Daily Fix, Feb 28

Medicaid reform, pension reform, hairstyle reform. Turns out it’s Dan Liljenquist day on the Daily Fix.

*The National Governor’s Association met last week and one major topic of discussion was Medicaid reform, specifically block grants. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker said “I’d love to have a block grant so we can make adaptation state by state.” Mississippi’s Haley Barbour told reporters he would take a capped blocked grant in return for true flexibility. Utah’s Senate Bill 180 is Utah’s Medicaid reform bill and is based on a block granting process. It is expected to pass without difficulty. Politico

*The NGA also wants the ability to trim Medicaid recipients from their rolls. In recent years, Medicaid has grown into one of largest payers in the health system, accounting for 17% of all hospital spending. In 2000, Medicaid spending was $187 billion nationally. That figure rose to $346 billion in 2009. In Utah, our Medicaid expenses have doubled in the last ten years. Governors across the board are also very worried about 2014, when the implementation of Obamacare will add millions more to Medicaid rolls. The last time there were big changes to the social safety net was in the mid-1990s. Since then, federal social programs have tended to grow, not shrink, including a big expansion of drug benefits signed by President George W. Bush. Wall Street Journal

*Continuing with news about Medicaid reforms, Senator Dan Liljenquist just spent some time with former HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt discussing that very subject. Speculation about other potential topics of conversation abounded at the Washington county Lincoln Day breakfast. According to a Trib article, “what seems to set [Liljenquist] apart is that he is a policy wonk. He is a numbers guy. And he even gets excited about it.” Tribune

*The New York Times recently interviewed Utah state Senator Dan Liljenquist about Utah’s pension reforms. As states face trillions in unfunded pension liabilities, more and more are turning to solutions like Utah passed last year. Those changes moved workers away from guaranteed pension plans and toward 401(k)-type retirement savings plans, also known as defined contribution plans. According to the Times, “The governors of Wisconsin and Ohio, citing dire budget problems, are engaged in bitter showdowns with public-employee unions over wages, pensions and collective bargaining rights.” Utah’s reforms are now considered model legislation across the country. NY Times

*The Wall Street Journal is also covering pension reform today. They discuss Utah and Michigan, who launched hybrid plans for new employees, combining a 401(k)-type component for new hires with a guaranteed benefit for employees already in the system. According to the article, Michigan officials estimate the switch to a hybrid plan will save the state’s public-school system between $2 million and $4 million in fiscal year 2011 and between $200 million and $400 million over 10 years and in Utah, projections are that the state will save $5 million a year for every 1,000 new employees, potentially bringing $180 million in savings by 2018. Wall Street Journal

*SB1000 is a Senate bill getting a fair amount of attention lately. Fox 13 covered it recently and conducted their own unscientific poll on which direction the vote should go. It’s a bill to choose Senator Liljenquist’s grown-up hairstyle. Whatta ya think? George Clooney? Brad Pitt? Leave the same? Fox 13

Daily Fix, Feb 25

Snowball finally comes out of hiding, bill to prevent school districts paying for union work advances and 5-day work weeks may be coming back.

*Feral cats protest today’s HB 210 vote.  The bill that was gutted was resurrected and brought back for a 4th time and finally passed the House.  Salt Lake Trib ace reporter tracks down Snowball for an exclusive interview.  It is fall-on-the-floor-laughingingly-funny.  Here’s a taste:

“I’m a first generation feral. My mother was raised as house cat, but left the oppression of her masters and sacrificed everything she had to become feral.
It was a tough life for my mother, she gave birth to 5 kittens at the age of 6 months. My absentee father, whom I know nothing about, left shortly after we were born and my mother was left to raise her kittens as a single mom. Two of my siblings died shortly after birth. My 2 older brothers were killed during a Patrick Henry Caucus Cottage meeting. Growing up, I lived from Dumpster to Dumpster trying to find enough food to eat. At the age of 2, I became addicted to bath salts while living in a dumpster behind Bath & Body Works. During my first visit to rehab, I met my wife Mittens, a recovering bath salt and spice addict. We have been together ever since. We’ve had multiple litters of kittens and Mittens home schools them while I spend my time fighting for feral cat rights. It is a simple life, but we are tired of living in the shadows created by bills like HB210.

