Utah

Governor Cox highlighted that nearly half of Utah's third graders are not reading at grade level, calling literacy 'moral infrastructure' essential to freedom and self-governance. He called for a statewide bell-to-bell phone ban and thanked legislators for leading literacy reforms and school phone policy. His address emphasized education within a broader framework of civic virtue and character formation.

Governor Cox's address focused more on civic virtue and foundational priorities like literacy and housing than specific economic metrics, but he emphasized housing affordability as critical to ensuring "Utah will not become a state of renters" and called for zoning and permitting reform to keep homeownership within reach for working families.

Governor Cox addressed homelessness, addiction, and fentanyl as public safety concerns, calling for an approach pairing compassion with accountability focused on disrupting fentanyl trafficking while expanding treatment and recovery pathways. Specific legislative proposals were referenced but not detailed in the address summary.

Governor Cox identified housing as a key priority, urging action to increase housing supply and keep homeownership within reach for working families. He called for zoning and permitting reform, infrastructure support, and policies that reduce barriers to building, declaring "Utah will not become a state of renters."

Governor Cox's address focused primarily on civic virtue and founding principles rather than detailed fiscal proposals, but he outlined priorities including early literacy, housing reform, homelessness, and phone/social media policy. He cautioned against overreliance on legislation and emphasized personal responsibility and community character as foundations for prosperity.

Governor Cox called for a statewide bell-to-bell phone ban during the school day and commonsense guardrails to hold major social media platforms accountable. He warned that addictive technology is reshaping children's attention, sleep, relationships, and mental health, emphasizing that families cannot solve the problem alone.

Governor Cox focused his address on civic virtue and founding principles rather than specific affordability proposals, but highlighted housing as a key priority, stating "Utah will not become a state of renters" and calling for zoning and permitting reform. He emphasized early literacy as foundational to long-term economic opportunity and thanked legislators leading housing and literacy reforms.