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! We’re off for spring break next week – but we’ll catch you on April 10!

That’s a wrap!

Our time is up. Yesterday was the last day for signing – or vetoing – bills from the 2023 General Legislative Session. No vetoes this time around, thanks to a willingness by legislators to find common sense solutions. It’s been a historic year for legislation and we look forward to seeing positive changes. Here are some highlights of the bills we signed this week: 

Historic Tax Cuts 

We signed the largest tax package in Utah’s history! It’s not often we get to make history in a 127-year-old state – but that’s what we did. 

➡️ HB 130 helps lower and middle-income families afford adoption expenses by providing a tax credit of up to $3,500;

➡️ HB 151 will save disabled veterans nearly $5 million in property taxes;

➡️ HB 170 provides financial assistance to low and middle-income families;

➡️ HB 301 reduces the tax rate on fuel, providing relief from high gas prices;

➡️ SB 288 provides over $12 million for utility bill credits for low-income households.

Social Media 

We also signed two bills aimed at regulating social media companies to prevent the negative impacts that social media has on youth. This landmark legislation is a first in the country, and we hope more states follow Utah’s lead.

➡️ SB 152 requires social media companies to verify that users in the state are above the age of 18 or older to open an account, with those under 18 needing parental consent. The bill also prevents the collection of minors' data and prohibits targeted advertising toward minors.

➡️ H.B. 311 prohibits social media companies from using a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction to the company’s social media platform. This bill makes it easier for people to sue social media companies for damages. 

Check out our new website, socialmedia.utah.gov, where you can learn more about the laws that will regulate social media in Utah, the latest research on the effects of social media and more. Join us in protecting our kids from the harms of social media.

Intimate Partner Violence Prevention

➡️ SB 117 works to prevent intimate partner homicide in Utah by providing victims, law enforcement, judges, and prosecutors with evidence-backed tools and resources. With the signing of this bill, the Lethality Assessment Protocol will be required statewide. This bill will also create a database that will allow data sharing between police officers, prosecutors, and judges.

To see all the bills we’ve signed from the 2023 General Legislative Session, visit governor.utah.gov/bills. 

Connecting Utah 

This year, we’re visiting all 29 counties in Utah! First stop this week: Tooele County where we met with students and community leaders at Tooele High School. It was great to share with them:

➡️ the importance of education;

➡️ how we’re investing in water conservation and saving the Great Salt Lake;

➡️ how social media is hurting our mental health and how the SafeUT app and the national suicide hotline 988 can help when we need it most;

➡️ the American dream and giving everyone opportunities to succeed!

The future of Utah is bright! More of us just need to learn how to disagree without hating each other. We loved meeting with these students and learning more about them and their goals for our state and nation. Stay tuned for more information about our Connecting Utah Tour!

Kudos to our Department of Health and Human Services

Great news for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services!

A newly released report, Ready or Not 2023: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, from Trust for America’s Health, measures state readiness to respond to a spectrum of health emergencies and to provide ongoing public health services. 

For the second year in a row, Utah is in the top tier! Thanks to the hard work of our public health professionals, state and local governments, health care partners, and the Legislature for continuing to bolster Utah’s ability to respond to health emergencies. Utah scored high in hospital patient safety and public health laboratory surge capacity.  Check out the full report here.

Fellowship applications are open

Come work with us! Our office offers a number of fellowships intended to help young professionals gain a wide variety of professional experiences and a unique perspective into state government, public service, and the duties of the governor and lieutenant governor. We seek outstanding applicants with excellent writing, teamwork, and organizational skills. 

Our fellowship focus areas are state innovation, communications, constituent services, state and federal policy, education and general services, and legal analysis and research. Fellowships are paid at $15 per hour and an hourly commitment of 20 hours per week is required, though fellows may work up to 29 hours per week with approval. Fellowships may be completed for academic credit. Applications are now open here. 

It’s still ski season, Utah

Take advantage of the amazing snow we have been receiving by heading up to the ski resorts! Here are some unique ski experiences to get you excited about the last of the ski season. 

Ski six resorts in one day by completing the Interconnect Tour which begins at Deer Valley, then get to see Park City Mountain Resort. Then the tour makes its way to Big Cottonwood Canyon to visit Solitude, Brighton, then to Little Cottonwood Canyon for Alta and finally Snowbird. Also want to head up north to experience different resorts? Head up to Powder Mountain to ski the biggest mountain in North America. Featuring 8,464 acres, Powder Mountain has the most skiable terrain in North America, and gets an impressive 500 inches of snowfall per year. 

Feel like you need to head down south to complete your skiing tour of Utah? Check out one of the highest resort towns in America at Brian Head Resort, four hours south of Salt Lake City. Brian Head boasts a 9,600′ base elevation and a peak elevation of 11,307′. Make sure you get to experience our record breaking snowfall this year, before it’s too late!

For more exciting skiing opportunities to experience, visit the link here.

ICYMI

• Last Saturday we got to spend time with the Pacific Islander community in Utah! View photos from our visit with Raise the Tide here. 

• Thanks to the Salt Lake Chamber! We spent time with business leaders in the community this week talking about our administration’s priorities and goals. 

• Lt. Gov. Henderson is in Washington D.C. this week for the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association meeting. Click here to see more information!

Coming up

• April 3: We’re visiting Cedar City, Beaver and Parowan for our Connecting Utah tour!

• April 4: We’ll be in St. George, Richfield and Manti as our Connecting Utah tour continues.

• April 6: We’re speaking at the annual Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund event. Such a great cause named after an amazing Utahn!

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!