Latest news with #Pierucci
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rep. Casey Snider to serve as new Utah House majority leader
After Jefferson Moss resigned from the Utah Legislature, the Utah House Majority Caucus held a special leadership election to replace him. In the special closed-caucus election late Tuesday, Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, was elected to be the House majority leader. He previously served as the majority assistant whip. 'I am honored to take on this role and grateful for the opportunity to serve,' Snider said, according to a release from the caucus. 'Our leadership team is committed to serving the members of our caucus and the people of Utah with integrity and foresight as we continue to advance meaningful policy for the benefit of every Utahn.' Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, will be the new House majority whip, and the new House majority assistant whip is Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville. 'I am thankful for the trust our Majority Caucus has placed in me,' Pierucci said. 'Our leadership team is energized and ready to represent our caucus as we work to make a lasting impact for families and communities across our state.' The three representatives will serve in these leadership positions for the rest of the 2025-2026 term. 'It's an honor to earn the trust of my colleagues,' Bolinder said. 'I'm eager to get to work, to listen, and to help ensure every voice in our caucus, and every Utahn, is represented.' Moss, who was the majority leader, resigned from the Legislature after he was appointed to serve as executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. 'I am excited to work alongside this new leadership team as we represent our caucus and work on behalf of all Utahns,' said Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. 'Congratulations to Rep. Snider, Rep. Pierucci, and Rep. Bolinder. This leadership team stands ready to work on behalf of all Utahns.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah House Republicans elect new slate of leadership
Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, speaks in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) In order to fill an open leadership position left by former House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, the Utah House Republicans chose their next second-in-command during a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday night. The House GOP elected Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, for their next majority leader, picking him over Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield. Moss resigned from the Republican-controlled House effective last week to accept Gov. Spencer Cox's appointment as executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. Lisonbee previously served as majority whip and Snider served as majority assistant whip, leaving both of those positions up for grabs. Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, won election to be majority whip, while Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville, was elected assistant majority whip. 'I am excited to work alongside this new leadership team as we represent our caucus and work on behalf of all Utahns,' House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday night. 'Congratulations to Rep. Snider, Rep. Pierucci, and Rep. Bolinder. This leadership team stands ready to work on behalf of all Utahns.' Snider and Pierucci have both been rising stars in House leadership, having previously served in leadership positions before taking the higher-ranking roles. Bolinder is a relative newcomer, having first been elected in January 2023. Snider began his legislative service in October 2018, while Pierucci has served since November 2019. Snider has political experience both in Utah and Washington, D.C. He previously worked as a legislative director for a congressman, former Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, and was a staffer on the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources. He has also served as a firefighter for the Paradise City Fire Department and worked in various agricultural roles. He owns and operates a 300 acre farm in Cache County, according to his campaign website. When Snider was first appointed in 2018 at the age of 33, he assumed the role as the state's youngest legislator. Now, that title belongs to Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, who took office in 2023 at the age of 25. Previously, Snider served in a powerful position as chair of the House Rules Committee, which decides which bills get committee hearings. 'I am honored to take on this role and grateful for the opportunity to serve,' Snider said in a prepared statement. 'Our leadership team is committed to serving the members of our caucus and the people of Utah with integrity and foresight as we continue to advance meaningful policy for the benefit of every Utahn.' Pierucci — who was also deemed the Legislature's youngest lawmaker when she first took office in 2018 at the age of 27 — previously worked as director of community relations for another congressman, former Rep. Chris Stewart, and as development director for the conservative think tank Sutherland Institute. As a lawmaker, Pierucci most recently served as chair of the House Education Committee. One of the most high-profile and controversial pieces of legislation she ran included the creation of the state's 'school choice' voucher program, named Utah Fits All, which a district court judge recently ruled as unconstitutional. State leaders said they would appeal the ruling to the Utah Supreme Court. 'I am thankful for the trust our Majority Caucus has placed in me,' Pierucci said in a statement. 'Our leadership team is energized and ready to represent our caucus as we work to make a lasting impact for families and communities across our state.' Bolinder owns a family construction company, according to his campaign website. He's affiliated with the Utah Manufacture Association and lists Grantsville High School as his education, according to his legislative page. Last year, he was selected to serve as chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee. 'It's an honor to earn the trust of my colleagues,' Bolinder said. 'I'm eager to get to work, to listen, and to help ensure every voice in our caucus, and every Utahn, is represented.'
