I’ve received A LOT of questions about this and there’s also a lot of misinformation out there. So here’s what Utah’s new voter privacy law changes do and don’t do: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah
Texas' only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter is now languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years: www.texasobserver.org/immigration-...
This is excellent by Boyle. What CBO and others have pointed out is that millions of eligible claimants will lose vital health care coverage because of administrative burdens. By design! That is the purpose of the bill. It does not target fraud. It just weaponizes burdens against the public.
COLORADO - Today, Governors Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Mark Gordon (R-Wyo.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) and Spencer Cox (R-Utah) released a statement on the proposed draw down of Flaming Gorge and other upper basin reservoirs: “This is an unprecedented year on the Colorado River, and likely will be one of the worst on record. A dry year like this reminds us of why it is critical that all who rely on this resource learn to live within its means and adapt our uses accordingly. The Upper Division States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, are actively and strictly regulating water uses. Because of such diminished runoff, existing state laws in the Upper Division States require water users to face cuts to water rights dating back to the 1800s - these cuts are mandatory, uncompensated, and will have significant impacts on water users, including Upper Basin Tribes, and local economies. It is critical that any releases made by the federal government from Flaming Gorge and other upstream reservoirs are in compliance with existing agreements, particularly the 2019 Drought Response Operations Agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Division States and governing law and done for the purpose of protecting Lake Powell. We must have a clear understanding of how these proposed releases will effectively protect elevations at Lake Powell. Once the releases conclude, we expect that all water released from Flaming Gorge and other upstream reservoirs will be fully recovered. Further, any releases must be appropriately sized. Years like this one remind us that appropriate water storage helps us survive the dry years, and that we must be prepared not only for this year but future dry years, as well as average years. As we continue to comply with commitments to our water users and the Law of River, we recognize the impacts of water shortages and water releases from Upper Basin reservoirs on local communities - not only related to future water supply av…
JUST IN: The governors of the Colorado River's Upper Basin states on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's proposed releases from Flaming Gorge to prop up Lake Powell and other parts of the river.
#utpol #Utah
Heck, get creative. Start an emergency "road reconstruction" and then take way longer than usual to finish it. Then immediately do "sewer upgrades". Then "water upgrades". Accessibility modifications to all sidewalks, curbs, and gutters. #utpol
Rep. Thompson's bill to offer businesses tax credits for child care PASSES the legislature: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... Off to Gov. Cox. #utpol #Utah
Rep. Koford's BIG Great Salt Lake bill (ensuring conserved water actually gets to the lake) PASSES the legislature: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... Off to Gov. Cox's desk. #utpol #Utah
ZOMBIE BILL! Rep. Koford's data center water transparency bill is back! le.utah.gov/Session/2026... #utpol #Utah
I wanted you to hear this directly from me. After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office. I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children? That question led me into public service, with a focused passion on education where the cancer of hopelessness and training for “social advocacy” has taken hold in too many of our public schools. It was therefore an honor to introduce and sponsor landmark school choice legislation. Core provisions of these efforts were enacted through the Working Families Tax Cut Act reconciliation package. I believe history will record this legislation as the most consequential education reform in modern times. Added to this is my determination to end the evil of child labor and sex trafficking that is destroying our children’s innocence. To that end, I am presently shepherding bipartisan, bicameral legislation through the House—the Preventing Child Trafficking Act. It would provide our children additional protection through better interagency coordination. Recently, I asked myself the same question that began this journey: Can I do more? After careful reflection, I have concluded that to continue this work, the next chapter of my mission would be best pursued outside elected office. I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education. I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it. His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life. It …
I wanted you to hear this directly from me. After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office. I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children? That question led me into public service, with a focused passion on education where the cancer of hopelessness and training for “social advocacy” has taken hold in too many of our public schools. It was therefore an honor to introduce and sponsor landmark school choice legislation. Core provisions of these efforts were enacted through the Working Families Tax Cut Act reconciliation package. I believe history will record this legislation as the most consequential education reform in modern times. Added to this is my determination to end the evil of child labor and sex trafficking that is destroying our children’s innocence. To that end, I am presently shepherding bipartisan, bicameral legislation through the House—the Preventing Child Trafficking Act. It would provide our children additional protection through better interagency coordination. Recently, I asked myself the same question that began this journey: Can I do more? After careful reflection, I have concluded that to continue this work, the next chapter of my mission would be best pursued outside elected office. I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education. I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it. His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life. It …
I wanted you to hear this directly from me. After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office. I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children? That question led me into public service, with a focused passion on education where the cancer of hopelessness and training for “social advocacy” has taken hold in too many of our public schools. It was therefore an honor to introduce and sponsor landmark school choice legislation. Core provisions of these efforts were enacted through the Working Families Tax Cut Act reconciliation package. I believe history will record this legislation as the most consequential education reform in modern times. Added to this is my determination to end the evil of child labor and sex trafficking that is destroying our children’s innocence. To that end, I am presently shepherding bipartisan, bicameral legislation through the House—the Preventing Child Trafficking Act. It would provide our children additional protection through better interagency coordination. Recently, I asked myself the same question that began this journey: Can I do more? After careful reflection, I have concluded that to continue this work, the next chapter of my mission would be best pursued outside elected office. I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education. I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it. His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life. It …
NEW: Congressman Burgess Owens announces he will NOT seek re-election. His statement... #utpol #Utah
Sen. Fillmore's "bell-to-bell" restrictions on cell phones/smart devices PASSES the House 46-21: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... A concurrence vote and then to Gov. Cox, who has made it a priority bill of his. #utpol #Utah
ICYMI, Idaho is "not ready to make nice" after Utah’s promises on the gas tax and a water deal: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah
Sen. Harper's omnibus transportation bill PASSES the Senate 20-7: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... The controversial measure of "mitigation" of SLC's traffic calming/bus, bike lanes NOT removed. Background: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah
It wasn't that long ago that the Utah Compact was the mainstream opinion in #utpol and #utgop. Paul Mero, one of the principal architects of the decision, would like to remind everyone of that. www.deseret.com/opinion/2026...
