This is the April 27 - May 10, 1996 update.
May 10, 1996
Contact Vicki Varela, 538-1503
or Paula Ernstrom, 538-1509
Listed below are the highlights of Governor Mike Leavitt's activities over
the past two weeks. Please call if you have any questions.
Met with employees of the Utah Department of Human Services and the Utah
Department of Health to announce personnel assignments that will enable the state to
continue its aggressive efforts to restructure child welfare. Effective immediately, Rod
Betit, executive director of both agencies, will devote his primary attention to child
welfare restructuring, Medicaid reform/restructuring, health reform, and transitioning
public assistance programs from the Department of Human Services to the new
Department of Workforce Services. Betit will continue as executive director of both
Health and Human Services, a role which the governor assigned him one year ago as an
expansion of his duties as director of Health. Also effective immediately, Robin Arnold-Williams was appointed by the governor as director of Human Services and Richard
Melton was appointed director of Health. Williams and Melton have been serving as
deputies to Betit. They will continue to report to Betit, but with more autonomy to
manage day-to-day activities. They will be members of the governor's Cabinet. "Child
welfare reform is one of the highest priorities in my administration, and I have asked
Rod Betit to give these issues his direct department-level supervision, while allowing the
other activities of Human Services and Health to move forward on a day-to-day basis
under the capable leadership of Robin Arnold-Williams and Dick Melton," the governor
said. "We have worked vigorously since the day I took office to better protect at-risk
children, and this assignment helps us to move more quickly toward that goal. Much has
been done, but much remains to be done. " Betit and Child and Family Services director
Mary Noonan are teaming to provide children who are at risk with the maximum
protection possible from the state. A number of new initiatives are being launched,
including a neighborhood centered approach, a foster care academy, and building
community partnerships.
Signed a key agreement on child welfare with the Navajo Nation. Governor Leavitt
traveled to Blanding where he met with Navajo Nation President Albert Hale to sign the
Child Welfare Services Cooperative Agreement. "There is no more troubling or difficult
problem I have in governing this state than the care of children in danger," Governor
Leavitt said. "This memorandum we're signing today signals an indication that we all
desire the same thing; what is right for our people." This agreement builds on the federal
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 which already prohibited the state from taking custody
of Native American children. With this new agreement, Navajo leaders may ask the state
to intervene when it is in the best interest of the Navajo child and allows state attorneys to
appear in Navajo Courts. Governor Leavitt and President Hale also joined with San Juan
County officials to sign a memorandum of agreement between the Navajos, the state of
Utah and San Juan county. The memorandum is designed to keep disagreements between
the Navajos and the state or county out of court and to foster cooperation and
communication over critical issues. The governor also visited the technology centers at
San Juan High School and the College of Eastern Utah in Blanding.
Demonstrated technology that connects the class room to the living room. Governor
Leavitt joined with the Davis County School district and !NTERPRISE Networking
Services, the data networking arm of US West, to announce !NTERACT, an Internet
connection that links parents and teachers together. This new program was created by an
agreement between the school district and US West and is supported by the governor's
SmartUTAH initiative. !NTERACT allows parents to access their children's attendance,
homework, and grade information and send e-mail to teachers and administrators to ask
questions and voice concerns. "This initiative demonstrates how technology is improving
our world," Governor Leavitt said. "As parents, we can take advantage of the tools of
technology to increase communication with our children's teachers, to monitor our
children's progress, and to provide assistance and special guidance as needed. This
public-private partnership is a powerful tool to help parents, students and schools move
forward to a whole new level of performance."
Announced technology that is designed to increase public safety and the productivity of
law enforcement personnel. Governor Leavitt joined with Mayor Max Hogan of West
Jordan, the West Jordan Police Department and members of the Utah Highway Patrol to
demonstrate this new system that connects patrolling police officers to each other and to
the station using cellular technology and laptop computers. The governor's Commission
on Criminal and Juvenile Justice helped West Jordan obtain the funding to develop this
system through a federal Byrnes Grant. The Utah Highway Patrol is also testing this
system in some of their cruisers.
Thanked and encouraged members of the western virtual university regional advisory
group in their efforts to develop a new learning institution that will increase access to job
training and higher education in western states. The governor met with the 60-member
group during their all-day meeting May 8 in Salt Lake City. Members from thirteen states
attended, representing governors' offices, higher education institutions, and high-tech
industries. Leavitt emphasized that it is not technology that will be the biggest barrier in
deploying the virtual university. Instead, the major barriers will come in the form of
tradition, regulation and bureaucracy. He also encouraged the advisory group to plan for
the technology of the future, not the technology of today, which is crude and hard to use
compared to what will be available within a few years. Leavitt also asked for suggestions
about what to name the learning system. During the day-long meeting, the participants
discussed organization of the virtual university, student services, financing, transfer of
credit, and many other issues.
Was named to the board of trustees of a public policy research institute. Center for the
New West is a Denver-based nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research institution that
focuses on trade, technology and economic development issues. "Governor Leavitt is a
leader in limiting government, restoring balance to the federal system and ensuring that
all communities and institutions are beneficiaries of the revolution in telecommunications
and computers," said the president of Center for the New West, Philip M. Burgess.
"These are all front-burner issues for the Center. We are fortunate to have Governor
Leavitt on our board." Current issues the center is studying include the impact of
computers and telecommunications on American life, the small office/home office
movement, public land policy in the West, developing high performance communities,
recreation and tourism in the New Economy, and tax reform.
Was named as a co-chair of the Republican National Convention Platform Committee.
Governor Leavitt will share the task with and eight other co-chairs mostly from the
party's leadership at the state and local level. Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois will
chair the committee.
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