Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson signed several bills in the governor s stead on Wednesday that leaders described as family-friendly legislation affecting Utah s future generations.
Recent Utah high school graduates who want to perform a year of community service before starting college would have the opportunity to serve Utah nonprofit organizations and earn a college stipend under legislation before the Utah Legislature.
Utah Senate Majority Whip Ann Millner, a former president of Weber State University, said when she moved to Utah, she observed that returned missionaries had higher levels of maturity, which made a positive difference in their civic engagement and employment prospects. “We need opportunities for other students, other young people to do the same thing,” Millner, sponsor of SB206, told the Utah Legislature’s House Education Committee on Tuesday. The legislation would create the One Utah Fellowship Program, which would pair young adults who want to serve their communities in meaningful ways with qualifying nonprofit organizations and agencies that need consistent volunteer help.