Louisiana is set to become the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms under a bill signed into law by Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
Read MoreTag: Utah
Democrat-Run Sanctuary City Quietly Sending Illegal Immigrants to Red State
The self-described sanctuary city of Denver, Colorado is quietly paying for illegal immigrants to travel to Utah, according to Republican Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox.
Without the approval or advance knowledge of local officials, Denver has been paying for migrants to relocate to other places, including Utah, where approximately 2,000 have been sent, 2KUTV News reported Thursday. Cox said Friday the practice is “unacceptable” and a result of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
Read MoreCommentary: The Plague That Besets Our Schools Is Extensive
The year, now a quarter old, reveals that the country’s rapid slide into educational purgatory is moving apace. Leading off the grossness parade is a school in Oklahoma where students lick and suck the armpits and toes of their fellow students in the name of charity. (This may garner a shrug in San Francisco, but Oklahoma?!)
While no district personnel were directly involved, video footage from Deer Creek High School in Edmond, OK, showed mid-teens participating in and watching the disgusting events unfold.
Read MoreSuper Tuesday Election Problems: Ballot Scanners, Voter Check-Ins, Wrong Redistricting Information
Numerous election issues occurred in multiple counties throughout the U.S. on Super Tuesday – from malfunctioning ballot scanners to voters having problems checking in at polling stations and being directed to the wrong station.
Counties in Alabama, California, Texas and Utah all experienced problems, resulting in some voters leaving polling sites without casting a ballot.
Read MoreUtah Governor Signs Bill Barring Men from Using Women’s Restrooms
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah signed a bill on Tuesday that bans men from using women’s restrooms and locker rooms and creates a legal definition for male and female.
The bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Kera Birkeland, would designate restrooms in schools and public spaces as only “designated for the exclusive use” of females and males, according to the text. The bill was passed by the state House of Representatives on Friday before being signed by Cox this week, according to the press release.
Read MoreUtah Gives Taxpayer-Funded Health Care to Illegal Immigrant Children
Utah is giving taxpayer-funded health insurance to illegal immigrant children, according to a law that went into effect Jan. 1.
Roughly 6,500 illegal immigrant children in Utah will qualify for care under the program, Thaiss Del Rio, a health policy analyst at Voices for Utah Children, told Axios of the new law. Utah’s move follows a decision by the state of California to provide health care for illegal immigrants up to the age of 49.
Read MoreBlue State Residents Are Paying Much More for Energy than Red States, New Report Shows
Residents of blue states with aggressive climate policies are paying significantly more for electricity and fuel than red states, according to a new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York and New Jersey are seven of the top eight continental states in terms of highest average retail electricity prices in 2023, according to ALEC’s report. Each of these states have some sort of green energy mandate, which the ALEC report refers to as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), or participates in a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, or both.
Read MoreBLM Agitator John Sullivan Convicted of Multiple January 6 Crimes
A federal jury in the District of Columbia decided Thursday that left-wing agitator John Earle Sullivan didn’t just document the January 6 Capitol Riot – he was a participant, Fox 13 reported.
Read MoreReport: Mountain States Among ‘Most Free’ in North America
Mountain states rank among the “most free” in North America, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.
The Canadian think tank employs 10 variables for its Economic Freedom of North America 2023 reports and scores states based on categories such as government spending, taxes, labor market freedom, legal system and property rights, sound money, and freedom to trade internationally.
Read MoreCommentary: The Insatiable, Unaccountable, and Unsatisfied Bloodlust of the DOJ
Nejourde Thomas “Jord” Meacham was the sort of person the elites in Washington despise.
One of ten children in what appears to be a tight-knit family, Jord lived in rural Utah near the Nevada border working on his family’s ranch; he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and riding horses. “He was a big history buff. Listening to music was a big part of his life and young kids were drawn to him,” his obituary read. Jord is survived by his parents, siblings, grandparents, and “many aunts, uncles, and cousins.”
Read MoreRomney Says Won’t Seek 2024 Senate Re-Election: ‘Time for a New Generation of Leaders’
Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney on Wednesday said he does not plan on running for reelection, ending decades in public office as he cites his age and says, “It’s time for a new generation of leaders.”