Head on over to the Trib to read the rest of the interview.

*Snowball also released a statement on the House passage of HB 210. From the release: Unfortunately, House Bill 210, in its current form, does not protect feral cats who live in the rural areas of Utah.
They still will be faced with an extermination order, like unto the Mormon Pioneers in Missouri, who were driven from their homes after Governor Boggs signed an extermination order. Trib

*SB 113, the bill to re-draw the boundaries for legislative district 57, passed out of the House Government Operations committee. Trib

*Bill to prevent school districts from paying teachers on leave to do union work passes out of the House. Rep. Greg Hughes said the issue isn’t about whether or not teachers unions are beneficial but that it’s inappropriate for any type of association to receive taxpayer funding. Trib

*A bill that would allow government agencies to move to 5-day work week moved out of committee and on to the House floor. Some monetary savings from the 4-day work week have been recognized, but less than anticipated. Deseret News

Honoring our fallen sons

Today, the Utah Legislature honored the Utah men who gave their lives in service to our country during 2010. Representative Ryan Wilcox made the following remarks:

Madame Speaker, fellow representatives, and distinguished guests:

It is with the utmost humility, respect, and appreciation that I address this body today. There are but few moments in life when gratitude ceases to be a virtuous gesture, and instead, becomes a solemn duty… even a sacred honor. This is indeed one of these moments.

Today we gather in sober remembrance of 7 sons, 7 brave and courageous men, who laid down their lives in the line of duty at the call of this nation. Today, it is our privilege to revere their service and our obligation to honor those they loved, and left behind.

In a similar situation President Abraham Lincoln wrote these words to the mothers of five fallen soldiers; He said: “I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.” In words less eloquent than those of President Lincoln I too wish to pay special tribute to the mothers of Utah’s own fallen. These women are primarily responsible for raising these sons of liberty, these men who have left a legacy of courage. Because of their courage under fire, because of their sacrifice, we remain safe in land of the free; we have become the home of the brave.

Freedom is a precious gift, bestowed upon as at an enormous cost. Utah’s seven, OUR seven, are amongst the thousands who have unselfishly sacrificed their own liberty, to protect ours. We must never forget that our ability to pursue happiness is a product of the blood they shed.

Many of them rushed into danger, knowing full well the risk. Each of these, our sons, has added his own testimony to the generations of men and women whose sacrifice we remember each time we hold our hands to our hearts…that freedom isn’t free.

For most of these men life had hardly begun. Yet, when the moment of decision came, these men hoped that the sacrifice they were about to make would make a difference. Yet, more than that, that their final sacrifice would keep others from having to do the same. Such selfless love must never be taken for granted… It must never become a faded memory. It is to that end that we honor these men today.

Courage is not confined to the field of battle… it is found in every home that has sent a son or daughter off to war, it is in the heart of every patriot who has served this nation, it is ever present in the names etched on the walls and memorials of small towns, big cities, and in the memories of those who remain.

To the men and women, and especially the children here today who have had to sacrifice a father, a brother, a husband, or a son in defense of our freedoms, we offer our deepest gratitude. Today they are not only your sons, today, they are our sons too. You have endured unthinkable grief… may God grant you His lasting peace and may you know of our love and respect for you and your sons.

Madame Speaker, members of the body, would you please join me in offering our gratitude through a moment of silence on behalf of these heroes.

Daily Fix, Feb 23

Entitlement reform, immigration, DOMA and government regulation of reincarnation. Seriously.

