Latest news with #JeffersonMoss
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah House majority leader resigns to take economic development leadership appointment
House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, and Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs, are pictured on the first day of the legislative session at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) One of the state's top Republican legislative leaders will be leaving the Utah Legislature to accept an appointment from Gov. Spencer Cox. House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs, will be resigning from the Utah House effective May 30 to serve as executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, according to a news release issued Friday. 'Serving in the legislature has been one of the great honors of my life,' Moss said in a separate news release issued by the governor's office. 'I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the people of Utah in this new capacity and help advance the Governor's vision for economic opportunity across the state.' Moss's first day in his new role will be June 2, according to the governor's office. Starting that day, he'll serve as interim executive director until his appointment is confirmed by the Utah Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Jefferson Moss brings a rare combination of public service, private sector experience, and a deep understanding of innovation and education,' Cox said in a prepared statement. 'He's been a driving force behind many of Utah's most forward-thinking initiatives, and I'm confident he'll lead the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity with the same vision, energy, and commitment to our state's future that have defined his career.' Moss will replace GOEO's former executive director, Ryan Starks, who left earlier this month to 'pursue other professional endeavors,' according to a news release issued May 2. While announcing Starks' departure, Cox lauded him as an 'invaluable asset to the state and our economic development efforts. … We wish him the very best in his future pursuits.' Starks, according to his LinkedIn page, originally intended to launch his own consulting business before he was offered a position leading the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, which he accepted. Moss, during his time in the Legislature, focused on policy impacting education, energy, government spending and economic development. He was first elected to the House in 2017. He served in House leadership roles since 2019, including as vice chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee, a powerful budgeting body. To choose a new majority leader, the House Republicans' caucus will hold a special leadership election in coming weeks. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, praised Moss in a post on X, saying he has a 'unique ability to bring people together, think outside the box, and solve complex challenges.' 'While we'll miss his leadership in the House, I know he will continue to serve Utah with the same passion and purpose in his new role,' Schultz said. Moss also currently works as associate commissioner of innovation, commercialization and economic development for the Utah System of Higher Education and as managing director of the Utah Innovation Fund. He'll 'continue in a leadership role with USHE in addition to leading GOEO,' according to the governor's office. Previously, Moss also held leadership positions at Utah Valley University, was a strategist at KeyBank and Credit Suisse, and was a founder of several businesses. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah House majority leader to step down, take key role in Cox Cabinet
Utah House Majority Leader Rep. Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs, is stepping down to take a key position in Gov. Spencer Cox's Cabinet. Cox named Moss his pick to oversee the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. Moss is slated to take over on May 30, helping oversee business development, innovation, and economic strategy promotion statewide. That's also when he'll resign from the Utah Legislature. 'Jefferson Moss brings a rare combination of public service, private sector experience and a deep understanding of innovation and education,' Cox said in a statement Friday. 'He's been a driving force behind many of Utah's most forward-thinking initiatives, and I'm confident he'll lead the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity with the same vision, energy, and commitment to our state's future that have defined his career.' Moss joined the Utah Legislature in 2017, rising in the House of Representatives before becoming the House majority leader, one of the top leadership positions in the chamber. He also serves as the associate commissioner of innovation, commercialization and economic development for the Utah System of Higher Education, a leadership role he will retain despite his new cabinet role. Before that, he held roles at Utah Valley University and businesses like KeyBank and Credit Suisse. He was also a member of the Saratoga Springs City Council. 'It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of House District 51 and the state of Utah,' he said in a statement. 