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah declares war on human trafficking with new legislation
An effort to strengthen human trafficking penalties in Utah this legislative session was met with strong support in the session's final week with the passage of House Bill 405. 'Human trafficking is a serious offense, and it involves coercing someone into forced labor or sexual acts, and in essence, it's modern-day slavery,' Rep. Candice B. Pierucci, R-Herriman, said during her bill's first House floor debate last month. 'Unfortunately, Utah lags severely behind other states in the prosecution of human trafficking.' Now passed by both the House and Senate, HB405, if signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, will increase penalties for certain human trafficking offenses in the state. Under current law, the human trafficking of a child is a first-degree felon but with a five-year minimum sentence; Pierucci's bill would make it 10. It would likewise change human trafficking for sexual exploitation from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony, no matter the age of the victim. It also alters the enhancement for aggravated human trafficking and labor trafficking up to a first-degree level felony. 'This is a very serious issue,' she said. 'We've talked about some of the horrific impacts of having a porous border over the past four years, and this is an issue that our state and the country as a whole is trying to wrap its hands around.' During her presentation at the House Judiciary Committee meeting, Pierucci revealed that in 2020, over half of all sex trafficking survivors were undocumented in the United States. She noted that in one study, most victims reported being recruited for both sex and labor trafficking, with 75% holding an unknown immigration status. Another study showed that 60% of Latin American children who attempt to cross the border alone or with smugglers are captured by cartels and exploited in child pornography or drug trafficking. Though the bill passed on Wednesday, lawmakers from both parties expressed concern about the five-year increase in minimum sentencing. 'I've seen these mandatory minimums sometimes sweep up people who really don't deserve the mandatory minimum,' said Derrin R. Owens, R-Fountain Green. 'Our job as a legislature is to set policy to say, 'Yes, we do think these are very serious crimes worthy of very serious punishment,' but then we let a judge and a jury decide how that law should apply to the facts before them.' Current U.S. state minimum prison sentences for child sex trafficking and labor trafficking: Utah: Sex trafficking — 5 years. Labor trafficking — 1 year. Georgia: Sex trafficking — 25 years. Labor trafficking — 10 years. Oklahoma: Sex trafficking — 15 years. Labor trafficking — 5 years. Missouri: Sex trafficking — 10 years. Labor trafficking — 5 years. During the Senate flooring discussion on Wednesday, Sen. Todd D. Weiler, R-Woods Cross, stated that although he did not oppose the bill, he wanted to clarify that offenders are rarely released after serving minimum sentences. 'Despite low minimum sentences, the effects of being trafficked for the victims are lifelong,' the bill's floor sponsor, Sen. Heidi Balderree, R-Saratoga Springs, said in response. In response to the same concerns during the House floor debate, Pierucci said she would serve 25 years if she could. 'At the very least, we are moving the needle and enhancing this to a first-degree felony with no less than 10 years in prison,' she said. 'And the goal, the hope, (and) the message is one: Utah will stop lagging behind the rest of the country in how we charge these things. But also, the message should go out: do not try this in Utah. We take it seriously, and we will make sure you are locked up for a very long time.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With reduced scholarship for homeschool students, Utah Fits All update poised to become law
Students work in an art class at Wasatch Junior High School in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) With about 80% of school choice voucher recipients being homeschooled in the Utah Fits All program's first year, the Utah Legislature has passed a bill restricting funding for extracurriculars and decreasing awards for students learning at home. HB455, sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, was updated in the Senate Education Committee last week to reduce the amount that homeschool students can receive, bringing down the $8,000 annual scholarship. Now, homeschooled Utah Fits All students 5 to 11 years old would have access to $4,000 a year, while those 12 to 18 years old could get $6,000. Private school students are still eligible for $8,000 a year to help cover their tuition or other expenses. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We made that change,' Pierucci said on the House floor on Monday. 