Latest news with #UtahStateLegislature
Associated Press
16-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
For the Seventh Year in a Row, Utah Renews Funding for YouScience® Brightpath to Boost College and Career Readiness and Workforce Development
State investment ensures 375,000 students can continue exploring future career and education paths through innovative aptitude-based planning tools AMERICAN FORK, Utah, April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- YouScience®, the leading education technology company transforming college and career readiness through its award-winning platform Brightpath, today announced the continued funding by the Utah State Legislature for YouScience®Brightpath for every public and charter middle and high school in Utah. This continued investment ensures students across the state will continue to benefit from personalized career guidance, aptitude-driven guidance, work-based learning, and industry-recognized certifications that prepare them for future success. The renewal reflects Utah's steadfast commitment to helping students build brighter futures and the state's continued leadership in career-connected learning. Through the Student Credential Account (SCA) program, the Utah State Legislature has championed workforce readiness since 2019 by supporting student access to career exploration and industry-recognized credentials. This year's funding will provide 375,000 students across 449 schools and 41 school districts with uninterrupted access to Brightpath, empowering them to understand their strengths, make informed decisions about their futures, and connect with real opportunities in Utah's workforce. 'For seven years, the Utah State Legislature has demonstrated what it means to truly invest in our students and community,' said Edson Barton, Co-Founder and CEO of YouScience. 'Their continued support of Brightpath means students statewide can gain clarity, confidence, and direction as they navigate education and career planning. We're proud to be part of this future-focused partnership.' Brightpath is an end-to-end platform that connects education to careers, helping students explore their aptitudes, through the Aptitude Career & Discovery assessment, validate skills with industry-recognized certifications and work-based learning, and find relevant educational and career pathways, ultimately aiming to bridge the gap between education and industry. 'This funding is a game-changer for our CTE programs,' said Laura Deshazo, CTE Director, Salt Lake City School District. 'With access to YouScience, our teachers can better support students in identifying their aptitudes and aligning them with relevant pathways and programs we offer. It helps us personalize education, guide students toward meaningful careers, and ultimately strengthen the connection between education and workforce readiness across our schools and throughout Utah.' YouScience's Aptitude Career & Discovery assessment helps educators personalize learning by identifying each student's natural aptitudes through engaging, science-based brain games. AI then matches students to best-fit careers and educational pathways–making school more relevant and purposeful. Brightpath supports key transitions from middle school to high school, post-secondary education, and the workforce by connecting classwork to real-world outcomes. Students can explore careers, earn certifications, and connect with employers, while educators gain valuable insights to guide graduation planning and streamline work-based learning programs. To learn more about YouScience, please visit: About YouScience® YouScience® is the leading education technology company dedicated to empowering individuals with the data and credentials needed to succeed in school, career, and life. Its award-winning platform, Brightpath, is the only College & Career Readiness solution built for both compliance and impact–powered by scientifically backed aptitude discovery, industry-recognized certifications, and meaningful career connections. By leveraging cutting-edge research, AI, and industry collaboration, YouScience helps individuals uncover their unique talents, validate their skills, and connect with in-demand educational and career pathways. YouScience has served more than 13,400 educational institutions and millions of users nationwide, making it the preferred choice for individuals, parents, educators, and counselors to achieve real outcomes through education and career pathways. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE YouScience
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: Utah lawmakers voice strong opposition to Medicaid cuts
Dear Senator Lee, Senator Curtis, Representative Moore, Representative Owens, Representative Maloy and Representative Kennedy, As Congress looks for budget cuts in Medicaid at the federal level, we wanted to let you know that we oppose indiscriminate large cuts that would damage the Utahns who are served by Medicaid. Medicaid is a life-saving and essential health care program. It covers thousands of Utah's children, people with disabilities, people in long-term care and people with low income. This program plays a pivotal role in Utah's health care system. It reimburses hospitals and health care providers for providing dental care, prenatal care and other vital health care services. Utah's Medicaid program has been carefully tailored and structured by the Utah State Legislature and successive Utah governors. It is a program that strengthens Utah families and helps ensure that our state remains one of the healthiest and most economically successful states in the nation. If there are abrupt large reductions in the federal government's commitment to Medicaid, it will surely result in a loss of care for some of these Utahns, who do not have anywhere else to turn. In addition to injury that can occur when basic health care is not available, this loss of coverage will also cause emergency rooms to be burdened with providing uncompensated care when their health finally deteriorates to a breaking point. The cost of this care falls on our hospitals first and then is passed on to other Utahns in the form of higher insurance premiums. Hospitals (especially rural hospitals) and health care providers who are already stretched thin would face even more serious financial shortfalls. If cuts to Medicaid are needed to ensure the program's longer-term viability, we would ask that the cuts be done in such a way that coverage for basic medical services will still be available to poor Utahns. If work requirements are to be considered, please remember that a substantial number of Medicaid recipients have some significant