Read MoreJudge Allows Utah Law Requiring Age Verification for Porn Sites to Remain in Effect
A U.S. District Court judge allowed a Utah law requiring age verification for porn websites to remain in effect, dismissing a lawsuit that argued the legislation infringed on the First Amendment and individual privacy, according to a press release.
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) filed a lawsuit on May 3 after a law went into effect in the state of Utah that required porn websites to use age verification screening or face potential civil suits from Utah citizens. Judge Ted Stewart dismissed the lawsuit Tuesday, allowing the law to remain in place, but FSC announced that they plan to appeal the decision, according to a press release.
Read MoreCommentary: Tax Relief Is Coming to Millions of Red-State Residents in Ohio, Connecticut, and More
July marked the beginning of Fiscal Year 2024 for 46 of the 50 states. It also closes the books on most state legislative sessions in what was an incredible 2023 for hard-working taxpayers.
In recent years, we’ve seen significant income tax relief in the states. Notably, 10 states – Kentucky, West Virginia, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, Connecticut, and Ohio – have cut personal income taxes (PIT) in 2023. With the new addition of West Virginia, North Dakota, and Connecticut, 22 states have cut personal income taxes since 2021, with several of these states cutting taxes multiple times during that period.
Read MoreChinese Intelligence Arm Quietly Operates ‘Service Centers’ in Seven U.S. Cities
by Philip Lenczycki A Chinese intelligence agency quietly operates “service centers” in seven American cities, all of which have had contact with Beijing’s national police authority, according to state media reports and government records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work…
Read MoreNearly Half of U.S. States Now Have Measures Limiting Transgender Surgery for Minors, but Lawsuits Abound
At least 20 states have either restricted or banned transgender procedures for minors, with many of them facing lawsuits and temporary blocks by courts as a result, while future litigation is possible in states considering adopting such laws.
The states that have enacted legislation against such procedures are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia – essentially all conservative-leaning.
Read MoreUtah Senator Mitt Romney to Likely Face a Primary Challenge
Utah Republican House Speaker Brad Wilson announced Thursday he has formed an exploratory committee to run for Senate – the first sign that he will challenge Republican Sen. Mitt Romney in 2024.
Wilson is weighing a senatorial bid because he is concerned with the “out of control spending” in Washington, and wouldn’t say whether a Romney run would dictate his plans, according to Deseret News. Romney has yet to announce a reelection run, but filed a “statement of candidacy” with the Federal Elections Commission Tuesday.
Read More17 State Attorneys General Declare Support for Florida Trans Guidance
by Eric Lendrum On April 7th, an amicus brief was filed in favor of Florida’s current ban on using state funds to support “transgender” treatments, with 17 state attorneys general voicing their support for the law. According to the Daily Caller, the brief’s filing was part of an ongoing legal…
Read MoreUtah Becomes First to Limit Teens’ Social Media Use with New Law
Utah passed legislation Thursday to require parental consent for children to use certain social media apps, becoming the first state in the country to limit teenagers’ social media usage.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills into law that limits minors from using social media apps like TikTok, requiring parental consent for those under 18. Minors are prohibited from using these platforms between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., and are subjected to age verification prior to social media use.
Read MoreCommentary: Mayor Derides Ranked-Choice Voting Pilot Program Failure as Know-it-All Legislators Seek to Expand the Program
A “guinea pig.” That is what Sandy, Utah Mayor Monica Zoltanski said that “ranked-choice voting” (RCV) made of her hometown. The town opted into Utah’s controversial RCV pilot program, but the experiment has not gone well. The cost-saving promised by proponents never materialized, but the real alarm bells should have sounded when the experiment produced voter confusion and voter disengagement.
Read MoreReview of 2020 Election Continues as Texas, Pennsylvania Counties Find Ballot Total Discrepancies
An audit of the 2020 election found a discrepancy of nearly 600 absentee votes in a Texas county, while a hand recount in a Pennsylvania county found a far smaller disparity, as more states seek to implement election reviews.
In Smith County, Texas, an audit of the 2020 election showed 584 more absentee voters than absentee ballots, according to KLTV, a local ABC News affiliate. Seven county races were within the 584-vote margin of error, including council races and propositional elections. The audit also found five different totals for absentee ballots.
Read MoreHalf of the US No Longer Requires a Permit for Concealed Carry
Half of the states in the U.S. no longer require residents to hold a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in public after Alabama, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio passed laws in 2022 removing permit requirements.
