I hope you have had a wonderful summer and are enjoying the first weeks of fall! I just re-read the preview I wrote on this email–Mental Health, Suicide, Drug Addiction–and realized how depressing that sounded. It has been a busy few months, and I wanted to let you know some of the things I have been working on and answer a couple of constituents’ questions I have received. Hopefully, this email is not too depressing. 🙂
HOMELESSNESS
I have been concerned about the increase in families and individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Utah, specifically in Utah County. We need to create a solid, localized, data-driven plan to address these issues, and we need to do it now. With inflation and the skyrocketing housing costs, homelessness has increased in Utah County by over 44% since 2020**, and the number of those experiencing homelessness for the first time rose by nearly 70% in just one year. In addition, according to the Point in Time County, in January, 38% of emergency and unsheltered homeless individuals and families in Utah County were fleeing domestic violence.
We have wonderful programs, people, and organizations that help those struggling with homelessness, and they have been doing an amazing job with their limited resources. However, we need a comprehensive and coordinated plan that addresses the complete scope of this issue, and that has the support of local elected officials, and we need to get it figured out now.
Therefore, I have put together a working group of various stakeholders, including state, city, and county officials, to come up with a vision and plan that is driven by good data. We have had two meetings so far, and I am optimistic that we can change the trajectory of homelessness in our county with all the great minds, experiences, and perspectives represented in the group.
**According to the Point In Time Count carried out in January each year. Volunteers count the number of unsheltered and emergency and temporarily sheltered individuals and families on a given day. This count under-represents the actual number.
MENTAL ILLNESS, SUICIDE, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER
Some facts:
- Utah has the highest rate of mental illness among adults in the U.S.
- Suicide is the leading cause of death for Utahns age 10-64
- The rate of mental illness in Utah is increasing
I often hear from constituents struggling to find resources and help for their loved ones who are dealing with mental health issues. We have a lot of dedicated people and organizations working to help, but some vast gaps and barriers need to be addressed.
I am currently working on several bills to address some of these gaps. One bill would request a waiver from the federal government so that Medicaid can cover mental health treatment similarly to how it covers substance abuse disorder and physical disabilities. The stories I hear from parents who are trying to care for their severely mentally ill adult children are tragic. There needs to be a way for these parents to receive support and help to care for their adult children. It would be much less expensive to provide these supports than do what we currently do most of the time: churn these mentally ill adults through hospitalizations, jails, homelessness, and prison.
SUICIDE
As I mentioned above, suicide is the leading cause of death for Utahns aged 10-64. September was suicide awareness month, but we can do more than just be aware. To get help, get involved, or find resources go to Live On Utah: https://liveonutah.org/
For more resources on suicide prevention and mental health, visit any of the following:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, dial 988. Learn more at https://988lifeline.org
- SafeUT app
- Crisis Help Line, text “HOME” to 741741
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, www.afsp.org
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah Chapter (advocacy and support for Utah individuals and families impacted by mental illness) www.namiut.org
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center www.sprc.org
Here are a couple of charts that provide more data and context: The first shows suicidal behavior and mortality by sex, and the second shows these behaviors by age group.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
You can find some very interesting data specific to Utah and Utah County at https://dsamh.utah.gov/data-portal-home. Click on Substance Utah Disorder Fast Facts on the left. Then, to find Utah County data, find the dropdown menu at the top under 3. Health Authority. On the dropdown, click on Utah County. You can see disaggregated data on each chart by hovering your mouse over the icon next to each chart or description.
During October’s Social Services Appropriations Interim Committee, we will be prioritizing where to spend the approximately $8 million Utah has received from the Opioid Settlement. Because each county in Utah has different needs, resources, populations, and because the government closest to the people is more accessible, I would like to give a large percentage of this money to the health districts/counties to use as they determine is best based on local data. The health districts would need to submit and be accountable to key performance metrics.
FYI: We have two new excellent resources in our neighborhood to help those suffering from substance abuse disorder. They have been opened and run by those with lived experience who want to help others on this difficult journey.
Addict II Athlete is a nonprofit action-oriented organization assisting those affected by addiction and mental health. They are a non-anonymous support group with recovery resources. AIIA’s mission is to establish and maintain recovery by promoting lifestyle changes through erasing negative behaviors and replacing them with positive ones. Those interested in AIIA recovery can simply speak with coaches at a free support group meeting or when they attend or participate in any of the events. Additional information for support is also available on a free downloadable brochure.
