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.

A legislative update

Last week we wrapped up the 2023 General Legislative Session! Thanks to our legislators for their hard work and dedication.

Now it's our turn. We now have until March 23 to review all 575 bills passed by the Legislature and decide whether we will sign, veto or let them become law without signature. A lot was accomplished in those 45 days including: 

?? major investments in water conservation, infrastructure, agricultural optimization and measures that will preserve the Great Salt Lake; 

?? significant tax cuts, from cutting the income tax from 4.85% to 4.65%, to rolling back Social Security taxes, to providing a double exemption for pregnant women;

?? historic funding for our schools and our teachers;

?? housing bills that provide grants for first-time homebuyers, streamline the construction application process and funding for homeless services;

?? domestic violence prevention measures including lethality assessments and data sharing that will save lives;

?? groundbreaking bills that will protect our young people from the harms of social media;

?? the extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months to benefit mothers and their families;

?? and so many other bills that support our priorities.

To keep up with what we’re signing, visit governor.utah.gov/bills.

Talking good government at Qualtrics X4

We were excited to speak to hundreds of government officials from across the country at the Qualtrics X4 Summit on Wednesday. 

In Utah, we’ve launched a customer-first initiative that focuses on trust, excellent customer service, and good government, and we’re starting to see results. We used the example of our Department of Motor Vehicle services. When we took office 2+ years ago, the average time spent at the DMV was over 5 minutes. Now, it’s just 3 minutes – the lowest in the nation. We want to make sure that all state services are intuitive, efficient, inclusive and keep customers in mind.

It was great to have the opportunity to talk about what we are doing to make our state government better by listening to our constituents. We’ve got excellent state employees and, with your feedback, we’ll keep getting better

Cheering on Unified Sports athletes

This week we were honored to join First Lady Abby Cox, the Utah Jazz, Weber State University, Entrata Software, UHSSA, Special Olympics Utah and other community partners for the Unified Basketball State Championship game. 

If you haven’t been to a Unified Sports event, we highly recommend it! Seeing athletes of all abilities play together and cheer each other on is just incredible. And its impact can be felt throughout the communities. As more people become involved in Special Olympics and Unified Sports, a culture of acceptance and understanding is created. This power of inclusion extends beyond the world of sports – it promotes a sense of belonging that can be felt in all aspects of life and creates opportunities for personal growth and development, empathy, understanding and respect. 

We were honored to be there and will continue working to ensure our state is a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. To learn how you can get involved, click here

Utah Women Making History Day on the Hill

Who knew learning about history could get so loud? 

Hundreds of students filled the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday to learn about history-making women in Utah and beyond. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson kicked off the festivities before the students in grades 4-8 ran from station to station learning about incredible women in Utah history who broke barriers and made positive change.

Thanks to Utah State History, Utah State Archives and Records Service, Better Days, BYU ARTS Partnership, the Hutchings Museum Institute, and so many others for honoring Utah women on International Women's Day and during Women’s History Month.

We’re heartened to see our kids learning about these trailblazers at school.

Good news on the drought

Last month was one of the snowiest recorded Februarys in the state of Utah, and this month is looking to receive even more snowfall! Even though the freezing temperatures have been frustrating for some, this great amount of water is significant for our dry state. In October of last year, 96% of Utah was in a severe drought. Today, that number is only 49%. 

Whether you have been dreading the icy commute each day or loving the snowy mountains, this year's water levels have risen significantly because of precipitation. Thank you Mother Nature!

Sharing our air quality know-how

This week, Team Utah had the pleasure to host a group of African leaders concerned about air quality and the environment. Leaders from 16 different African nations visited the Department of Environmental Quality to learn about actions Utah is taking to improve our air quality, meeting with DEQ leadership and air quality scientists, as well as touring the state’s technical center and on-site air monitoring. 

A big thanks to the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy who organized the event.

Can gamers build Utah's tech workforce?

On Friday, Lt. Gov. Henderson had a message for thousands of young Utahns at the Ken Garff Esports Spring Celebration: Keep playing video games because the future of Utah’s economy may depend on it.