*Wisconsin runaway Senators put spotlight on the state that got it right – Utah. Last year’s pension reforms have become model legislation across the nation. Senator Dan Liljenquist quotes John Kenneth Galbraith in saying: “Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.” Wisconsin shows what can happen when you put off the unpalatable. Sen Liljenquist // KSL

*Speaking of Senator Liljenquist, his Medicaid reform bill passed out of the Senate unanimously on both the second and third readings. It is expected to pass through the House with little opposition. Trib

*Showing China totally gets the proper role of government, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is “an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.” HuffPo

*President Obama has instructed the Department of Justice to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, saying that parts of the law are unconstitutional. Attorney General Eric Holder has been asked to no longer argue in support of DOMA, saying there is not a “reasonable” argument for the federal government to defend. “While both the wisdom and the legality of Section 3 of DOMA will continue to be the subject of both extensive litigation and public debate, this administration will no longer assert its constitutionality in court,” Holder said. The Hill

*Falling into the category of “politics make strange bedfellows,” the Utah House passed Rep Bill Wright’s proposed guest worker program on the heels of passing the Sandstrom bill. It was an interesting discussion, as this time, Democrats stood to speak in favor of pushing the feds and wondering “Where’s the Line” and some of the most conservative legislators pointed out we were poking the feds in the eye. On a personal note, I voted for this bill. I also voted for the Sandstrom bill. Neither one is perfect, but I am also VERY uncomfortable with “enforcement only” and in the end, had to agree with Rep Wright that this is a starting point. Trib

*In other immigration news, Senator Robles’ bill also passed out of committee and is on to the Senate floor. The measure – co-sponsored by Republican Rep Jeremy Peterson – provides for two types of “accountability” permits: Type A for undocumented immigrants age 18 and older who have lived in the state for at least 18 months and type B for new arrivals who can demonstrate arrangements for work in Utah. It also includes provisions for English proficiency and a criminal background check. Deseret News

Daily Fix, Feb 22

Pirates, runaways and dictators with a death wish.

*Sadly, the pirate tale has a tragic ending.  Four Americans, on a round-the-world boating adventure, were captured last week and were shot this morning aboard their vessel. Ship owners Jean and Scott Adam and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle were Christians who loved to travel. Part of their travel was what they called “friendship evangelism” – finding homes for thousands of Bibles. According to their website, they also said their mission was to “allow the power of the Word to transform lives.” This marks one of the deadliest attacks by pirates who plague the region. CNN

*In Wisconsin, union workers from surrounding states are being bussed in to continue protesting. Gov Walker insists he will not cave – the state is out of money. NY Daily News

*Meanwhile in Indiana, Democrats fled the state to avoid voting on a union bill. Governor Mitch Daniels had warned his party late last year against pursuing so-called “right to work” legislation. While he agreed with it philosophically, he said it was a big issue that needed a state-wide debate and noted no Republican had run on this in the November election. “The most powerful special interests in America today are the government unions,” he said Monday in an interview with NPR. “They’re the leading financial contributors.” He had also expressed support for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Indy Star // Politico

*Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) announced Tuesday he will not pursue the presidency in 2012. In an announcement on his website he said: “[A]t this time, I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate.” The field continues to narrow. The Hill

*Meanwhile in Libya, Qaddafi told his people that the unrest was the fault of “rats” who are “agents” of foreign intelligence services and apparently on drugs. He informed the crowd that gathered under duress that anyone found to be cooperating with outside forces in fomenting discord, and those who carry weapons against the country, will be executed. Even though his grasp appears to be slipping, he defiantly said he would not step down but would “die a martyr” in his country. Dictator+freedom fighters often=”matyrdom” for said dictator. Just sayin’. CNN

Utah’s rosy budget numbers?

The newest budget numbers for Utah were released today and show millions more than expected – $17 million in one-time money for the general fund, and an extra $14 million in one-time education funding.  In projected ongoing funds, we are looking at $96 million for the general fund and $167 million in ongoing education funds.  Those numbers leave us $50 million short in funding our structural imbalance, and does not account for the mandatory increases in Medicaid spending.  They also do not fund education growth.

Some are already clamoring to spend, spend, spend, but we’re a fiscally responsible state for a reason.  Modest projected increases in state revenues do not give us license to spend it all.  Not only should we not touch the rainy day fund, but I believe we should take some of these funds and start replenishing that fund.  We’re one small economic hiccup away from coming back and making more cuts.  It seems likely that education will get the bulk of the funding, but there are many needs, not the least of which is continuing to look towards the future.

