The Legislative Interim Meetings in September were held in St. George to provide the Legislature the opportunity to see firsthand the issues facing Southern Utah. During the three full-day meetings, all of the legislative committees met on the campus of Utah Tech University. Many timely issues were discussed as well as many potential bills for the 2024 legislative session. Highlights of these interim meetings can be found here. Enclosed below are a few issues that are of particular importance to our House District 63. Our next Legislative Interim Meetings will take place at the Capitol on October 10-11. You may attend in person or online. Details can be found at le.utah.gov.

While at these meetings, the Legislature held a Long-Term Planning Conference where we analyzed what will be taking place in the state for the next 30-50 years and what the state should be doing now to prepare for what will be coming in the days ahead. Enclosed below is a high-level overview of what Utah will look like, including challenges and opportunities. I walked away from this planning conference seeing the reality of some very serious challenges but also with optimism because Utah has a history and positive track record for working through tough issues. I’m confident that as we all work together, we will be able to continue Utah’s prosperity and quality of life.

You’re Invited to a Special Fall Town Hall

I’ve been asked by many people in our House District about ESG (environmental, social, governance). The Legislature has been working to address this very concerning issue and I’ve invited the State Treasurer, Marlo Oaks, to come and explain ESG including its local, state, national and global implications, what the state has done up to this point, and next steps moving forward. Please join me and Treasurer Oaks at this special town hall for our House District.

Addressing Housing Affordability

As the co-chair of the state’s Commission on Housing Affordability, it was an honor to speak about housing affordability at the Annual Convention of the Utah League of Cities and Towns in the Salt Palace Convention Center. I greatly appreciate all the mayors, members of the city councils, and city administrative staff in our House District and throughout the state coming together to discuss solutions to the housing affordability challenges.

Takeaways from Legislature’s Long-Term Planning Conference

As we all are noticing, Utah is at a critical inflection point:

·  We’ve moved from a small state to a mid-size state

·  Utah’s growth is coming from the outside rather than the inside

·  Utah’s population is starting to get older which will change our economy and choices

·  We’ve moved from a mono-cultural state to a multi-cultural state now being very racially and ethnically diverse

·  Utah has gone from a strong economy to an elite economy

·  Utah is now an expensive state

Watch a short video here from the UofU Gardner Policy Institute that further explains each of these items. A concise high-level article written by KSL found here also provides context to the Gardner Policy’s analysis.

The strategic questions before us are 1) how do we grow and maintain the distinctive features we value?, and 2) How do we help all Utahns thrive?

The Legislature’s Long-Term Planning Conference was the first of many future conversations we will be having to plan for our children and grandchildren.

United Way of Utah County’s 60th Anniversary

United Way of Utah County positively impacts our House District 63 by providing many needed community services and resources. It’s an honor for me to serve on the Board of Directors to help bridge the connectivity between this valuable organization and the state.

As part of their 60th anniversary, this year’s Day of Caring featured more than 1,500 volunteers from 45 companies that completed more than 70 projects throughout the county. It was a thrill to help serve breakfast to all the volunteers and then join in the service projects. Thank you to everyone in our House District who participated.

Legislative Issues

In the September Legislative Interim meetings, hundreds of topics were presented and discussed in the various legislative committees. To report back, here are a few topics I’ve been contacted about by people within our House District:

Business & Labor:

Noncompete agreements are being analyzed. We received a presentation on the legislative history and case law related to noncompete agreements. We also received a presentation from the Marriner S. Eccles Institute at the University of Utah on current trends and the economic effects of noncompete agreements.

Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice:

The state is experiencing a rise of drug trafficking and drug-impaired driving. Please take a minute to review the presentation here that shows drug trafficking in the U.S. and in Utah and what is happening with extremely serious fentanyl drug. Please share this information with your families to help protect them.

We received a presentation from the Statewide Information and Analysis Center on drug trafficking in Utah and the drug monitoring initiative. We also received a presentation from the Department of Public Safety on drug-impaired driving. As a result, we’ve opened committee bills to increase the penalty for using a firearm while engaged in drug trafficking, and to address drug testing and coordination among labs.

Employment:

As the summer wraps up, Utah’s economy remains strong in the face of the nation’s shrinking GDP. Over the past year, Utah’s job count grew by 3.5%, or 56,600 jobs. This is a growth rate above the average. Unemployment continues to remain historically low, too, at only 2.0%. These numbers are as strong as the Utah economy can expect to produce. Utah County has 18% of all jobs in the state and its growth rate is estimated at 5.0%. An analysis of the employment report by Utah’s Department of Workforce Services Chief Economist, Mark Knold, can be found here.

Save the Date: Remember to Vote

County and municipal general elections will take place on Tuesday, November 21. Voting is a critical constitutional right and I encourage everyone to participate. Find more info at vote.utah.gov.

Utah Is The Happiest State in the Nation

Utah was just recognized as the Happiest State in America by WalletHub. Even though we all are facing difficult challenges, Utah remains the best state in the nation to live, work, learn, and play.

WalletHub examined all 50 states across 30 key metrics ranging from depression rate, share of adults feeling productive, income growth, unemployment rate, emotional and physical well-being, work environment, community and environment.

Check out the full report here.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve and work with you and to represent our great communities of Mapleton, Springville, and Spanish Fork in the State Legislature. I believe that our local neighborhoods are an example to the state and the nation and that is because of you.