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.

Making Utah economic history

This week we were thrilled to announce the largest private economic investment in state history! 

Texas Instruments (TI) announced that they have selected Utah as the next location for their semiconductor (chip) factory. TI opened a site in Lehi late last year and we were honored to have incoming TI President and Chief Executive Officer Haviv Ilan join us in the Gold Room to announce their expansion plans. This is an $11 billion investment in Utah and will bring hundreds of new good-paying tech jobs to Utah. We’re so grateful that TI continues to invest in our state. 

With technology and advanced manufacturing being two of our state’s five targeted industries, Utah has the ecosystem in place to support growth, workforce needs and the community. To read the full announcement, click here.

NBA All-Star Weekend in Utah

NBA All-Star Weekend is in Salt Lake City for the first time since 1993! We’ve waited 30 years for the return and we’re so excited to watch some of the best basketball players in the league compete this weekend. We also welcome the 130,000 visitors who traveled to the great state of Utah for this event! 

We’re grateful to the NBA, Ryan and Ashley Smith and the Utah Jazz for putting together an amazing line-up, and we’re grateful to Gail Miller and so many other community leaders who laid the foundation for this weekend. 

Good luck to all the athletes and celebrities who will be playing this weekend. We’re cheering you on – especially the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen!

Monthly News Conference

This week we were able to join reporters at PBS Utah for our monthly news conference. Here are some excerpts: 

Q: There’s a number of bills dealing with water conservation and the Great Salt Lake that so far have not been making it through. Are you satisfied with the actions the Legislature has taken on the Great Salt Lake?

A:So far I feel really good about the direction we’re heading. We have a big Great Salt Lake bill that will be dropping soon that the speaker is working on that I’m very interested in. I’m also interested in the financing piece which will be in the final budget, so I want to see how much money we get. We've asked for $5 million which I’m confident we’ll get that much, maybe more. I want to see the structure around how we’re going to make sure that the water we’re conserving gets to the Great Salt Lake. We’re putting the money in place, we’re putting the legal structure in place, but we want to make sure that the water gets to the literal end of the row. 

Q: On the social media bills that are currently making their way through the Legislature, you yourself have been supportive of the concepts. What do you make of where this legislation is now? Do we want social media platforms to have drivers’ licenses?

A:  I don’t want every social media company keeping drivers’ licenses on their servers. As we talk to more and more social media companies, there are workarounds that will allow for real verification. But when you have this perpetual loneliness skyrocketing, and suicide ideating escalating, especially around young women, we know that this is a crisis. I’m grateful the national conversation is catching up to the conversation we started four or five months ago here in the state of Utah. There is an understanding that shows that we are literally killing our kids with social media. I suspect 10 years from now we’ll look back on this the way we look back on opioids and tobacco use and say, what were we thinking? I would sign anything I could get to my desk holding social media companies accountable. We are still moving forward on our lawsuit and to those who say this will be a First Amendment violation, I disagree. 

You can watch the press conference in its entirety here.

Honoring Fallen Warriors

This week, we had the opportunity to honor Utah’s fallen warriors and their families. We were humbled to be in the presence of so many families who have given so much to our country and our state. These families have lost so much and we honor the memory and sacrifice made by their loved ones.  

We will always remember the families of our service members.

First To Vote Day

In 1870, a 23-year-old teacher in Utah named Seraph Young cast her ballot in Salt Lake CIty and became the first woman in U.S. history to cast a vote under an equal suffrage law.

Lt. Gov. Henderson and members of the House and Senate donned yellow and white roses on Tuesday to celebrate First To Vote Day and honor Utah’s distinct role in the women’s suffrage movement. 

Why roses? Simple, the yellow rose signified support for equal franchise. The red rose, on the other hand, became synonymous with the anti-suffragist movement.Utah women fought long and hard to maintain and expand their newfound right across the country until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, more than 50 years after Seraph made history.

We’re so proud of Utah’s history-making women.

The secret to making change in government

What do a group of city engineers, dozens of future osteopathic physicians, and high school students from Salem all share in common?

They all showed up at the Capitol this week to talk about issues that matter to them.

Lt. Gov. Henderson has welcomed dozens of groups to the Capitol since the legislative session began in January and her message to them is clear: Thanks for showing up because it’s how you make a difference.

Those who show up, she maintains, have an outsized influence on the government. Seriously, we’ve been so grateful for all of the Utahns who have ventured up to the Capitol or contacted their legislators. We encourage you to make your voice heard because it matters.

Utah’s Spirit of Service

We’re still taking nominations for the second annual Governor’s Spirit of Service Awards! Thank you for all the nominations and please keep them coming.

Utah leads the nation in volunteerism, and there are so many of you engaged in important service work that too often goes unnoticed. We want to recognize you! 

Nominating a person or organization for the award is easy. Use this link and fill out the survey before March 10. 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!

Meet Joel Ferry

Meet Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources! The Utah Department of Natural Resources is one of the state’s largest agencies and they do an incredible job managing and protecting the state’s natural resources. 

We’re grateful to have Director Ferry on Team Utah!

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 Chuck Spence with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

Chuck Spence currently serves as the director of the state’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). PTAC’s mission is to help Utah businesses successfully compete in the government marketplace by providing knowledgeable and outstanding customer service. He has been involved in statewide economic development efforts for more than 30 years. Chuck’s team is positioned across the state and supports rural Utah companies in ways that no other Go Utah initiative does. He has demonstrated leadership in economic development and running a smooth operation, collaborating with federal and other partners, and ultimately supporting Utah small businesses through securing lucrative federal contracts. Chuck is an asset to our team and an example to us all.

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

Combatting the winter blues

Winter isn’t gone yet! Check out some of these locations to enjoy our beautiful state and combat the winter blues.

Make your way down to Goblin Valley, where the stargazing is not only incredible, but you also have the opportunity to stay in the monuments' heated yurts! If camping in the winter sounds too cold for you, you could try Eagle watching in Willard Bay State Park, and return to the comfort of your home at the end of the night. If you’re looking for something even colder, take a road trip up to the very northern part of Utah in Garden City and try ice fishing on Bear Lake.

No matter what you like to do to stay busy during the winter, Utah has you covered! To read more about activities to do during the chilly seasons of Utah, click here.

ICYMI

• Last week we attended the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. We appreciated the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other governors from across the U.S., Utah’s Congressional delegation, President Biden, Vice President Harris, cabinet members and others. It’s an honor to serve as vice chair of the NGA! 
• We joined KSL NewsRadio’s “Let Me Speak to the Governor” program and had the opportunity to answer questions directly from Utahns! Listen to the full episode here. 
• We were excited to meet with students from Cyprus High School this week and talk about the role of the executive branch during the legislative session! See photos from our visit here. 
• In a fun video, Lt. Gov. Henderson and Second Gentleman Gabe Henderson wished Utahns a happy Valentine's Day. Watch it here.
• KSL-TV highlighted Utah’s first-in-the-nation return to work program, Return Utah. Watch the story here.

Coming up

• Feb. 20: Happy Presidents Day! Our office will be closed.
• Feb. 22: We’ll tour some Utah businesses with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity!
• Feb. 22: We’re excited to join Lt. Gov. Henderson for an announcement with the Period Project, an initiative to expand access to period products in Utah.
• Feb. 22: Lt. Gov. Henderson will speak at Utah Women Making History Day on the Hill.
• Feb. 24: We’ll have the privilege of honoring our senior advisor, advocate and dear friend Pamela Atkinson.

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