News roundup: Texas reps: Gay marriage will lead to incest, pedophilia

Texas reps: Gay marriage will lead to incest, pedophilia. Herbert invites monument supporting senators to visit Utah. Cliven Bundy: God showed me the way.

Happy Thursday. As Texas seeks to reinstate its ban on same-sex marriage, 63 Republican lawmakers signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief saying that if the courts recognize gay marriage it will be a slippery slope toward legalizing incest, pedophilia and polygamy. "If the right to select 'partners of their choosing' is the criterion used to invoke marriage as a fundamental right, then marriage restrictions on age, polygamy, and consanguinity are also ripe for challenge," the brief states. [HuffPost]

Topping the news: Gov. Gary Herbert sent invites to all 14 senators petitioning for a new national monument in Utah to invite them to visit the state and see how it manages its own lands without federal control. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Rancher Cliven Bundy, a Mormon, says God inspired him toward a path to avoid a civil war in the standoff with federal agents in April. [Trib] But his rhetoric puts him on the fringes of Mormon beliefs, says a BYU prof. [Trib]

Tweet of the day: From @SpencerCox: "Excited to attend the dedication of one of the ugliest new buildings in Utah!" [Twitter]

In other news: Murray will make a $141,666 payment to UTOPIA despite concerns by city officials that the fiber-optic network is severely troubled. [Trib]

-> Meanwhile, six Wasatch Front cities plan to ask voters whether they want UTOPIA to be run by a private company in exchange for monthly fees. [Trib]

-> Keeping on the UTOPIA beat, a federal appeals court says articles penned by former West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder under the pen name Richard Burwash were not defamatory. [Trib]

-> Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, wants to name Utah's new federal courthouse after Sen. Orrin Hatch once he finishes his current term. [DNews]

-> Pat Bagley suggests why Congress must be so tired this year to need a five-week vacation. [Trib]

-> The average tenure of state senators is just under eight years, and if you take out a few of the long-termers who skew the average, it's about five years. [UtahPolicy]

-> Bryan Schott notes the problem with appointing state lawmakers to fill empty seats and allowing lobbyists to donate their time to help out. [UtahPolicy]

Nationally: The worst kept secret in Iowa? That Sen. Rand Paul is running for president. Already, the tea party favorite is miles ahead of potential 2016 Republican contenders. [WaPost]

-> A wave of corporations are looking to jettison their U.S.-based headquarters for more tax friendly foreign soil in a move that has Washington policymakers fearing a loss of billions in tax revenue. [WaPost]

-> Sen. Pat Roberts became the latest Republican to beat back a tea party primary rival, thanks to some big help from Washington. [Politico]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz flies to Missoula, Montana for event with congressional candidate Ryan Zinke.

Rep. Chris Stewart visits the Draper National Guard headquarters, meets with Rare Disease cure advocates, meets with the U.'s Biomedical Research group and sits down with Ogden Mayor Mike Cadwell and representatives from Hill Air Force Base.

Gov. Gary Herbert attends the Utah Rural Summit at SUU.

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox also attends the rural summit.

SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams has breakfast with Eric Schmidt of the New Roads Treatment Centers, hits the Council of Governments meeting and kicks back at the Paul McCartney concert.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker welcomes attendees at the Capital City Education Plan meeting at the Grand America, meets with community liaisons, hits the Council of Governments meeting and chats with SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams.

President Barack Obama heads to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to sign the recently passed bill addressing the Veterans Affairs administration concerns and later meets with senior advisers.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr Twitter.com/thomaswburr