Daily Fix, Feb 21

The Utah legislature has a much-appreciated day off today in honor of President’s day. Rumors are that tomorrow’s budget numbers will be even better news than anticipated, Dennis Stowell is fighting for his life and Orrin Hatch remains in the crosshairs. I mean targeted. I mean “strongly encouraged to retire.”

*Senator Dennis Stowell, R-Parowan, is in a fight for his life.  Diagnosed with prostate cancer 5 years ago, it has spread to his bones, causing severe back pain and fatigue, yet he is determined to soldier on.  Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.  Trib

*After 4:40 am Saturday morning, after 4 days of debate, the US House passed the continuing resolution that will allow the government to continue functioning.  The resolution calls for cutting $61 billion from the 2010 spending levels.  Speaker Boehner pledged to have an open process and lawmakers were able to offer unlimited amendments.  More than 500 were submitted, almost 70 were voted on and fewer than 20 were approved.  Nancy Pelosi claimed the cuts would “destroy jobs.”  The Hill

*One of those amendments was offered by Rep Mike Pence and would no longer provide tax-payer dollars to Planned Parenthood. Even though the federal dollars can not be used to pay for abortions directly, those Title X funds free up other dollars to allow the nation’s largest abortion provider to continue to operate. In Utah, one Planned Parenthood clinic offers abortions. The vote passed 240-185. Fox 13 // Politico

*Utah’s Orrin Hatch continues to be one of the top 3 GOP targets in the 2012 election cycle, joining Olympia Snowe from Maine and Dick Lugar of Indiana. Lugar is ignoring the tea party, Snowe is making “key alliances” and Hatch is wooing them and where possible, he is hiring them. His staff includes key members of the Mike Lee and Morgan Philpot campaigns, as well as former state GOP chair and vice-chair, Dave Hansen and Kitty Dunn. Huff Po

*Hatch is also showing up at conservative events like a recent Tea Party Express rally and CPAC. Tea Party Express chairman, Amy Kremer, said he invited himself. According to Time, “Hatch has been a senator for 34 years, which is itself a fatal flaw for the insurrectionists eager to purge the party’s dinosaurs. (When he mentioned the length of his tenure, a man behind me muttered, “Time to move on.”) Since coming to Washington, he’s committed enough apostasies to flunk any Tea Party purity test. Hatch voted for TARP, sponsored the DREAM Act, and has a record of forging alliances with Democrats like the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, with whom he worked on broadening children’s health-insurance coverage.” Time

*FreedomWorks, well-known for their focus on fiscal conservatism and grassroots activism was in Utah on Thursday to meet with various tea party groups and potential candidates as they look to the 2012 races. Russ Walker, FreedomWork’s vice president for political and grassroots campaigns, says the meetings were to analyze the [Senate] race and to figure out “whether we have a real challenger to Hatch, and if we do have that challenger, what the next step in the process will be.” CNN

Wisconsin’s runaway Senators

Democrat Wisconsin Senators took off today instead of voting on a bill that would enact pension reforms and place some controls on collective bargaining for unions in their state. With them gone, the Senate lost their quorum and can not proceed the vote.

About 10,000 teachers, nurses, city workers and firefighters gathered at the Capitol to protest the bill today. In fact, 40% of the state’s teachers refused to show up to work yesterday or today and many took their students with them as they protested against reform.

The state’s 170,000 public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs in exchange for bearing more costs and a change in those collective bargaining agreements. Under the governor’s proposal, public-worker unions could still represent employees, but could not pursue pay increases above those tied to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold votes once a year to stay organized. If the measure fails, Mr. Walker expects layoffs of 6000 public employees.

According to a local radio station, the “proposal marks a dramatic shift for the state, which passed a comprehensive collective bargaining law in 1959 and was the birthplace of the national union representing all non-federal public employees. In addition to eliminating collective bargaining rights, the legislation also would make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage — increases Walker calls “modest” compared with those in the private sector.”

In spite of the long history of being a union state, voters in November elected Governor Walker, an outspoken conservative, and GOP majorities in both the House and Senate, a clear sign that the public was ready for a change.

