Friends and Neighbors,
It’s been two weeks since Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel. I have struggled to find the words to accurately describe the horror and anger I’ve felt over these actions. We’ve seen and read horrific and inhumane accounts as a result of this terrorist organization. Since the attack, I have been able to gather with my jewish friends at both Kol Ami synagogue and at the Capitol for a peaceful rally to show support for Israel. We cannot let terror and antisemitism win. Utah has and will continue to stand with Israel.
NALEO Legislative Summit
I was recently invited to address state legislators from around the country at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Legislative Summit. I discussed Utah’s legislative efforts to combat the harms of social media. Our state has worked hard to empower parents and provide them with resources to protect their children. During the 2023 General Session, I introduced and passed S.B. 152 Social Media Regulation Amendments, which enacts a strict age verification process, allows parents to set time restrictions on social media use and prevents social media companies from collecting and selling data on minors. To learn more about Utah’s efforts to protect our kids, visit socialharms.utah.gov.
Interim Meetings in St. George
The world comes to Southern Utah, and this month, the Legislature did as well. I had the opportunity to virtually attend September interim meetings this month. This is the first time in recent state history that the entire Legislature has held interim meetings outside Salt Lake City. During our interim meetings, we discussed important topics. You can listen to recordings of our committee meetings by visiting the legislative website (le.utah.gov).
Southern Utah is a key part of Utah’s economy. Holding interim meetings in St. George provided a convenient platform for Southern Utahns to express the challenges in their community, and it helps us determine how to best solve problems in a way that will improve the quality of our government and, in turn, the caliber of our state.
We also had the opportunity to examine many important issues during our long-term planning conference on Tuesday. In addition to discussing the opportunities and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, we examined water issues and transportation needs. You can find an overview of what the Legislature learned during the long-term planning conference below:
Artificial Intelligence
The use of generative artificial intelligence is on the rise. As exposure to and reliance on AI increases, we gathered with the tech industry and AI experts to consider what the state’s approach to utilizing and regulating AI might look like. Questions surrounding advancement, risk and data privacy were discussed. In Utah, we will lead out on fostering AI innovation while protecting privacy, security and civil liberties.
Our Water, Our Future
As our water discussion and conservation efforts continue, we heard presentations from some of Utah’s water experts from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. These presentations gave legislators an update on Utah’s water and infrastructure needs, conservation wins and the environmental impact of a prolonged drought.
The Legislature has appropriated nearly one billion dollars to water conservation since 2022, and we were able to see where much of this funding has gone and how it has helped calm the drought. While statewide water infrastructure has been boosted in recent years, there is still much work to do to ensure our infrastructure can continue operating at the high levels needed for optimal conservation. This historically wet year has had an insurmountably positive impact on the lake and our state, but we must continue our conservation efforts and plan for the future to ensure this extra water goes to good use.
Enhancing Quality of Life as Utah Grows
As the best economy in the nation, Utah continues to welcome individuals who move to our beautiful state. As a result of our growing economy, we have seen an increased need for housing and transportation infrastructure. We had the opportunity to hear from the Utah Department of Transportation and others about the Legislature’s role in helping prepare the state for continued growth.
Since 2012, Utah’s population has grown by approximately 20%. During the same time period, the number of vehicle miles traveled in Utah has increased by nearly 30%. The increase in both population and miles indicate the need for increased investment in affordable housing and transportation. The discussion during the long-term planning conference centered around the growth predictions for the next several decades and will help direct legislation related to these issues during the 2024 General Session.
Increase in Teacher Salary
With the start of the school year, I am reminded of how important it is to have good teachers in Utah schools. We appropriated historic levels of funding to education during the 2023 General Session, a large portion of which went to raising teacher salaries. A recent article published in Deseret News highlights how our students and teachers have benefited from the Legislature’s increased investment in the education system. “When we started as a district in the 2009-10 school year, our starting salary was $32,407. In 15 years, we have jumped to that $60,000.” You can read the article here.
FrontRunner Update
This September our Transportation Interim Committee received an update from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) regarding their goal to increase ridership through frequency of trains, reliability for departure/arrivals and decreasing travel time. Factors such as corridor growth, worsening I-15 conditions and improved FrontRunner service have amplified ridership growth and necessitated enhancements to the FrontRunner system.
A strategic project is underway to add double-tracks in certain sections of the FrontRunner route. This will increase the system from 25% double-tracked to 50% and add 10 additional trains for increased frequency, cutting commute times in half for riders. State appropriations, Utah Transit Authority (UTA) funding and a grant from the Federal Transit Administration will assist in covering the cost of the ongoing project which will be completed by 2029.
Preventing Domestic Violence in Utah
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. It is estimated that 33% of women in Utah will experience some form of sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in her lifetime. There are many programs in Utah that work to support women who are victims of domestic violence. If you are currently in an abusive situation, I encourage you to contact the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition or local law enforcement.
We will continue to develop policies that support domestic violence victims. The Legislature provided $24 million to victim services during the 2023 General Session. We also passed legislation that requires officers who are responding to a domestic violence call to conduct a Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP). The LAP is a series of questions asked by officers to assess the possible lethality of a domestic situation. I am grateful for the work of our law enforcement officers and the many others who help support victims of domestic violence.