Addict II Athlete is located at 1875 S. State Street, Suite T500, Orem.
Fit To Recover is a community that helps people in sobriety connect and seek balance in their lives through the organization’s core foundational pillars of fitness, nutrition, community service, and creative arts. This non-profit started as a small group of friends who wanted to support each other in sobriety through exercise and fellowship. They’d meet each Saturday to run the hills of Sugarhouse Park and share their dreams and fears of life in recovery. The group grew in size, and soon an entire community formed around the group’s passions.
Fit To Recover opened in January 2015 in Salt Lake and recently opened a new location in Orem with limited hours. It is located west of Geneva Road off of University Parkway: 1221 S 1840 W, Orem, UT 84058.
Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
We had some very interesting discussions in this committee. To watch or listen to a recording, click HERE. You can jump to any agenda item.
One controversial issue we heard about was whether to allow those with first or second DUI charges to use interlock devices on their vehicles in lieu of suspending their licenses. We listened to a presentation from NORC at the University of Chicago, a presentation from Defense Attorneys for Balanced Criminal Justice, and comments from the Department of Public Safety. Ultimately, we voted to open a committee bill file to address the issues raised regarding the alcohol ignition interlock program.
We also heard a presentation from the Violent Crimes Working Group about the efficacy of certain interventions intended to prevent gun violence. I am a member of this working group. I know this presentation was well researched and had good data-driven policy suggestions that would increase cooperation with communities and law enforcement, help provide needed resources, hold violent criminals accountable, and decrease the drivers of violent crime to keep our families safe. Slides 40-45 in the presentation are especially interesting when looking at drivers of juvenile violent crime.
You can read about other September interim meeting highlights HERE.
Issues Raised by Constituents
RANKED CHOICE VOTING
Over the last few years, I have received many questions, comments, and concerns about Ranked Choice Voting. The Sutherland Institute, a conservative public policy think tank in Salt Lake City, recently co-hosted a panel discussion focusing on The Future of Ranked-Choice Voting in Utah. You can find a summary of the discussion HERE, and a more detailed report HERE.
RETAINING JUDGES
Another voting issue I have been asked about is about retaining judges. They are on the ballot, but it can be difficult to find enough information on each judge to know how to vote. Help is here! Go to judges.utah.gov, click on KNOW YOUR 2022 JUDGES in the menu on the left, select Utah County, and voila! There is good info on this page, but if you click on the “view” box next to a judge’s name, you can read survey responses, courtroom observations, and a short bio, and see how they compare to their peers.
WATER CONSERVATION
As we grow in population and our water supplies diminish, it is clear that we need to do more to take care of our resources. Many constituents have expressed concern about the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake and water conservation efforts. Utah has been a little slow to get ahead of this situation, but this last session, the legislature passed 18 bills directly addressing water conservation and appropriated more than $460 million towards this effort. One of the more important bills allows agricultural water banking. Before, farmers either had to “use it or lose it”, which encouraged water waste to avoid losing water rights. Now unneeded water can flow to reservoirs and lakes without threatening a farmer’s rights to that water.
Here is the list of water conservation bills. To see each bill, go to le.utah.gov, copy and paste the bill number and name and hit enter. It should take you to that bill’s page.
Water Conservation Bills
HB 33 Instream Water Flow Amendments
HB 37 State Water Policy Amendments
HB 39 State Construction Code Amendments
HB 121 Water Conservation Modifications
HB 131 Watershed Restoration Initiative
HB 157 Sovereign Lands Revenue Amendments
HB 160 State Resource Management Plan Amendments
HB 168 Preference of Water Right Amendment
HB 177 Water Well Amendments
HB 232 Utah Lake Authority
HB 240 Utah Lake Amendments
HB 242 Secondary Water Metering Amendments
HB 282 Water Use Landscaping Amendments
HB 410 Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement
HB 423 Department of Agriculture and Food Amendments
HB 429 Great Salt Lake Amendments
SB 89 Water Amendments
SB 110 Water As A Part of General Plan
Additional Appropriations Related to Water Conservation
Great Salt Lake Promotion
HB 157 Great Salt Lake Account – Watershed
HB 2 Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake Studies
HB 2/SB 3 Agricultural Water Optimization
SB 3 ARPA Rural Drinking Water Projects
SB 3 Utah Lake Preservation
HB2 Groundwater and Wetlands Management
HB3-ARPA Water Development Security Fund