Utah Public Land Summit

Apr 25, 2014

On Friday, April 18, I joined a group of lawmakers and policy makers from eight Western states in a summit to build support for the transfer of federal land back to the states.  After attending the summit it is clear that momentum is building for public land transfer across the West, and I will continue to work to educate Americans across the country about the burdens of excessive federal land ownership.  Here are some social media highlights of the summit:

Meeting with Utah's Students

Apr 22, 2014

For the last ten days, I have been actively traveling around the state meeting with Utahns.  I held two town hall meetings last week.  I have also met with business leaders, local officials, and various civil institutions.  In addition to this active schedule, I also had the chance to meet with students at Ogden High School, Brighton High School, and Salt Lake Community College.  Here are some highlights from these visits:

Meeting with students in Ogden

Meeting with students at Brighton High School

Today I taught the Brighton High School U.S. Government class. A student asked why I don't vote with my party 100% of the time. It was nice to see that they are paying attention to the voting records of their elected officials.

Meeting with Salt Lake Community College

I enjoyed participating in the "Pizza and Politics" event at Salt Lake Community College today. I also appreciate those who participated in our discussion on higher-education reform.

The U.S. Government teachers at Brighton High School

brighton teachers

Support Growing for Criminal Justice Reform: My Visit with Sheriff Winder

Apr 22, 2014

Today I had the opportunity to meet with Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder.  Among the several things we discussed, I wanted to make sure he was aware of my efforts to reform our criminal justice system with the Smarter Sentencing Act.  He was supportive of my efforts, and I am committed to passing these reforms out of the Senate:

If you want to learn more about why criminal justice reform is overdue, a new article in The American Conservative outlines the bipartisan consensus that is building to pass these reforms: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/conservative-sentencing-reform-politically-savvy-morally-right/

Recap of Mobile Office Visit to Sanpete County

Apr 11, 2014

ON April 10 my mobile office visited Nephi, Gunnison and Mt. Pleasant.  During these visits members of my staff met with local residents and city officials to open a dialogue about the issues that are most important to them.  Several law enforcement officials shared their concerns about tensions that exist between local law enforcement officials and federal law enforcment officials from agencies such as ICE and the BLM.  My staff also learned about trucking regulations that were having an impact on a local small business.  Local officials also took the time to showcase some of their local facilities and historical sites.  I appreciate the feedback that was relayed to me by my staff from those who took the time out of their busy day to connect with my office.

Crony Capitalism and the Export-Import Bank

Apr 9, 2014

The American economy is the envy of the world, primarily because it is still seen as a place where anyone – regardless of who you are or where you come from – can work hard, play by the rules, and succeed. That belief is predicated on the notion that America has a thriving, competitive and free enterprise economy in which the best ideas and hardest workers win the day, while those who are less successful always have a fair chance to try again.

Lee’s Opening Statement at Comcast-Time Warner Hearing

Apr 9, 2014

Today Senator Mike Lee delivered the following opening statement in the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Hearing on the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger.

Lee Plans to Offer Amendment to End Comp-Time Discrimination Against Private-Sector Employees

Apr 8, 2014

When the Senate moves to the Fair Pay Act, Senator Mike Lee plans to propose an amendment that would give private-sector employers the ability to offer their employees the option of compensation time or overtime pay.

Senator Lee praises the Utah National Guard's 1-211th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion

Apr 8, 2014

Senator Lee praises the Utah National Guard's 1-211th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and discusses his concerns about transferring Apache helicopters out of the National Guard.

Ex-Im Bank and the GOP’s Cronyism Test

Apr 7, 2014

Imagine a reformed Republican party seizing the moral high ground against political corruption and economic dysfunction. Imagine its leaders, advocating populist, free-market reforms to restore jobs, growth, and fairness to the economy. Faster than you can say “TARP,” we could pin the Left between their egalitarian facade and their elitist agenda, and force them to choose between K Street and Main Street.

Ending our Opportunity Crisis by Developing our Abundant Natural Resources

Apr 4, 2014

A vote to confirm Rhea Suh is a vote against energy production. A vote against energy production is also a vote against increased energy exports, because you can’t export natural gas that is still in the ground.