It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Republican supermajority in the Utah Legislature! Wait ... what does that really mean? Basically, more than two-thirds of the lawmakers on capitol hill are members of the GOP, and that gives them A LOT of power. We unpacked how that actually plays out, and looked at another supermajority state — California. Turns out maybe we aren’t so different after all.
Renee Bright
Guests:
- Nicole Nixon, Politics Reporter at public radio station CapRadio in Sacramento, California
- David Magleby, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Brigham Young University
Recommended Reading and Listening:
- 2021 changes to how ballot initiatives work: How Recent Elections Impacted New Utah Voting Laws
- 2019 Changes to how ballot initiatives work: Changes Are Coming To the Ballot Initiative Process With Series Of Bills
- LDS Representation in the Utah Legislature: Latter-day Saints are overrepresented in Utah’s Legislature, holding 9 of every 10 seats
- Changing racial demographics in Utah: New census numbers are staggering. We know Utah is growing. See by how much and where.
- California Republicans’ Zoom stunt: Here’s What California Lawmakers Did On Their Last Day Of Session
- More on California Republicans’ Zoom stunt: Unmasked: Tempers flare and patience frays as California lawmakers hit viral end of session
- A look back at Jim Dabakis’ time in the Legislature: Dabakis Is Leaving the Building
- Increased restrictions on ballot initiatives: Utah Legislature Approves Increased Restrictions On Paid Signature Gathering For Ballot Initiatives
- Sen. Jim Dabakis’ Mimosa Debacle: Utah senator does a little day drinking, then presents a bill to delay .05 DUI law
- Former Sen. Jim Dabakis and House Speaker Greg Hughes on Radiowest: The 2018 Utah Legislative Session in Review
- Legislature changes medical cannabis ballot initiative: Utah Legislature Passes Overhaul Of Proposition 2, Rewriting Medical Cannabis Law
- Utah leaders undo the Medicaid Expansion ballot initiative: Herbert Signs Scaled-Back Medicaid Expansion Into Law
- Utah Legislators Tweak Redistricting Initiative: Compromise Bill To Revise Proposition 4 Keeps Partisan Gerrymandering Ban Intact