'It will open up a minimum $16 million in the current existing appropriation, so that that money can be reallocated to more students.' The bill passed both the House and the Senate and now only awaits the governor's signature. In a public hearing, many spoke against the change in scholarship amounts. Madeline Ogborn, who has two children in the program, said it would be devastating to lose 50% of her budget to educate them. 'We're, I guess, confused, disappointed, worried about being treated equally,' she said, adding that she has tried to be thoughtful about her expenses, but still, one of her students is already over that $4,000 limit for this school year, she said. However, Pierucci defended the scholarship amount cut, arguing that while she acknowledges that homeschool learning can work in many ways, with different expenses, she heard concerns about the program encouraging 'frivolous spending' with the $8,000 amount. She struggled with the cut, she said, because it could send a message that homeschooling is 'less than.' But, the change is to allow more students into the program. The school choice scholarship, which detractors call 'school vouchers,' has been controversial and even faces a challenge in court with a lawsuit questioning its constitutionality. But, it has also been highly sought after in the state, with a lengthy waitlist of those vying to get state dollars for education expenses including private school tuition and fees, homeschooling, tutoring services, testing fees, materials and other expenses. Pierucci said lowering the scholarship amount could potentially allow some of the more than 17,000 students on the waitlist to get into the program. And, more Utah students may also have access to the money in the coming year, as a new request for appropriations was included in the state's budget recommendation for the 2025 fiscal year, leaving some Democratic lawmakers frustrated. Currently the Utah Fits All is allocated $82.5 million in taxpayer funding a year, used to serve about 10,000 students. A request to almost double that amount was met halfway in the budget, which adds $40 million more in ongoing money for the program. The legislation also establishes more guardrails and clear guidelines for the program manager, strengthening residence requirements and adjusting the priority for families with an income from 200% of the federal poverty level to 300%, 'to make sure we're truly capturing low income and middle class families before it is available to all families in Utah,' Pierucci said. It also includes a provision that has been very unpopular among recipients — a 20% cap for extracurriculars and physical education, and the clear exclusion of ski passes, furniture, musical instruments, apparel and others from the allowable expenses. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers look to curb espionage on and around Utah's military bases
An F-22 Raptor prepares for take off at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. (Photo by) Utah lawmakers advanced a bill on Monday that attempts to rein in foreign governments that want to purchase land in Utah, while trying to curb what lawmakers say is a growing form of espionage posing a threat to the state's military installations. HB430 passed out of the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee with unanimous approval from lawmakers. It will now be considered by the entire Senate body. The bill builds on past legislation from Pierucci that targets restricted foreign entities — Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. That includes a law preventing these countries from purchasing land in Utah, and a follow up bill that bars companies associated with these countries from buying land. Pierucci's HB430 has two main focuses. It would require county recorders to provide a form to people purchasing land where they can disclose their relationship with a foreign government. If the person does not disclose connections to a restricted foreign entity (for instance, having served in the Russian military) or that they're buying the land on behalf of a restricted foreign entity, they can be charged with a third-degree felony. And, the bill targets a bizarre form of espionage that Pierucci says is a growing threat. A 2023 report from The Wall Street Journal found more than 100 incidents where Chinese nationals, posing as tourists or food delivery drivers, tried to enter U.S. military bases. 'Depending on who's at the gate, they may let them through,' said Pierucci. 'Those individuals can go take a little drive around the base, take some pictures and leave.' Pierucci's bill would direct food delivery services to designate military bases as off limits, while creating a drop zone outside of the base so people can more securely receive deliveries. 'If someone really needs their Popeyes, or whatever it is, they're going to need to drop it off out front and not go into the base,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