This school deserves no presumption of normality. Why? Well...
kutv.com/news/beyond-...
nevadacurrent.com/2020/06/29/l...
www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
It's basically running a fraud ring across at least 3 states. This should be a federal investigation. #utpol
👀The federal judges in West Virginia, where ICE has been pulling over and detaining people on the freeway, are literally screaming about ICE's tactics.
"It is an assault on the constitutional order," Judge Goodwin says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
NEW: Big step for Democrats who want to win control of US House
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) signs law which allows for a new Virginia congressional map to be approved by voters in upcoming referendum, with early vote beginning on March 6 and Election Day on April 21
INBOX: the police chief of Quakertown, Pa., led a group of plainclothes officers to disrupt a peaceful high school student sidewalk protest yesterday.
They threw an underage girl to the ground, choked her, and disconnected all calls to the detention center where she and others are currently held.
Utah lawmakers are trying again to reroute education property tax dollars (into a state slush fund) www.kuer.org/politics-gov... #utleg
Rep. Clancy's bill to set a standard wage for construction workers on state projects, designed to help workers with affordability concerns, FAILS on the House floor 46-25: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... Other reps say it's about the free market. #utpol #Utah
A bill in the Utah Legislature that would give landlords more power to terminate rental agreements in certain situations failed to move forward this week www.ksl.com/article/5145... #utpol
Sen. McCay's bill to ban unmarked police cars from making simple traffic stops PASSES a Senate committee 6-1: le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/... Off to the full Senate. #utpol #Utah
The new law barely went into effect and lawmakers are addressing concerns.
BIG thanks to the folks at 98 Center in Moab for sharing their absolutely INCREDIBLE video perfectly explaining Utah liquor laws and speaking to me about their experiences: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah
ICYMI, Utah’s new 100% ID check law that just went into effect is about to get a BIG exception: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah
Sen. McKell's bill for a targeted advertising tax on online/social platforms PASSES 4-2 out of a Senate committee: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... Off to the full Senate. #utpol #Utah
So I got my hands on a letter from California's governor to his fellow Colorado River governors and let's just say that Utah's crazy idea for desalination-in-exchange-for-river-water-shares? NOT SO CRAZY: www.fox13now.com/news/colorad... #utpol #Utah
Rep. Karen Peterson's bill to require more notice in truth-in-taxation hearings PASSES a Senate committee UNANIMOUSLY: le.utah.gov/Session/2026... Off to the full Senate. #utpol #Utah
HB197 is back with a *third* substitute. The good news is that it has been significantly watered down. The bad news is that HB197 is still kicking its way through the House Ed Committee and will likely be heard this Thursday (February 12) at 2:00 in Room 120 of the Senate Building.
The current bill now focuses on two main things: (1) placing restrictions on digital instructional materials (e.g., databases like EBSCO); and (2) requiring schools to screen instructional materials for sensitive materials. As part of this, schools will be required to adopt policies using AI tools, but unlike prior versions of the bill, there is no express mandate that schools use RatedBooks (this is a win!).
Both of these things are still bad, and we should still fight this bill. Most importantly, HB197 is completely unnecessary. Databases in Utah schools are already heavily regulated and filtered. We already have laws that address this! And auditors have never been able to find sensitive materials in EBSCO or other educational databases. (This is a windmill that Rep. Peck has been tilting at for years—I'll post a link in the comments outlining her history trying to take down school databases).
As for the AI part, using AI tools to screen library books is unworkable. AI has been known to hallucinate the existence of sensitive materials in books and is a poor substitute for the professional expertise of teachers and librarians. Not only that, AI tools are inherent with bias. Tools like RatedBooks only feed AI cherry-picked excerpts from books to see if they violate the so-called "bright-line" rule. They do not consider books as a whole to determine whether the book has value to students.
Utah friends! HB197 is back with a *third* substitute.
The good news is that it's been significantly watered down. The bad news is that it's still kicking its way through the House Ed Committee and will likely be heard this Thursday (February 12) at 2:00 in Room 120 of the Senate Building.
Also seems *not* mostly exclusive to rural districts, like previous declines have been