situations in their lives that make employment difficult or unrealistic, such as duties to care for children, elderly parents or disabled family members. Some of them have a significant disabling medical condition but have not yet made it through our multi-year process to claim a formal disability designation. If work requirements are instituted, we hope they would be simple enough to follow and broad enough in definition to avoid resulting in loss of medical care for these kinds of individuals. There are also other cost saving measures that can be instituted, such as indexing co-pays with inflation (which has not happened in many years) or implementing differential co-pays for emergency room visits versus urgent care visits — similar to what other private insurers do to help incentivize care to take place in appropriate medical settings — that could result in savings to the program while still getting people the basic care they need to stay healthy. Every area of the program should be looked at to see if there are overpayments or if there are services that are 'nice to have' but not necessary for basic health, and those areas can and should be reduced while keeping essential care intact — but that means that the people doing the cutting need to be knowledgeable about the services provided and to still value the provision of basic medical care itself. Utah voters chose to strengthen Medicaid in 2018, and Utah's state government and Legislature have worked diligently to create a Medicaid program unique to Utah. Medicaid serves approximately 340,000 Utahns (almost exactly 1 in 10), half of whom are children. This means that almost everyone in Utah has benefited personally from being on Medicaid at some point in their life, or has family members or personal acquaintances who are currently benefiting from the program. Utah has the lowest percentage of people on Medicaid of any of the 50 states, but for those who have it, it is a vital lifeline to health care. Public opinion polls consistently show that both Republicans and Democrats support Medicaid and don't want to see people they care for get cut off from access to medical care. Damaging Medicaid with indiscriminate large reductions will not make America or Utah healthy or economically stronger. We urge you to oppose sweeping cuts and instead focus on targeted savings and a refocusing of the program to keep in place the basic medical services that Medicaid has successfully provided for so many years. Representative Ray Ward Representative Ariel Defay Representative Cheryl Acton Representative Christine Watkins Representative Clint Okerlund Representative Jim Dunnigan Representative Logan Monson Representative Steve Eliason Representative Stewart Barlow Senator Evan Vickers Senator Todd Weiler
New York Times
29-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Utah Bans Most Flags, Including Pride, at Schools and Government Buildings
The Utah State Legislature approved a measure that bans the display of all but approved flags in schools and government buildings, a divisive move that civil rights groups have said will undermine free expression for L.G.B.T.Q. people and their supporters. The measure, which became law on Thursday, allows only flags explicitly exempt from the ban — including the United States flag, the Utah state flag and military flags — to be displayed. Other flags, such as the Pride flag and those supporting political causes, will be barred from being flown at government buildings. The new law is one of the most restrictive passed by a state to govern the display of flags, in what has become a polarizing debate largely focused on the Pride flag and other expressions of L.G.B.T.Q. support. Other states, such as Idaho, have passed restrictions on the display of flags in schools, while lawmakers in Florida are considering similar proposals. Supporters of the measure have framed it as a way to make schools and government buildings less political. 'Tax payer funded entities shouldn't be promoting political agendas,' Trevor Lee, a Republican lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said on social media on Friday. 'This is a massive win for Utah.' In a letter on Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said he had 'serious concerns' about the bill. He said he had allowed it to become law without his signature because his veto would have been overridden. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Feeling lonely? Utah's working on a plan for that
The United States is experiencing a loneliness epidemic, and though Utah is widely-regarded as one of the nation's happiest states, data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services indicates that feelings of social isolation in Utah have rocketed in recent years. Last year, Axios indicated that at least 42.5% of Utahns report feeling lonely at least sometimes — compared to the national average of about 40.3%. A new resolution from Sen. Brady Brammer at the Utah State Legislature would recognize loneliness as a critical public health priority and, to that end, establish the Utah Community Health Day on the last Saturday of April. Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, called his resolution a 'friendly, happy' bill that addresses a growing epidemic of loneliness and social isolation in Utah. The COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable effect on social interactions, disrupting businesses, governments, religious services and social functions. Though it has abated, it drew attention to the the loneliness epidemic, which started years prior. 'We are seeing dramatic declines in the amount of time people are spending together,' said Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and a senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies. Wilcox is also a contributor to the Deseret News. Loneliness is increasingly coming for young adults. Harvard researchers found that 61% of young adults report loneliness 'frequently or all the time,' compared to 24% of adults aged 55-65. On the other end of the spectrum, loneliness has long haunted the elderly, who more often than young people have suffered the loss of spouses and friends while also sending their children off to start their own lives. Wilcox cited increasing technology use, including social media and the comparisons that can result from spending time on it, as a possible cause for increasing loneliness. '(Regardless of the cause), Americans who are living more isolated lives are actually more likely to be vulnerable to things like heart attacks and suicide and drug overdoses, et cetera,' he said. 