Huntsman issues call
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Wednesday, January 23, 2008 | 
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Brock Vergakis
The Associated Press
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By Brock Vergakis
The Associated Press
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By Brock Vergakis
The Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY -- Gov. Jon Huntsman listed health care and education as major issues in his State of the State address Tuesday night, but offered few details about to how to solve the problems and appealed to Utah residents for help.
"Government can help frame solutions, but it is up to each one of us to get results. We need everyone to stand up and take an active role in the issues that affect their lives," he said.
It was Huntsman's fourth State of the State address but his first in the Capitol, which recently emerged from years of renovations.
Huntsman, a Republican, has made increasing education spending a priority since taking office in 2005, and he repeated it again Tuesday. Utah spends less per student than any other state, has the nation's largest class sizes and needs more teachers.
"Today, we are continuing a firm commitment to make historic investments in education. But investment must be coupled with new ideas and reform," Huntsman said.
He only hinted at some specifics, suggesting the state use classroom space that sits empty in the summer.
"It is amazing to me that, in this age of innovation and education, we have students, buildings and teachers sitting idle for three months every year. Based on any business model, this would be unacceptable," Huntsman said.
"The global economy doesn't take summers off, neither should we."
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, has proposed offering grants to schools that use a year-round calendar. The idea is that districts would then save money because they wouldn't need new buildings or additional teachers to accommodate rising enrollments.
Many districts already use a year-round schedule at the elementary level, but it's rare in middle schools and high schools outside Utah because families complain about losing summer vacation. The timing of Advanced Placement courses is another issue.
Huntsman made no mention of private-school vouchers, which he signed into law last year as a way to alleviate crowded classrooms before voters repealed it by a wide margin in November.
Huntsman won the Republican nomination in 2004 partly because he supported spending public money on private schools. He has said he might support scholarships for low-income families but made no mention of it Tuesday.
Besides education, Huntsman said health care is the state's most pressing problem.
"We cannot wait for Washington's one-size-fits-all plan that does not account for Utah's unique challenges and abilities," he said.
While Huntsman noted that the state's economy continues to be strong, he said expensive insurance leaves many residents without coverage.
"There is a troubling inconsistency emerging here that we should all be mindful of. On one hand, we are the nation's most advanced state in medical sciences. On the other hand, we have far too many Utahns who cannot afford adequate health care," he said.
More than 300,000 Utah residents don't have health insurance, or about one in every nine people.
Huntsman's staff had considered an ambitious plan to mandate health insurance but backed away after insurance companies and others in the health care industry complained.
Instead, House Majority Leader David Clark, R-Santa Clara, wants to provide tax credits for some families and more subsidies for low-income workers.
Clark's bill also calls for state agencies, insurance companies and health advocates to develop inexpensive insurance policies.
"This is not just health care reform, but health system reform," Huntsman said. "It addresses every part of the system, from individual responsibility to health care accessibility. Our approach must be consumer driven, focused on the individual and the family.
"This is a multiyear process, to be sure, but let us begin today," he said.
During the speech, Huntsman praised veterans, from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said their health care needs must be met too.
"As a state, we need to ensure our veterans receive the care they have earned. It is time to build the Ogden Veterans Nursing Home," Huntsman said.
Earlier in the day, the House Government Operations Committee unanimously voted to spend $19.7 million for the nursing home in Weber County.
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