Utah State Parks – Edge of the Cedars
Jul 22, 2015
My staff recently had the opportunity to visit Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum and meet with the park’s regional management and staff. Tim Smith, Southern Regional Director of Utah State Parks, Teri Paul, Park Manager, and Jonathan Till, Curator of Collections were gracious to provide my staff with a guided tour of the park’s facilities, exhibits, and special collections. Tim, Teri, and Jonathan are a great example of the important role that local management plays with our public lands.
July 28, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to South Ogden
Jul 21, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to South Ogden
When: Tuesday, July 28, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: City Offices – 1600 East South Weber Drive, Ogden, UT 84405
July 29, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to Fillmore
Jul 21, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to Fillmore
When: Wednesday, July 29, 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Where: Millard Courthouse - 50 South Main, Fillmore, UT 84631
July 29, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to Bountiful City
Jul 21, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to Bountiful City
When: Wednesday, July 29, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: City Offices – 790 South 100 East, Bountiful, UT 84010
Lee Letter Asks For DOJ And HHS Investigation Of Planned Parenthood
Jul 21, 2015
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee and ten other Republican Senators sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary SyLvia Burwell Tuesday, requesting a full investigation of whether Planned Parenthood has violated federal law prohibiting the sale of human fetal tissue for profit.
July 21, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to Orderville
Jul 17, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to Orderville
When: Tuesday, July 21, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Orderville Town Office – 425 East State Street, Orderville, UT 84758
July 21, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to Kanab
Jul 17, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to Kanab
When: Tuesday, July 21, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Where: County Courthouse – 76 North Main Street, Kanab, UT 84741
Congress Should Fight HUD Takeover of Local Zoning Decisions
Jul 17, 2015
On July 8, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it had finished writing a new rule that would empower bureaucrats in Washington, DC, while restricting city and county officials, to dictate local zoning requirements in any community across the country. The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule went into the Federal Register on July 16, and implementation of this radical new regulation will begin in mid August.
Radically reinterpreting the Fair Housing Act of 1968, this rule expands the ability of the federal government to audit the demographic makeup of communities around the country, effectively turning HUD into the National Zoning Authority for every neighborhood in the country. It does this by tying receipt of Community Development Block Grant funds to stringent requirements that ultimately require communities and neighborhoods to organize themselves around goals prescribed by federal bureaucrats.
The HUD officials who wrote the rule argue, “Increasing a neighborhood’s appeal to families with different income and ethnic profiles can encourage a more diversified population and reduce isolation.” This is true, but it begs the decisive question: which level of government is best equipped to decide how a neighborhood should increase its appeal to a diverse array of families, the federal government or local and state government?
Racial segregation and isolation have decreased significantly over the past half-century, but this new rule assumes those advances will not continue without Washington strong-arming its way into local zoning decisions, carving up the country block by block according to its own priorities and preferences. This is a clear example of how unaccountable regulators in Washington are seeking to engineer the very fabric of our society by giving federal bureaucrats control over local zoning decisions.
Congress has the power to fight back against this egregious power grab, by blocking funding for the rule’s implementation, and it has the responsibility to advocate for solutions that would keep housing decisions closest to the people who are affected by them.
Radically reinterpreting the Fair Housing Act of 1968, this rule expands the ability of the federal government to audit the demographic makeup of communities around the country, effectively turning HUD into the National Zoning Authority for every neighborhood in the country. It does this by tying receipt of Community Development Block Grant funds to stringent requirements that ultimately require communities and neighborhoods to organize themselves around goals prescribed by federal bureaucrats.
The HUD officials who wrote the rule argue, “Increasing a neighborhood’s appeal to families with different income and ethnic profiles can encourage a more diversified population and reduce isolation.” This is true, but it begs the decisive question: which level of government is best equipped to decide how a neighborhood should increase its appeal to a diverse array of families, the federal government or local and state government?
Racial segregation and isolation have decreased significantly over the past half-century, but this new rule assumes those advances will not continue without Washington strong-arming its way into local zoning decisions, carving up the country block by block according to its own priorities and preferences. This is a clear example of how unaccountable regulators in Washington are seeking to engineer the very fabric of our society by giving federal bureaucrats control over local zoning decisions.
Congress has the power to fight back against this egregious power grab, by blocking funding for the rule’s implementation, and it has the responsibility to advocate for solutions that would keep housing decisions closest to the people who are affected by them.
July 21, 2015 - Mobile Office Visit to Marriott-Slaterville
Jul 17, 2015
Mobile Office Visit to Marriott-Slaterville
When: Tuesday, July 21, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Where: City Office – 1570 West 400 North, Ogden, UT 84404
Lee Introduces Bill to Drive Down Costs of Federally Funded Infrastructure Construction Projects
Jul 16, 2015
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee introduced a bill that reduces the inflated costs of federal construction projects on our nation’s transportation infrastructure. The “Davis-Bacon Repeal Act” also reduces burdens on federal contractors who train and employ low-skilled workers, while saving the American people billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