'So, you know, we are, as Aristotle said, social animals ... we are more likely to flourish when we spend time with friends and family members and even strangers.' Loneliness can be deadly, according to research done at Brigham Young University. It can worsen inflammation, cognitive decline, depression and immune system decline. It can even usher in dementia in the elderly. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General formally identified loneliness and social isolation as an urgent public health issue. 'Social connection is as fundamental to our mental and physical health as food, water and sleep,' stated the Surgeon General at the time, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who completed his second term as U.S. Surgeon General in January 2025. 'In other words, social connection is critical to our human experience. We are literally hard-wired to connect to others,' he said. The resolution introduced in Utah, SCR4, 'urges individuals to prioritize building positive relationships and fostering social connection.' To that end, it establishes Utah Community Health Day, a day 'dedicated to fostering social connection, reducing loneliness and social isolation and promoting overall well-being through community events, volunteer opportunities and neighborhood gatherings.' 'This encourages people to get out into the community, love one another, celebrate one another and communicate with one another,' Brammer told the Utah State Senate. Wilcox supported the work already done by members of the Utah State Legislature, including Community Health Day, saying that strengthening family and civil society was the best approach. He said that Americans most resilient to loneliness tend to be ones who attend church and live with family members. 'When it comes to addressing the challenge of isolation and loneliness ... it's a challenge in terms of strengthening family and civil society,' he said. He also endorsed the Utah State Legislature's work to reduce cellphone usage in schools, including SB178, which bans phones and smart watches from public school classrooms across the state.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
My family suffered from exposure to radioactive toxins. Now, leaders want nuclear energy in Utah.
Thelma Whiskers of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe speaks in opposition of the White Mesa Uranium Mill during a protest outside the Utah Capitol Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) The Utah State Legislature's House Public Utilities and Energy Committee marked this year's National Day of Remembrance for Downwinders — a day that honors the victims of radiation from nuclear test sites — by unanimously supporting a bill to fast-track nuclear development. The move aligns with the Gov. Spencer Cox's energy plan, or 'operation gigawatt,' which Cox described as an opportunity for Utah to 'lead the country in energy development, secure our energy future and remain a net energy exporter while diversifying and expanding our energy resources.' Despite the governor's claims that nuclear energy is 'clean and reliable,' it is carbon intensive to construct and costly to operate. But more importantly, it's unsafe. State legislators have acknowledged the risk of nuclear disasters, but the dangers of nuclear energy production start earlier in the supply chain. My mom was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a town built for uranium research and nuclear study in World War II. My grandfather was an avid deer hunter in his younger days, but in their community it is recommended that they get the meat hunted near the labs tested for radiation exposure before consuming it. When my mom worked at the labs there, she looked out her window to see the river below her office glowing, something her boss told her she shouldn't worry about it. But cancer and genetic disorders are high in the community. My grandmother is currently living with the same rare form of cancer that killed two of her three brothers. My aunt, my mom's only sibling, was born with a serious genetic condition that significantly impacted her quality of life and contributed to her passing in her late thirties. These are the public health costs of nuclear energy. Uranium must be mined and processed and to do that communities and families are sacrificed. Radioactive toxins are already harming communities in our state. One such community is White Mesa, Utah, where roughly 200 members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe live. In October, I had the honor of visiting White Mesa to join the annual spiritual walk from their community center to the Energy Fuels White Mesa Mill just a few miles down the road, where radioactive waste from around the world is stored and uranium is processed. There, we learned about the health impacts from this facility and how accidents near their homes have been hastily and improperly cleaned up. Tribal members told us how they abandoned traditional hunting and gathering practices out of fear of contamination and that the construction of the mill destroyed sites that are sacred to them, including burial grounds. What is happening in White Mesa is not unusual. The history of uranium in this country is a story of exploitation of Indigenous peoples. The vast majority of uranium in the country has been mined on Navajo Nation where economic conditions, caused by centuries of colonial exploitation, forced people to work in dangerous conditions without proper information about the risks. Members of the Navajo Nation experience many health effects to this day including high rates of cancer, due to waste and mines that are still on their lands. Downwinders have never been fully compensated from the impacts of nuclear testing. Since the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) recently expired, the little compensation downwinders had been receiving has dried up leaving many Utahns struggling with expensive medical bills. Utah should explore forms of renewable energy, such as wind, solar, and geothermal before pursuing nuclear energy. With proper battery storage, technology concerns about intermittent power can be rectified. Despite Utah's supposed 'all of the above' energy approach, the legislature is attempting to restrict solar energy development and disqualify wind and solar facilities from serving as large-scale generation providers. It is long since time that we ensure that uranium mines are cleaned up and that waste and toxins are moved out of the White Mesa Mill and away from the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. It is not the time to bring nuclear energy into the state. Instead we must seek justice for those who have been harmed by the uranium and nuclear industries.
