Monthly Archives: August 2009

I am honored that Salt Lake Community College recently presented me with an award as a 2009 Legislative Champion.  However, I am even more grateful to have Salt Lake Community College as a part of my District 5.  With their commitment to changing people’s lives through education, and their dedication to serving Utah as the largest two-year community college in the state, Salt Lake Community College is undoubtedly the jewel of my senate district.

Salt Lake Community College and I share a common interest in helping to prepare the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow.  I have had the opportunity to work with Salt Lake Community College on apprenticeship programs.  We worked together to help promote Helmets to Hardhats, a program that introduces military veterans to promising trade apprenticeship opportunities.  Whether it is helping military veterans in finding jobs and adjusting to civilian life, or simply helping to educate the next generation of Utah’s students, I hope to continue working with Salt Lake Community College in helping students get the training they need to succeed in our competitive world.  It is my honor and responsibility to nurture and support Salt Lake Community College.

Recently I attended the National Conference of State Legislature’s 2009 Legislative Summit in Philadelphia, where I had the unique opportunity to exchange innovative ideas with legislators from all across the country.  Through a series of seminars, workshops, and meetings, we talked about different strategies that the states are using to create better public policy.  Together each of us left with a greater understanding of the issues impacting America than when we first came.

I attended workshops where we discussed everything ranging from the environment to healthcare and pension reform.  I listened to how other states are pioneering new efforts to reduce green house gas emissions through carbon capture and storage programs.  We discussed how state and local communities are improving their transportation systems to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.  Finally, we brainstormed ideas on how to better serve Americans through new ideas on pension and healthcare reform.

However, the one topic that seemed to be on everyone’s mind was the economy.  All across the nation, states are feeling the stress from the recession, and are looking for ways to revitalize their communities.  We passed a resolution supporting free trade, and talked about ways of reducing unemployment through the retraining of laid-off workers. Everywhere I went, and with everyone I spoke to, I continually heard the same message to buy American.  I believe this message is the key to restoring stability for our families throughout Utah and America.  In the end, learning about the challenges that other states face has refocused my efforts to continue formulating solutions and tackling the challenges in our state.

I am proud to support “The Resolution to Buy American,” which encourages local governments to buy local and United States products whenever and wherever possible. If we are going to revive America’s economy, then we must invest the money from the Federal stimulus package to retain existing jobs, and maximize the creation of new jobs for the American people. I believe that this economic stimulus money should go back to employing the very people who provided it in the first place – America’s taxpayers. Furthermore, buying American will help restore economic stability in our local communities, and will directly help America’s families.

I have presented this resolution to City Councils, and Townships, and they overwhelmingly support our goals, because we all share a common interest in keeping America working. From the construction of towering skyscrapers and the network of America’s highways, to the engineering of the world’s smallest computer chips, America’s greatness has always depended on creating new jobs that utilize our different talents. Just as Americans persevered through economic hardship in the past, we must do so again now in the present by buying local and American made goods.

In this time of a troubled economy, we all need to pull together to keep our friends and neighbors working. We can achieve this by using American products and hiring locally, and in the end we will refocus and create a better future.

Legal Sized Resolution: LegalSizedResolution_02_17_2009.pdf