salt lake tribune | Alliance for a Better Utah

Utah House passes congressional vacancy bill over objections of Democrats

Better Utah February 11, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. A hard-won compromise over filling congressional vacancies in Utah took another step forward Tuesday, earning passage through the House of Representatives on a party-line vote. The proposal seeks to resolve years of bickering that began in 2017 with the resignation of former Rep. Jason Chaffetz. The state law was largely silent on

Bill regulating fetal remains approved by Utah legislative panel

Better Utah January 31, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. A bill requiring health care providers to either bury or cremate the fetal remains of an abortion or miscarriage, and allowing mothers to choose between those options, earned committee approval on Friday. Members of the Senate Health and Human Services

Know the news in Utah

Better Utah April 17, 2019

What is the purpose of a free press? Our founding fathers saw it as a safeguard for democracy. President Donald Trump sees it as a purveyor of “fake news.” And in tweets such as “91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),” he has helpfully revealed his definition: “Fake news” is any report

Commentary: Utah’s new hate crimes law is a complicated victory

Better Utah April 7, 2019

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Tuesday, Gov. Gary Herbert proudly signed Utah’s new hate crime bill into law. It was a legislative effort that stalled for a number of years, but grew wings after the infamous attack at Lopez Tires, where a man brutally beat an 18-year-old and his father with a metal

David R. Irvine: Taking the long view on the special counsel investigation

Beau Bown July 25, 2018

Who would have imagined an American president doing his level best in 2018 to break up the NATO alliance that has stood as a bulwark against Soviet/Russian aggression in Europe for nearly 70 years? Every U.S. president since Harry Truman has understood its strategic importance and the value of strong U.S. leadership to maintain its

House Speaker Greg Hughes steps down from Inland Port board less than a week after his property holdings came to light

Katie Matheson June 28, 2018

House Speaker Greg Hughes, who appointed himself to serve on the board of the Utah Inland Port, has resigned from the position amid controversy involving his property holdings so close to the planned shipping-and-receiving trade hub in Salt Lake City that they disqualified him from membership. Hughes, who has been a vocal proponent of the

Protesters rally in Salt Lake against U.S. immigration poilicy

Beau Bown June 5, 2018

SALT LAKE CITY — About 50 people rallied outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office downtown Friday afternoon, protesting a new “zero tolerance” immigration policy that separates families trying to cross the southwest border. “Today, nearly 200 rallies across the nation are coming together,” María del Mar Gonzáles, a community outreach fellow for ACLU Utah, said to

Democrats Derek Kitchen and Jennifer Plumb discuss Operation Rio Grande, education in battle for nomination in open state Senate seat

Katie Matheson June 2, 2018

This article by Connor Richards originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. The two Democratic candidates hoping to earn a state Senate seat in one of Utah’s most liberal districts squared off Wednesday to each make their case for how they would best represent the people of Salt Lake City. In a primary election

Utahns can now see how many bills each lawmaker is working on. Some are working on a lot.

Better Utah May 15, 2018

Some members of the Utah House and Senate are living up to the term “lawmaker,” requesting dozens of potential bills eight months ahead of the 2019 session. On Friday, state senators had collectively requested 73 bills, led by South Jordan Republican Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, with 15 requests. And, in the House, representatives collectively requested 207

Methane Flaring Wastes Millions of Dollars on Utah’s Public Lands, But are Federal Limits a Good Solution or an Undue Burden?

Kyle Garahana April 26, 2018

The Interior Department is poised to dramatically roll back new methane-waste prevention rules for oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands. The measures, referred to collectively as the methane rule, were expected to capture up to $1 billion worth of natural gas that would otherwise be flared at well heads or released directly

Tag: salt lake tribune