On Monday, Alabama began enforcing its permitless carry law, becoming the 25th state to do so, while Indiana, Georgia and Ohio also passed laws this year allowing residents to concealed carry firearms without a permit. Over the last two years 10 states have moved to permitless carry, including Utah, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.
Read MoreTennessee, Georgia, and Virginia Among 18 States Banning Social Media App TikTok from State Devices
Following South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem’s lead, nearly half of U.S. states have put restrictions on or banned the use of Chinese-based social media app TikTok.
At least 19 states have banned TikTok on government-issued devices – Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utha, Virginia and West Virginia.
Read MoreCommentary: Republicans Can Thank the Federal Government’s Bungled 2020 Census for Their Razor-Thin House Majority
Republicans will soon take control of the House of Representatives, but with a margin so narrow it may prove difficult to achieve their legislative and oversight objectives. That margin might have been larger, were it not for egregious errors made by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 census.
Come January, House membership will consist of 213 Democrats and 222 Republicans. A party must hold 218 of those seats to control the House. Thus, Republicans will have only a four-seat majority. That extremely narrow majority means that GOP leadership can lose any vote on any issue if only four Republicans defect and the Democrats stay united in opposition.
Read MoreUtah to Emphasize LGBTQ and Minority Communities in Middle School Social Studies Classes
The Utah Board of Education passed social studies standards on Thursday for middle schoolers, emphasizing LGBTQ and minority communities, according to Fox 13 News.
The standards for fifth and sixth graders reflect an emphasis on diversity with a focus on minority and LGBTQ communities, John Arthur, a Utah middle school teacher who helped craft the standards said, according to Fox 13 News. The revisions, the first in more than a decade, faced backlash from parental rights in education groups such as Utah Parents United, who said the standards are “indoctrinating” students and promoting “social justice.”
Read MoreGoogle Agrees to Nearly $400 Million Settlement with 40 States over Location-Tracking Probe
Google agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states after an investigation found that the tech giant participated in questionable location-tracking practices, state attorneys general announced Monday.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called it a “historic win for consumers.”
Read MoreRepublican Treasurers Pull $1 Billion from BlackRock over Alleged Anti-Fossil Fuel Policies
Republican state treasurers are withdrawing $1 billion in assets from BlackRock’s control due to the asset manager’s alleged boycott of the fossil fuel industry, according to the Financial Times.
Republican South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftus is pulling $200 million from BlackRock by the end of 2022, and Louisiana treasurer John Schroder said on Oct. 5 that he is divesting $794 million from the company, according to the FT. Utah treasurer Marlo Oaks said he removed $100 million in funds from BlackRock’s control, and Arkansas treasurer Dennis Milligan pulled $125 million from the company in March.
Read MoreCommentary: ESG Cancel Culture Comes for State Financial Officers
As the leader of a nonprofit group whose mission is to promote economic freedom, sound public policy, and responsible financial management at the state level, I’m honored to help our nation’s financial officers practice good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Their work often includes managing pension funds that are vital to millions of Americans’ retirement security. Over the past few years, a growing threat called ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) has been negatively impacting state pension systems, ultimately putting retirees at risk. Sadly, our nation’s state financial officers and the retirees they have a fiduciary responsibility to protect are increasingly under siege by ESG ideologues who are motivated by politics rather than economics.
Read MoreUtah School District Gives Parents Option to Identify Their Children as Transgender or Non-Binary
Parents in a Utah school district are being given the option to choose if their elementary-school-aged children are transgender or non-binary when registering their students for school, according to a screenshot obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Read More21 States Join Lawsuit to End Federal Mask Mandate on Airplanes, Public Transportation
Twenty-one states have filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s continued mask mandate on public transportation, including on airplanes.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are leading the effort. Moody filed the suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida along with 20 other attorneys general. DeSantis said the mask mandate was misguided and heavy-handed.
Read MoreSixteen States File New Lawsuit Against Federal COVID Vaccination Mandate
Sixteen states again are challenging a federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers who work at facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Friday’s filing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana comes after the issuance of final guidance on the mandate from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), arguing the guidance is an action that is reviewable.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by 5-4 vote Jan. 13 against the original Louisiana challenge to the mandate and a similar Missouri filing.
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