Guest opinion: The âsuccess sequenceâ is a bipartisan vision for upward mobility. Policymakers should embrace it.
by Nic Dunn
In our polarized political environment, itâs not often that an idea garners majority support across party affiliation, ideology, and demographic differences. New Sutherland Institute polling shows that the success sequence is just such a concept with broad resonance among likely voters in Utah. Policymakers should keep these findings top of mind in the 2024 legislative session and beyond.
The success sequence refers to research showing that, of young people who graduate from high school, work full-time, and marry before having children, 97% do not experience poverty in adulthood.
Sutherland recently published the results of a survey, conducted by Y2 Analytics, asking likely voters in Utah about their attitudes toward each pillar of the success sequence, and whether all three together represent a compelling framework for avoiding poverty.
The Sutherland/Y2 Analytics survey found that supermajorities of likely voters in Utah agree that graduating from high school (89%), getting a full-time job (86%), and getting married before having children (68%) are important steps âto secure a successful and happy life.â....
Empowering the next generation with these principles would be an important step toward reducing poverty and increasing upward mobility, and state policymakers can use the framework offered by the success sequence knowing itâs backed by solid research and broadly popular among Utahns.
The success sequence has already been shown as a reliable path out of poverty and is supported by strong majorities of Utah voters across ideological and demographic lines. Policymakers should embrace this bipartisan vision of upward mobility. (Read More)
News Releases
Gov. Spencer Cox signs six bills in the 2024 General Legislative Session
Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed six bills today. He has signed seven pieces of legislation from the 2024 General Legislative Session to date.
Information on bills signed today can be found below:
- SB 1 Higher Education Base Budget
- SB 4 Business, Economic Development, and Labor Base Budget
- SB 6 Infrastructure and General Government Base Budget
- SB 7 National Guard, Veterans Affairs, and Legislature Base Budget
- HB 257 Sex-based Designations for Privacy, Anti-bullying, and Womenâs Opportunities
- HB 261 Equal Opportunity Initiatives (Read More)
State Auditor updates Project KIDS with school year 2022-2023 data
The Office of the State Auditor (Office) today announces that the Project KIDS interactive dashboards have been updated with data for school year 2022-23.
Project KIDS is a special, in-depth performance audit of public education that integrates financial, operational, and performance data to create interactive visualizations. This informs Utah stakeholders where the money is going in public education so those stakeholders can better determine how well that money is being spent. (Read More)
Sen. Blouin advocates for competitive energy policies amidst âEnergy Weekâ
This week, as the Utah legislature marks âEnergy Weekâ, Republicans are proposing a series of bills that could significantly reshape the stateâs energy landscape. Under the guise of energy independence, their proposed legislation leans heavily towards outdated technologies, risking the stateâs competitiveness in the evolving energy market. (Read More)
Romney helps introduce bipartisan legislation to hold e-cigarette companies accountable for youth vaping crisis
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined his colleagues, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to protect children from the dangers of e-cigarettes. The Resources to Prevent Youth Vaping Act would require e-cigarette manufacturers to pay user fees to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help conduct stronger oversight of the e-cigarette industry and increase awareness for the danger of e-cigarettes. Joining Romney and Shaheen in cosponsoring this legislation are Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Susan Collins (R-ME). The bill is endorsed by the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (Read More)
Maloy introduces bipartisan bill to ensure federal dollars go to verified, women-owned small business
Today, Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) and Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI), members of the House Committee on Small Business, introduced The WOSB Integrity Act of 2024. This bill would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) and third-party, certifying entities to take reasonable action to verify that women-owned small businesses meet the SBAâs small business size standards for receiving federal contracts.
âMany women entrepreneurs call Utah home, and I want to make sure even more are able to enter the marketplace, compete and succeed. However, that requires a level playing field,â said Rep. Maloy. âThis bill will help ensure that larger, more established firms arenât able exploit federal contracts, grants, or loans at the expense of women-owned small businesses.â (Read More)
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