Politics Archive

DUI checkpoints could become a thing of the past in Utah. HB 140, sponsored by Republican Representative David Butterfield, repeals authorization for law enforcement to do police checkpoints for anything other than Amber Alerts, looking for fugitives and wildlife invasive species. Butterfield says officers should instead put their time and resources into saturation patrols, which he says are more effective at removing drunk drivers from highways. He adds that checkpoints subject citizens to suspicion-less searches.

Republican Sean Reyes wants to be Utah’s next Attorney General. He counts among his accomplishments becoming one of the first minority attorneys in the state to make partner at a major law firm and co-founding an organization to help Utahns combat fraud. He joined us in the studio to talk about where he stands on the important issues.

A bill that bans Utah cities from enforcing anti-idling ordinances advanced in a House Committee Thursday. Last fall, Salt Lake City passed such an ordinance in an effort to improve air quality. And despite the city’s promise to change it, lawmakers passed the bill twelve to two. Salt Lake City resident Ingrid Griffinson told the committee she doesn’t feel the move is very democratic.

Former Utah Governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has now officially ruled out another political campaign this election year, but his post-primary career will include working in the non-profit sector and now, the auto industry. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.

A strike at lifelong employment for college professors failed to pass the House Education Committee Wednesday. Republican Representative Chris Herrod’s second attempt to ban Utah colleges and universities from granting academic tenure failed on a 10-to-4 vote. Opponents of the bill noted the state’s strengthened five-year tenure review, which frustrated Herrod, who says that was a direct result of his attempt to ban tenure last year.

Utah residents will still be changing their clocks twice a year. Friday, the House Judiciary Committee killed a bill that would have eliminated daylight savings time in the state. Republican Representative Jim Nielson says he brought the proposal forward to protect Utah’s most vulnerable residents.

Employers would get rewarded for hiring the homeless, under a bill being proposed this legislative session. Thursday, lawmakers in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted in favor of a bill that Democratic Representative Brian King says would compensate businesses with a $1,000 tax credit.

Salt Lake County can be better managed for less. That’s the message of former county councilman Mark Crockett, who’s now hoping to return to county government, this time as mayor. The GOP candidate says millions of dollars can be saved by cutting waste and not overlapping with city services. We asked Crockett what ideas he has to offer voters and delegates heading into the Republican convention a few months away.

The use of tanning beds by Utah residents under 18 years old would be severely restricted under a bill sponsored by Democratic Senator Pat Jones. Receiving passionate testimony on both sides of the argument, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee discussed Senate Bill 41 for well over an hour on Thursday before signing off on the legislation.

Big changes could be in store for one of Utah’s largest employers. Defense cuts and the recommendation of new Base Realignments and Closures have many worried for the future of Hill Air Force Base. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what the state plans to do keep Hill up and running.