eliason joins us on 'Better Know A Lawmaker' and
Every legislative session a few bills pop up that generate a lot of buzz, but never quite make it to the finish line. For the last few years, that has been the case with proposed legislation to toughen the state's penalties for hate crimes. So what invisible forces propel some bills while squashing others? Some critics say it's the Mormon Church, whose membership includes almost 90 percent of the Utah Legislature. Others say their influence is overstated. And then there's Steve Urquhart, a
Happy Winter Olympics! Utah misses you so. That's why lawmakers are eager to win them back by 2026 or 2030 — they've even passed a resolution that says as much. But who can think of the cold when things are heating up on Capitol Hill? The halls are feeling warmer than usual after a bombshell report by a British tabloid that a Republican state lawmaker paid for sex with an escort . That lawmaker, former Rep. Jon Stanard of St. George, resigned unexpectedly this week, just before the report came
It's week 2 at the Utah Legislature and we've already seen several big bills make their way through the House and Senate. On this week's episode, we discuss a few bills in direct conflict with two citizen-led ballot initiatives making their way to voters this fall. We're calling them "Ballot Busters." We also invite a lobbyist to lunch to find out how he wins friends and influences people. And, we try to figure out whether Democrats are becoming the party of "Law & Order" with several
The gavel has fallen and the Utah Legislature is officially in session! This week we dissect opening speeches by Gov. Gary Herbert and House Speaker Greg Hughes, then Speaker Hughes will also join us later in the episode for our “Better Know a Lawmaker” segment. To wrap it up, we'll sprint through some of the bills that have started to gain momentum on the hill.
And we're back! Welcome to Season 2 of 45 Days. The 2018 Utah Legislative Session is just around the corner. This week we're giving you an idea of some of the big topics lawmakers will try to tackle, some oddball bills we're kind of fond of, and our first ever installment of "Better Know a Lawmaker," featuring Rep. Robert Spendlove.
On the final episode of 45 Days, KUER’s Terry Gildea, Judy Fahys, Erik Neumann, Nicole Nixon, Lee Hale, and Julia Ritchey break down the final hours of the 2017 Utah Legislative Session: alcohol, teacher salaries, homelessness, public lands, and—crucially—cattle harassment. See you next year.
With just a week to go until the end of the 2017 Utah Legislative Session, KUER’s Terry Gildea , Nicole Nixon, and Whittney Evans talk about the latest developments on a bill to pull down the Zion Curtain—turns out there’ll still be a barrier between drinkers and the sober public. Also, legislators are looking to clarify “Stand Your Ground” rules in the state. And finally, Terry, Nicole and Whittney look at several important bills previously covered on the podcast that lawmakers are trying to
We’re nearing the end of the 2017 Utah legislative session. This week, KUER news director Terry Gildea talks with reporters Nicole Nixon, Whittney Evans, and Lee Hale about a bill to make provisional concealed carry permits available to 18 to 20-year-olds, amid concerns of sexual assault. They also discuss what lawmakers are doing—or not doing—to raise salaries for public school teachers.
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2017 legislative session. This week on 45 Days, KUER News Director Terry Gildea talks with reporters Nicole Nixon, Whittney Evans, and Julia Ritchey about a bill that would lower the legal blood alcohol level from .08 to .05—one of the lowest limits in the country. Also, some legislators are trying to change concealed weapon permit laws in the state, and polygamy is back in the news this week, with people for and against showing up in Southern Utah to
This week, KUER reporters Nicole Nixon, Lee Hale, and Judy Fahys join news director Terry Gildea to talk about sex education in Utah, and the fight over federal control of public lands in Utah. Last week Governor Gary Herbert signed a non-binding resolution that asks President Trump to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument. Also, the Utah Senate passed a resolution asking Congress to shrink the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.