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 conversation about social media and youth mental health

We’re worried about the mental health of our young people. Research links social media use with higher rates of depression, anxiety and self-harm. So this week we convened experts, legislators and stakeholders for a Social Media and Youth Mental Health Symposium to talk about public health trends, how parents and teens can engage with social media in healthy ways and how the government can hold social media companies accountable. 

We were especially privileged to have Dr. Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor and director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies as well as the American Enterprise Institute, share his expertise and recommendations. 

Our kids are the future of our state and we need to do everything we can to protect them. We’re working with legislators to find solutions such as requiring parental controls, age verification for new accounts and a cell phone ban in our classrooms.

Some social media companies attended the symposium and we’re glad they were there, but we also put them on notice. They can fight or they can join us and be part of the solution.

We are ready to fight for our youth. We are ready to work with legislators to make these ideas a reality. Join us in protecting our children from the harms of social media!

Learn more about our conversations surrounding social media and youth mental health here and here. You can watch the full Social Media and Youth Mental Health Symposium here.

Economic Policy Outlook Summit

We were honored to speak at this week’s Utah Economic Policy & Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah.

Utah is the top state for entrepreneurs, income growth, prosperity and quality of life. We remain at the forefront of innovation and economic opportunity and we want to keep it that way.

We can do that by practicing fiscal responsibility and strengthening the strong economic foundation built by Utahns over generations. Utah’s strength is its people and we want to invest in our people by cutting taxes, supporting education, investing in families, creating pathways for success, ensuring water resources are sustained, and making government services responsive and efficient. 

We are working towards a future where our children can thrive and stay in Utah. View some highlights from our remarks here.

Some tips from two former legislators

Tuesday – the first day of the 2023 Legislative Session – is when the fun begins.

It’s been 10 years since both Lt. Gov. Henderson and I were first elected as legislators. While I only spent a year in the House before being appointed as lieutenant governor, Lt. Gov. Henderson spent eight years in the Utah Senate prior to her current role. We both saw firsthand how everyday Utahns can make a change in state government. 

During this session, we encourage you to get involved. Here are five simple tips that you can use to shape the Beehive State:

• Find out who represents you: Go online and find out who represents you in the Utah Senate and House of Representatives.
• Introduce yourself: Reach out! Legislators want to hear from constituents.
• Share your perspective: Let your legislators know what issues matter to you and why – and be kind and respectful.
• Show up on the Hill: Attend committee meetings and ask for a meeting with your representatives at the Capitol.
• Stay in the know: Your best resource for everything happening on the Hill during the legislative session is le.utah.gov.

Utah: The family-centered state

In Utah, we love kids. We’re a family-centered state, and we know that what happens in a young child’s life shapes them for the rest of their life. Our goal is for every child in Utah to have plenty of opportunities to thrive. 

As a result, we’ve included funding to expand home visits for new parents in our budget proposal. Home visitations are when a nurse or other professional checks in on a family, looking after the children and mental health of the mother. These visits are remarkably successful: Children who received home visitations were shown to be three times more likely to graduate from high school with honors and had significant improvement in cognitive outcomes and academic performance; and mothers experienced improved parenting attitudes, mental health, and ability to manage life’s challenges. 

The data shows that home visits offer significant benefits for families. Watch the video linked above for more information.

An exciting moment for Utah Navajos

A new leader took the helm of the Navajo Nation on Tuesday, and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Utah Division of Indian Affairs Director Dustin Jansen, and senior advisor Larry Echo Hawk joined the celebration.

The nation’s inauguration ceremony in Fort Defiance, Arizona, marked a historic moment for the Diné as President Buu Nygren, 36, took the oath of office and became the youngest-ever leader of the largest Native American tribe in the United States. In addition, vice President Richelle Montoya is the first woman to hold the position in the Navajo Nation.

During our administration, the Navajo Nation and the state of Utah entered an unprecedented era of collaboration and friendship. We look forward to working with the Nygren-Montoya Team to tackle issues related to tribal sovereignty, economic development, rural broadband, public safety, and much more.

New leadership for Go Utah

We’re so excited to name two new leaders for the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. Ryan Starks has been appointed as the new executive director, pending Senate approval. Ryan is currently Go Utah’s managing director of growth and innovation, overseeing business expansion programs and partnerships, rural economic development, international trade and diplomacy, and Utah’s targeted industries initiative. He also serves as an honorary commander of the 419-fighter wing at Utah’s Hill Air Force Base. We’re lucky to have him in this new role. 

We’re also thrilled that Brad Bonham will join us as the office’s first entrepreneur-in-residence. A serial entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and community leader, Brad is the founder and a board member of Walker Edison, a successful ready-to-assemble furniture company with customers around the globe. He is currently the CEO of BONCO, a family of companies that invest in promising startups, private equity and real estate. Brad will help us enhance the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’re grateful Brad is joining us in this volunteer advisory role! 

Ryan will replace Dan Hemmert, who has been a tremendous leader in our state. Dan brought innovation and excellence to Go Utah during his two years with our administration, and we’re grateful for his service. Thank you, Dan, and good luck in your next adventure! 

Read the full release here.

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 Janet Long with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Janet excels at her normal job duties and responsibilities and always goes above and beyond to be mission oriented. Last year the department identified a massive, legacy problem with hard seltzers. It was determined that the most popular and innovative alcoholic beverage category in America was technically not compliant with Utah law and the department had been inappropriately approving these products for 3+ years. This discovery kicked off a year-long project in coordination with the Executive and Legislative branches, stakeholders, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to maintain market stability while reaching a solution. At the time, all the applications were 100% paper based. Janet literally took thousands of pieces of paper and turned them into easily managed and stored digital files that make decision making for us and our customers seamless and easy. Her work ethic and contributions to this project have a lasting impact on our agency and those we serve.

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

Film in Utah

With the Sundance Film Festival just around the corner, we’re looking at some of Utah’s greatest film sets! 

Northern Utah was unsurprisingly used as a set for many snowy scenes, including “Jeremiah Johnson” in the Sundance Ski Resort, just an hour north of Alta Ski Area where Lane skis the K-12 in the movie “Better Off Dead.” As we move toward southern Utah, differing movie genres ranging from classic westerns to science fiction were filmed in Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point State park, and Moab. Check out Visit Utah’s synopsis here!

ICYMI

• We were excited to join the University of Utah in announcing the naming of the John & Maricia Price College of Engineering. Our entire community is grateful for  the extraordinary generosity of the Price family! 
• We visited with the Utah Taxpayers Association and answered questions about our proposed FY 24 budget, tax cuts, education and more. You can view our full FY 24 budget proposal here.  
• Lt. Gov. Henderson swore in newly elected and re-elected members of the Utah State Board of Education. Congratulations!

Coming up

• Jan. 16: Utah observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor the legacy of this inspirational leader. Our offices will be closed.
• Jan. 17: The 2023 General Legislative Session begins. Thanks to our legislators for being willing to serve and the public for participating!
• Jan. 18: Lt. Gov. Henderson will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Parents Empowered Month at the Capitol.
• Jan. 19: We will be holding our monthly news conference with PBS Utah! Click here to tune in. 
• Jan. 19: We will be joining KSL NewsRadio’s “Let Me Speak to the Governor” broadcast! More information here. 
• Jan. 19: We will deliver our 2023 State of the State address to the people of Utah at 6:30 p.m. You can view the State of the State address on your local news station, or on our social media accounts (@GovCox on all platforms)!

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