Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's on the horizon, and more. Reply to this email with any questions or suggestions regarding the newsletter. And thank you for subscribing! 

Stay informed on flooding

Utah is flooding – and we’re expecting more as the weather continues to warm up. You can be prepared by paying attention to your local conditions, filling sandbags in your community, and staying away from fast moving water. In addition, state employees can now use up to eight hours of administrative leave to assist with flood mitigation efforts. 

Yesterday, we were joined by the Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Utah Department of Health and Human Services and National Weather Service Salt Lake City to talk about our flood mitigation efforts across the state. Watch the full press conference here, and learn more at floodhazards.utah.gov. 

Utah’s strong economy 

First again! Utah has the best economic outlook for the 16th year in a row by the Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. We appreciated folks from the index presenting this honor in person this week. Utah’s economy continues to lead the nation with strategic policies, smart fiscal decisions and forward-thinking reserve funds combined with the hard work of Utahns across the state. This year, we made generational investments in education, social services, water and housing.

While the nation’s economy is in a precarious position, Utah is well-poised to protect its economy and citizens. We’ve proved that Utah can rise to the top over and over again – 16 times to be exact. Read the full economic report here. 

Let’s play ball, Utah

Batter up, Utah! I can’t tell you how excited I was to join stakeholders of the Big League Utah campaign this week. This campaign is an effort to expand professional sports in Utah, specifically Major League Baseball. We’re committed to working together to show the MLB that Utah and Salt Lake City is the best place for a new Major League Baseball team! 

Salt Lake City is a major league city, and a MLB team would transform Salt Lake and the state of Utah. Read more about the bid effort here.

Utah is the 'State of Sport'

Speaking of sports, last night we were honored to host the 11th annual Governor’s State of Sport Awards! 

Every year we recognize the amazing athletes in our state, and we declared Thursday as State of Sport Day in Utah. As part of the awards ceremony, Olympic speedskating champion Apolo Anton Ohno led a panel with 29-time Paralympic medalist Jessica Long and legendary snowboarder Shaun White on the importance of mental health care for athletes – and us all. It was great to hear their perspectives and what they have all learned through their very accomplished careers. 

Big thanks to the Utah Sports Commission for an incredible night! You can check out all the award winners here.

Hosting our neighbors to the north!

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson welcomed Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane to the Capitol on Thursday. Secretary McGrane serves as Idaho’s chief election officer.

Together, he and Lt. Gov. Henderson discussed their shared values, including building trust in elections and maintaining strong democratic institutions.

Thanks for visiting Utah, Secretary McGrane! We’re lucky to have such good neighbors.

Bringing attention to bills with impact

After the legislative session, we organize ceremonial signings of bills that will truly make a difference in the lives of Utahns. On Monday, I was joined by Lt. Gov. Henderson and legislators to ceremonially sign bills that show Utah is forward thinking and innovative. Here are some highlights:

➡️ HB 42 creates the Utah Innovation Lab which will help keep great ideas coming out of our universities, leverage private partnerships and keep Utah on the cutting edge of technology. Excited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony today as well!

➡️ HB 426 encourages energy-related research within the state by providing matching grants to applicants that have received federal or private grants for specific ongoing energy-related research projects. This bill is a step in the right direction of Utah leading in innovation and domestic production of energy!

➡️ SB 35 creates a path to professional licensing based on credentialing and/or experience in other states or countries and creates two compacts - the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact and the PA Licensure Compact. Utah’s one of the first states in the nation to enact these compacts. We’re continuing to expand access and remove barriers to licensure for Utahns!

➡️ SB 125 designates the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center at Utah State University as the lead research center for strategic planning for electrification of transportation infrastructure.

Thanks to the Kem Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah for hosting us!

Next up, we highlighted bills focused on protecting and supporting families and children in Utah – including historic domestic violence legislation. These bills will be life changing for so many. Here’s some highlights: 

➡️ HB 314 outlines the circumstances under which a renter who is a victim of domestic violence can terminate their rental agreement. This is an incredible step in providing domestic violence victims with additional protections. 

➡️ SB 117  requires law enforcement officers responding to allegations of domestic violence against an intimate partner to complete a lethality assessment protocol by asking victims a series of questions. Lethality assessments have the potential to prevent tragedies. 

➡️ HB 350 Makes sure that Utah is the most family friendly state in the nation by making adoption as easy as possible by honoring and supporting the parents and families who choose to adopt. 

➡️ SB 217 appropriates an ongoing appropriation of $4.5 million from the General Fund for children’s health coverage. It’s an investment that will pay dividends for these children, their families and our entire community for years to come.

Many thanks to our friends at YWCA for the warm welcome!

Stay tuned for more ceremonial signings in the future!

Celebrating Utah wildlife

If you live in Utah, chances are high you have had at least one wildlife encounter. From the bighorn sheep of Zion National Park to the chickadee in your backyard — no matter how you encounter wildlife in our state, we want to hear about it.  

The Utah Wildlife Federation and mural artist Chris Peterson are holding the first Celebrate Utah Wildlife contest, with 63 cash prizes for people ranging from 4 to, well, 104.  

More than $10,000 in cash prizes will handed out and entries must be submitted by May 10, 2023. Visit www.CelebrateUtahWildlife.org to submit contest entries, and learn more about the Utah Wildlife Walls project.

April is Dark Skies Month in Utah!

Located just south of Canyonlands National Park sits Natural Bridges National Monument. On March 6, 2007, it became the first International Dark Sky Park certified by the International Dark-Sky Association. According to a study on night sky quality done by the National Park Service, Natural Bridges is one of the darkest places in the United States.

At Natural Bridges, you’ll be able to see the stars and the Milky Way in vivid detail. Even better, park rangers offer educational stargazing seminars twice a week so that you can sharpen up your astronomy knowledge. Don’t forget your telescope!

For more information regarding Natural Bridges follow this link: Visit Utah - Natural Bridges National Monument.

ICYMI

• We were honored to meet Mexico’s new Consul General to Utah, Consul Eduardo Baca Cuenca. ¡Bienvenidos!

• The One Utah Summit is back! The northern summit will take place on May 1-2 and is where government and business leaders gather together to discuss economic trends and topics. Click here for more information. 

• Lt. Gov. Henderson welcomed Jorge Argüello, the Ambassador of Argentina to the United States, to the Capitol. En unión y libertad!

• The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control has just released the Utah Recycling and Solid Waste Facility Locator Map as part of the Statewide Recycling Data Initiative!

   

Coming up

• April 17: We’re visiting Eastern Utah as part of our Connecting Utah Tour. Stay tuned for details.

• April 18: Excited to ceremonially sign bills around managing growth in Utah.

• April 19: We’re headed to Summit County on our Connecting Utah Tour. More details to come.

• April 19: Lt. Gov. Henderson will meet with Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.

• April 20: Tune into our Monthly News Conference with PBS Utah here. 

• April 20: Listen to KSL NewsRadio’s’ “Let Me Speak to the Governor” here.

• April 20: Lt. Gov. Henderson will visit Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation.

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? From great employee benefits to versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly endless. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!