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! 

New water laws in Utah

This week, we held a ceremonial bill signing for bills focused on water. For the second year in a row, we pushed for and the Legislature supported significant investments – $1 billion over the past two years – targeting water conservation, efficiency and infrastructure. We’re grateful for the deepest snowpack in state history this winter, but we’re not out of drought yet. These bills will help Utah become more waterwise and drought resilient. Here are some highlights: 

HB 491 Amendments Related to the Great Salt Lake

• This bill supports the appointment of a new Great Salt Lake Commissioner to prepare a strategic plan for the long-term health of the lake. This strategic plan will help identify the most significant threats to the lake’s health and develop solutions to address them. 

HB 307 Utah Water Ways

• This bill ensures the protection and sustainable use of Utah’s water resources for future generations. It aims to balance the needs of different water users, including agricultural, industrial, and residential users, and to promote efficient water use and conservation. 

HB 137 State Crustacean Designation:

• This bill designates the brine shrimp as the state crustacean! Thank you to students from Emerson Elementary in Salt Lake City (see above).

Read about all the water bills we signed here. 

Utah’s strong economy

Utah’s economy remains strong this spring! We’ve maintained an unemployment rate of 2.4%, one of the lowest in the nation, and robust job growth at 2.7%. This is exceptional news for our state as we continue to have one of the strongest economies in the country. 

Read the most recent jobs report from the Department of Workforce Services here. 

Watching out for flooding

You know those live feeds of traffic jams on I-15? Now we’re doing something similar with our waterways.

This week we installed cameras on rivers and streams to help us monitor flooding. The Department of Public Safety partnered with LiveView Technologies to help officials monitor rivers in real time and keep an eye on flooding. It will also help state and local officials deploy crews and equipment where it’s needed most. 

We’re grateful for the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, Department of Natural Resources, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, and LiveView Technologies for their work on this!

Visit floodhazards.utah.gov to see these live cam feeds as well as full flood information and resources in Utah! 

Connecting Utah: Northern Utah

Our Connecting Utah Tour continues! This week we visited Davis, Morgan, Rich, Cache, Box Elder and Weber counties. We love meeting students and community members across our state and having meaningful and insightful conversations with them. Topics discussed this week included: 

➡️ The importance of the agriculture business in Utah;

➡️ How our country was founded on the principle of disagreement, and how we should be able to disagree with each other in a respectful manner;

➡️ The importance of downloading the SafeUT app and what we are doing to support youth mental health in Utah.

We have full confidence in the upcoming generation and we’ll continue to work hard to ensure a bright future for them. View photos from our stop here, and stay tuned – we have more Connecting Utah stops next week!

Aurora Borealis in Utah

On Sunday night, Utahns got to witness a rare phenomenon in our state: the aurora borealis lights. 

A geomagnetic storm caused by disturbances to Earth's magnetic field allowed for the northern lights to be seen in many states, including Utah. Social media users flocked to the internet to post their photos of the northern lights, sparking lots of excitement.

The northern lights were seen in many locations in Utah all the way from Logan to Sundance. Although it is a rare sight here in Utah, check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website to see where the “auroral oval” is over the earth. 

Photo courtesy of Janeen Allen. 

Kicking off Cotton Days

Not everyone pays attention to the women who helped build up their community. Yet, Washington City did just that on Monday as state and local officials unveiled a bronze statue of pioneer and settler Malinda Covington to kick off the annual Cotton Days celebration.

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joined Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli, city and county council members, commissioners, legislators, and history lovers to honor the contributions of all the incredible women who helped make the desert blossom as the rose.

In 1857, Brigham Young sent 20 families led by Robert Covington and his wife Malinda to settle in Washington and cultivate a cotton crop. Dubbed the Cotton Mission, settlers would toil and overcome obstacle after obstacle with pioneering resolve. They dug irrigation canals, devised new techniques for planting and harvesting cotton, and soon oversaw a thriving cotton crop.

The Cotton Mission was a remarkable feat of human determination – and could not have happened without Malinda and the many other women in Washington.

Olene Walker VOTE Certification

DJ, queue Pomp and Circumstance.

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Henderson celebrated the first graduating class of the Olene Walker VOTE Certification at the Utah Association of Counties Spring Conference.

The 10-course election training is a collaborative effort between the county clerks, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and the Walker Institute at Weber State University. Each one-day course covers a new topic, including: the history of voting rights, nuts and bolts of Utah elections, media relations, and stress management.

Utah runs some of the best elections in the nation – and the state is constantly improving and iterating. Increased training and coordination will help us be even more successful.

ICYMI

• This week we joined students at Utah State University for a debate put on by Braver Angels. The debate centered around disagreeing better and having respectful debates. Great to be back at USU! View photos here. 

• It’s National Park Week! Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks are a great way to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of our state. And nearby the Mighty 5, and all across Utah, are state parks that Utahns and tourists can visit year round. Click here for more recreation ideas. 

• Lt. Gov. Henderson delivered the keynote address to hundreds of graduates from Davis Technical College on Wednesday. Congrats, grads!

• Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and the 25th Navajo Nation Council hosted Lt. Gov. Henderson last week in Window Rock. Utah’s friendship and government-to-government relationship with the Navajo Nation is strong.

Coming up

• May 1: We’re excited to join the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to talk about water conservation in Utah!

• May 2: It’s the One Utah Summit! Looking forward to meeting with business and government leaders from all across the state. 

• May 3: We’re ceremonially signing bills that impact education at Daniels Canyon in Heber City. 

• May 4: Once again we’re making stops on our Connecting Utah Tour! Next week’s stops include Nephi, Richfield, and Fillmore. 

• May 4: Lt. Gov. Henderson will speak at the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Utah Capitol.

• May 4: Lt. Gov. Henderson will speak at the National Small Business Week Luncheon & Awards ceremony hosted by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

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!