Event organizers believe video games are the perfect gateway to a career as a software engineer, computer scientist, or IT technician. In a state where one in seven jobs is supported by the tech sector, workforce development and STEM education are key priorities.

That’s why Doug Bowser, the CEO of Nintendo USA, and University of Utah President Taylor Randall were on hand to promote esports to the thousands of high school students in attendance.

In 2021-22, Utah boasted 4,881 graduates in computer science, a 32 percent increase from the previous year. However, we’ll need even more computer scientists and STEM graduates to support industry growth.

An opportunity to volunteer

Do you love history? Are you great with kids? Volunteer as a National History Day-Utah judge this spring! 

NHD Utah judges evaluate student history projects in the form of exhibits, documentaries, performances, papers, and websites. The time commitment typically runs from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., with additional time at home for advance training and project review. See complete details and signup links here. Please contact NHD Utah with any questions.

Utah’s Spirit of Service

Don’t wait! Nominations for the second annual Governor’s Spirit of Service Awards close today! Thank you for all the nominations and please keep them coming.

Nominating a person or organization for the award is easy. Use this link and fill out the survey by the end of the day today. Share the survey with family and friends; we want to give everyone the chance to nominate the person or organization they think deserves the award. Thank you for all you do to serve our community!

Spotlight: Governor’s Award for Excellence

Each week we are highlighting a state employee who was recently awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence. This week we are recognizing Jennifer Yim with the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. 

For over ten years, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) has conducted evaluations of Utah judges. Since 2016, Jennifer has transformed JPEC by Improving relationships with the judiciary, motivating performance improvement, minimizing the potential impact of implicit bias, ensuring fair evaluations, establishing video evaluation of judges with the smallest caseloads who often serve rural Utah, doubling the number of voters at each election who use JPEC’s information, and strengthening operations, including the addition of Salesforce. Jennifer’s consistent focus on innovation has provided commissioners with confidential, electronic data access. Further, she led a transformation of that access into an improved website for voters. The success of this project is certainly due to Dr. Yim’s expertise and the staff that she cultivates in her office. Jennifer’s work shows the value of an ambitious vision coupled with a measured investment in technology: it generates better data, improves efficiency, and facilitates the work of volunteer commissioners who make JPEC’s important contributions to judicial quality and accountability.

Keep up the great work, Jennifer! To read more about the Governor’s Awards for Excellence, click here. 

Dinosaurs in Utah

Spring break is just around the corner, so if you’re looking for something to do to get outside, take a step back in time and explore these dinosaur parks and museums.

Starting North and heading South, Vernal is one of the most iconic dinosaur cities in all of Utah. Visit the Utah Field House of Natural  History State Park Museum full of fossils, dinosaur skeletons, and educational exhibits featuring a 20-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex and 6-aton Stegosaurus replica. Moab has a dinosaur park and museum full of outdoor and indoor exhibits, and even includes an interactive paleo exhibit. 

For more information on where to see fossils and where dinosaurs used to roam in Utah, click here. 

ICYMI

• We met with some incredible students who attend alternative high schools and their teachers. They are thriving and we learned so much from their experience. 
• Lt. Gov. Henderson joined Studio 5 with Brooke Walker to talk about Return Utah.
• We got to talk about the Utah Jazz, NBA All-Star Weekend, the Olympics and more with ESPN 700’s Bill Riley.
• If you missed our Virtual Town Hall last week, you can check it out here.

Coming up

• March 12: It’s Daylight Savings Time! Remember to set your clocks one hour ahead. 
• March 15: We will be kicking off the annual Feed Utah food drive to benefit the Utah Food Bank and its partner agencies across the state!
• March 15: Lt. Gov. Henderson will speak at the Spring Runoff Conference for the USU Institute for Land, Water & Air.
• March 16: It’s our monthly news conference with PBS Utah! Watch here. 
• March 16: We will be joining KSL News Radio’s “Let Me Speak to the Governor” program. Click here for more information on how to listen. 
• March 17: We’ll be speaking at the Great Salt Lake Symposium.

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!

You can reach the Governor's Office here. And you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and  YouTube for the latest news and updates.

Contact the Governor's Office