Enrolled Copy H.C.R. 17
1 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE 25TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE UTAH MARRIAGE COMMISSION
2024 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Carol S. Moss Senate Sponsor: Todd D. Weiler
2
3 LONG TITLE
4 General Description:
5 This resolution recognizes and commends the work of the Utah Marriage Commission for
6 25 years of strengthening marriages in Utah.
7 Highlighted Provisions:
8 This resolution:
9 ▸ recognizes the importance of healthy and strong marriages to the well-being of
10 individuals, families, and communities;
11 ▸ acknowledges the challenges facing Utahns wanting to form and sustain a strong
12 marriage; and
13 ▸ recognizes the educational work of the Utah Marriage Commission over the past 25
14 years to help Utah couples form and sustain healthy relationships and stronger marriages.
15 Other Special Clauses:
16 None
17
18 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
19 WHEREAS, marriage is a fundamental social institution supporting the well-being of society;
20 WHEREAS, a healthy marriage is one of the strongest predictors of personal happiness;
21 WHEREAS, strong marriages provide the optimal social and economic environment for
22 rearing children;
23 WHEREAS, a strong institution of marriage makes for a stronger Utah;
24 WHEREAS, marriage and fertility rates have been falling substantially in the United States
25 and in Utah;
26 WHEREAS, many social and economic forces, as well as cultural headwinds, make
 H.C.R. 17 Enrolled Copy
27 forming and sustaining a healthy marriage in contemporary society challenging, especially for
28 more disadvantaged young adults;
29 WHEREAS, former Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt established a formal Utah Marriage
30 Commission in 1998 to help support stronger marriages in Utah, with former First Lady
31 Jacalyn S. Leavitt playing a formative role in the early years of the Commission;
32 WHEREAS, the Utah Marriage Commission has served Utah for 25 years, providing easy
33 access through its website StrongerMarriage.org to research-based educational resources to
34 strengthen marriages and remarriages, including evidence-based online courses, podcasts,
35 webinars, blogs, videos, and guidebooks;
36 WHEREAS, these free educational resources have reached hundreds of thousands of
37 Utahns over the past 25 years;
38 WHEREAS, the quantity and quality of these educational resources is accelerating;
39 WHEREAS, the Utah Marriage Commission also has supported legislation designed to help
40 support couples' efforts to form and sustain healthy marriages and remarriages, including an
41 incentive for engaged couples to participate in premarital education; and
42 WHEREAS, the Utah Marriage Commission receives excellent support and effective
43 day-to-day leadership from Utah State University Extension, with its mission of taking the
44 research to the people:
45 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
46 Governor concurring therein, recognizes and commends the work of the Utah Marriage
47 Commission over the last 25 years helping couples form and sustain healthy relationships and
48 stronger marriages and for its efforts to strengthen the institution of marriage in Utah.
49 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah and the Governor
50 look forward to the continued success of the Commission to make Utah the best state in the
51 nation in which to raise a family.
-2-