'I'm incredibly proud of the work we've accomplished together to strengthen our economy, invest in education, and expand opportunity for Utah families. I look forward to continuing my work in a new capacity, helping lead Utah's economic future.' The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity oversees several state agencies, committees and programs, including the Utah Office of Tourism and Utah Film Commission. It's also the agency that gave final approval to the Capital City Convention Center Reinvestment Zone, a piece of the financing options for major downtown Salt Lake plans by the Delta Center, as it handles housing and transit reinvestment zones. Moss will replace Ryan Starks, whose departure was announced last week. He has since been named the director of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. Meanwhile, the House Majority Caucus plans to hold a special leadership election 'in the coming weeks' to find a new House majority leader, according to the Utah Legislature. 'Rep. Moss is an extraordinary leader, a trusted colleague, and a loyal friend,' House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooprt, said. 'While we'll miss his leadership in the House, I know he will continue to serve Utah with the same passion and purpose in his new role.' Lawmakers are expected to meet in a special session the week of May 19, but a spokeswoman for the Legislature said a leadership vote won't take place during those interim meetings and will likely come in early June, after Moss's resignation is official. The caucus last elected new leaders in 2023 after then-Speaker Brad Wilson resigned to run for U.S. Senate. In that case, the three remaining members of GOP leadership each moved up to fill a more senior role. Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, currently serves as majority whip, with Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, as assistant whip. Republican delegates from Utah County will vote to elect a replacement for Moss in House District 51, and Utah County Republican Party Chairwoman Cristy Henshaw told the party would release a timeline for that convention Friday night or Saturday. The state GOP organizing convention is May 17. Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah House Majority leader resigns to take new role in Governor's Office
SALT LAKE CITY () — Utah House Majority Leader Rep. Jefferson Moss (R-Saratoga Springs) will be stepping away from the House of Representatives and his role as House Majority Leader at the end of the month. The announcement comes as Gov. Spencer Cox tapped Moss to serve in his office as the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO). He will officially step down from his role in the House on May 30 and begin work in the GOEO on June 2 as an interim until his role can be confirmed by the Utah Senate. Moss's new role will see him oversee statewide efforts to promote business development, innovation, and economic strategy. Moss, who has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2017 and in Majority Leadership since 2019, said he was incredibly proud of the work he accomplished while representing the Saratoga Springs district. 8 Utah bills going into effect on May 7 you should know about 'It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of House District 51 and the state of Utah,' said Moss in a statement. 'I look forward to continuing my work in a new capacity, helping lead Utah's economic future.' Throughout his career, Moss has held a variety of positions, including the Utah State Board of Education, the Saratoga Springs City Council and Planning Commission, and leadership positions at Utah Valley University. Aside from serving as the House Majority Leader, Moss also serves as the Associate Commissioner of Innovation, Commercialization and Economic Development for the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) and as the managing director of the Utah Innovation Fund. According to a media release, Moss will continue serving in the USHE in addition to leading GOEO. 'Jefferson Moss brings a rare combination of public service, private sector experience, and a deep understanding of innovation and education,' said Gov. Spencer Cox. 'He's been a driving force behind many of Utah's most forward-thinking initiatives, and I'm confident he'll lead the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity with the same vision, energy, and commitment to our state's future that have defined his career.' In the coming weeks, the House Majority Caucus will hold a special leadership election to elect a new House Majority Leader. Republican delegates in Utah County will also meet to select a new representative to serve District 51. Lindsay Aerts contributed to this report. Utah House Majority leader resigns to take new role in Governor's Office Trump taps Martin for DOJ pardon attorney, 'weaponization' role Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at 85 More older Americans not confident Social Security will be there for them: Survey Sunshine and warm temperatures ring in Mother's Day weekend Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top GOP lawmakers looking to potentially expand Utah's Supreme Court
