With the Legislature back in session this week the crew gather in the Speaker’s Office to talk football, the LDS Church’s support for nondiscrimination against Gays, and again, Mitt Romney.
This week the gang banters about coach Whittingham and football, Utah’s 20-year low tax burden, Jim Matheson turning lobbyist, and Obama’s State of the Union
Greg, Natalie and Jim talk about Mitt Romney in 2016, Russia, teetotallers on the alcohol commission, funding education, and Utah drops “Ag-Gag” charges.
This week Sen. Todd Weiler on the right joins Jim and Natalie to squabble over Republicans taking over Congress, earmarks, Mia Love, and again, the prison.
Governor Gary Herbert took time to address air quality during a news conference Tuesday at the Utah Capitol. Herbert told reporters that while the issue has been getting a lot of attention recently, the issue is nothing new; but added it’s a serious issue.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert took the oath on office on Monday; saying the state’s best days lie ahead. KCPW’s Jessica Gail was at the state capitol for the inauguration ceremony and has this report.
Utah’s unemployment rate has reached a new low since the recession hit in 2008. According to numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this week (last week), it dropped to 5.4 percent in September, making it one of the lowest in the country. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, experts say that number may not paint an accurate picture of what unemployment actually looks like in Utah.
Unemployed Utah workers who have exhausted their 14 weeks of federal benefits can now apply for another 14 weeks as a result of the state’s average unemployment rate being at least 6 percent for three months. As Bill Starks, Unemployment Insurance Director with the Utah Department of Workforce Services explains, those additional benefits were suspended back in June when the unemployment rate dropped, but now they’ve been re-triggered.
While Utah is increasing its per-pupil education spending by $40 this school year, adjusted for inflation, it’s still down by $372 since 2008, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That amounts to an 8.1 percent cut, which is worse than 26 other states. Utah also consistently ranks last in per-pupil spending among all states.
Progressive public policy is the goal of Democratic State Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck. The Salt Lake City lawmaker has served in the legislature since 2008, contributing significantly in the debates over LGBT rights, immigration, social justice and ballot issues. We talked with her, followed by Alan Matheson, Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s senior adviser on environmental matters.
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