Gov. Cox Highlights Priorities in State of the State Address

During his State of the State address Thursday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox called for changes to laws regarding housing, homelessness, and cell phone use in schools. He also made a nod to the country’s founding fathers, as America celebrates its 250th year.
 

Standing in front of members of the House and Senate, Gov. Cox opened his list of priorities with education reform, and increasing childhood literacy.

“Nearly half of our third graders are not reading at grade level — and too many of those children never catch up,” he said. “That should concern us because reading is how people learn to think and govern themselves. A society that cannot read cannon reason together, and when reasoning breaks down, power rushes in to fill the void.”

Gov. Cox also called for legislation to address Utah’s housing supply, saying if Utahns “are to achieve the American dream,” they need to be able to afford a home.

“Utah will not become a state of renters,” he declared. “We must pull every lever to increase the supply of housing.”

With that, he pushed for zoning reforms, streamlining permitting, supporting infrastructure, and encouraging innovation.

“If we want strong, stable, connected families and communities throughout Utah, we have to build more homes,” said Gov. Cox. “That means less government, not more.”

Gov. Cox then spoke about homelessness, saying they’re targeting fentanyl trafficking, and want to expand treatment and recovery.

“We’re starting with chronic homelessness — helping with mental illness and breaking the vicious cycle of addiction and crime,” he said. “Our mission is to make Utah the worst place in the country to camp on the street — and the best place to get help.”

He expressed wanting to tackle social media policy, including a proposed “bell-to-bell” cell phone ban in schools.

“This is about protecting the next generation’s capacity to focus, to relate, to read, to think, and to choose a meaningful life. It’s about giving them their childhood back,” he said.

In addition to the ban, Gov. Cox talked of establishing “commonsense guardrails” and holding “the most powerful companies in human history accountable for their actions.”

“What social media companies do, without a doubt, is tyranny over the minds of our children and grandchildren — and well, us adults too,” he stated.

Gov. Cox spent the first part and last parts of his speech talking about the creation of the “American experiment.”

He spoke of Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues, and how, “the Founders knew we couldn’t succeed as a nation without virtuous leaders.”

Late president Calvin Coolidge also became a theme throughout the speech, with Gov. Cox joking at one point that, “even Calvin Coolidge probably thinks this is too much Calvin Coolidge.”

Quoting Coolidge’s speech titled “Have Faith in Massachusetts,” Gov. Cox tied the words of America’s 30th president back to the country’s founding principles and urged a “return to virtue.”

“My friends, we are so fortunate to live in this state at this moment,” Gov. Cox said. “I submit that no state in this nation and no people in this country better reflect Franklin’s virtues than ours.”
 

RELATED VIDEOS

Governor Cox delivered the 2026 State of the State Address in Salt Lake City on January 22. Coverage included a prerecorded response from Minority Leadership in the Utah Legislature as well as political analysis from PBS Utah and KUER News. 

Kelton Wells is joined by Jason Perry, Director of The Hinckley Institute of Politics, Mauro Carabello, Founder and President of The Exoro Group, and Sean Higgins, host of KUER New's State Street, to offer their analysis and insights.