A top Republican lawmaker has begun working on a bill to 'explore' the possibility of adding justices to the Utah Supreme Court, citing the growing population of the Beehive State. House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs, said higher caseloads and court delays are behind the push to study expanding the court, but the move comes as GOP lawmakers are still smarting after the state's high court rebuked them last summer for altering a 2018 ballot initiative and allowed their abortion ban to remain on hold pending a legal challenge. And it's not the only way legislators are seeking to rein in the power of the courts this legislative session. Moss announced his intent to file legislation on the subject on the House floor Wednesday. The specifics of the proposal remain unclear, and a requested bill in Moss's name titled "Judicial Officer Modifications" has yet to be made public. "Over the past decade, we have seen growing caseloads, delays and evolving legal complexities in Utah's highest court," Moss told through a spokeswoman. "The Legislature has the ability to adjust the court's size in response to these growing demands. As such, I've opened a bill file to explore the potential of adjusting the number of justices on the Utah Supreme Court." Utah's Supreme Court dates back to before statehood, when the Deseret Constitution established a three-member territorial court that convened in 1850, per the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service. The Utah Supreme Court was established in 1896 with three justices, and later expanded to include the five justices — one chief justice and four associate justices — which is still in place today. The state Constitution requires that the court "shall consist of at least five justices," but gives lawmakers the power to change the number of justices through statute, "but no change shall have the effect of removing a justice from office." Moss hasn't expressed support for expanding the court to a specific number of justices. The U.S. Supreme Court currently has nine members, while many states have between five and nine. Some Democrats expressed an openness to expanding the federal Supreme Court during President Donald Trump's first term and following its ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, but that openness met with accusations of trying to "pack the court" by many conservatives — including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who wrote a book in defense of the current number: "Saving Nine: The Fight Against the Left's Audacious Plan to Pack the Supreme Court and Destroy American Liberty." "If members of both parties do not step up and vigorously oppose this idea, they might just get away with it this time," Lee wrote in a 2023 Deseret News op-ed. "I am not exaggerating when I say that the future of our Constitution is at stake." Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said it's time to begin discussing adding justices as Utah transitions to a "medium-sized" state in a meeting with reporters Thursday. "I don't know why the courts would have an issue with increasing the size," he said. "I mean, you look at the workload and the amount of the complexity of the cases that are in front of them today, and I think more eyes on what they're looking at to help sort through some of these issues I think is a good idea." But despite Utah's growing population, some are skeptical that adding justices will improve the efficiency with which the court hears and decides cases. In fact, it could have the opposite effect, according to Michael Zimmerman, a longtime litigator who served on the Utah Supreme Court from 1984 to 2000 and was its chief justice for four of those years. Zimmerman's firm has represented plaintiffs in several cases against the Legislature, but he has not been involved in those cases. "I think that the court is not overburdened at the present time in terms of cases," he told "Sometimes, cases take a long time. There are always cases that get hung up within the court, and it takes time to get them ironed out among the justices." "Adding more judges means that coming to a conclusion that can be supported by a majority will take you longer," he added. "So, I don't see any functional reason to think that expanding the court would do anything positive. ... I understand the Legislature may be frustrated with the time it takes cases to go up and down within the courts, but, you know, everybody gets frustrated with the time litigation takes." In light of several recent rulings by the Utah courts against lawmakers — pausing the state's near-total abortion ban, temporarily blocking a ban on transgender athletes in high school sports, and saying the Legislature overreached by altering a 2018 ballot initiative on redistricting — the Legislature has considered several proposals that have been seen as efforts to get around rulings it doesn't like. "In terms of justifying expanding the court because of 'evolving (complexities)' of the law, all I can think that means is that the legislator thinks that somehow the current members of the court — I just have to frankly say — (it) must mean that they don't agree with what the legislator would like them to be deciding," Zimmerman said. "The people on the court right now are very smart, very well educated. They were selected in an impartial process. Every one of them was picked by a Republican governor, and they're very, very capable people." Asked about the bill shortly after it was announced Wednesday, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he had heard a "rumor" of a proposal but declined to weigh in either way. "It's an interesting bill file; we'll see if it has legs," he told reporters. "That's probably all I'm going to say." While the issue of Utah's Supreme Court makeup isn't commonly discussed in state politics, Zimmerman made the case that the current system is an important check against government overreach and is designed to be a deliberate and sometimes slow process. 'People can be very impatient with the way the system's set up,' he said. 'An autocracy is very efficient. One person decides everything. It's also tremendously perilous for anybody that doesn't agree with the autocrat. ... In the United States, we've opted for fairness and process as a primary value.'