“We’re at a point of crisis,” Mr. Walker told reporters. And while he said he appreciated the concerns of the public employees shouting outside his office door, taxpayers “need to be heard as well.” Mr. Walker said the dramatic action is necessary to close the state’s gaping budget hole for the fiscal year starting in July and avoid massive employee layoffs.

The runaways were found holed up in a Best Western in Illinois, presumably out of reach of the Wisconsin Highway Patrol. They have supposedly called CNN with a “list of demands.” Governor Walker calls today’s actions “more theatrics than anything.”

Daily Fix, Feb 16

Immigration bills, death threats, famous tweeters and budget battles. Plus, the Utah legislature starts two-a-days today – floor time, that is.

*Two state reps running illegal immigration bills have received open threats. A two-page letter – sent to Rep Chris Herrod and Rep Steve Sandstrom, media outlets and Hispanic activist and included images of Che Guevara and an AK-47. It calls for a confrontation with the “racist state of Utah” based on a “dialogue of bullets, the ideals of assassination, bombing, and destruction, and the diplomacy of the cannon and machine-gun.” So not cool. Des News

*Big Love’s Bill Henrickson is now tweeting from Utah’s Capitol Hill. Some gems:
• Good grief, how many days are going to be wasted on gun talk! I like Rep. Selig’s passion. 4th wife if she plays her cards right.
• Need ideas for other official state items! State jello? State chemical weapon? State of denial on Ed funding? Hit me back
Now that UTferalcat has mostly gone away, be sure to follow Bill on Twitter: @SenHendrickson Trib

*The annual budget battles between the legislature and the executive branch have begun. Governor Herbert took a swipe at the legislature’s budgeting process, calling it convoluted, anxiety-producing and one that gives the legislature a black eye. Speaker Lockhart responded by saying “I will not apologize for the legislative process” while Senator Lyle Hillyard said “We could make it simpler if you made me king and didn’t let the press into our appropriations committees and did it all behind closed doors, kind of like the governor does.” Trib

*It’s no different on the national level. Obama threatened to veto GOP spending cuts. A statement released by the White House said that “If the president is presented with a bill that undermines critical priorities or national security through funding levels or restrictions, contains earmarks or curtails the drivers of long-term economic growth and job creation while continuing to burden future generations with deficits, the president will veto the bill.” Additionally, the White House said the cuts in the GOP plan “will undermine our ability to out-educate, out-build, and out-innovate the rest of the world” and that the GOP proposal goes too far and “proposes cuts that would sharply undermine core government functions and investments key to economic growth and job creation.” Let the games begin. The Hill

*Another Utah immigration bill has passed committee, but it’s one that is quite different than the Sandstrom bill. Rep Bill Wright is proposing a guest worker program for illegal immigrants. The ACLU told the committee that the bill is unconstitutional and doesn’t guarantee undocumented workers won’t be deported. The committee moved the bill forward by 6-1 vote, even with concerns about the Constitutionality of the bill. Des News

*And then there’s something about hazing freshman …… Trib

Daily Fix, Feb 15

*Rep Mike Morley started a lively debate on the form of national government we have. It’s not a democracy, but is it a Democratic Constitutional Republic? A Federalist Republic? A Federal Constitutional Republic? Morley believes that we have a Constitutional Republic and yesterday, the House passed a bill that would have schools incorporate that into their civics education curricula. Trib

*Utah Senator Orrin Hatch doesn’t break that 50% threshold in an early poll looking at a match-up between him, Congressman Chaffetz and “neither”. Interestingly, while the poll was about a mock Republican primary, it was not limited just to Republicans, nor to “likely voters.” Des News

*And, if romance is still in the air from Valentine’s Day, you could plan for your special day to take place at … McDonald’s. In Hong Kong, you can purchase the “Warm and sweet wedding package,” for only $1282which includes “wedding gifts, pink invitation cards emblazoned with golden arches, decor featuring the likes of Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar, and classic golden arches fare worth up to $385.” Nothing says true love like a Big Mac. Reuters