The Governor's office has recently created an activity sheet for Utah's 4th graders to complete during the address.

Missed last year's State of the State address? The text of the speech is available online.

There are a number of ways you can keep track of what's happening during the legislative session:

• Use the 2012 General Session page to follow bills, reading calendars and weekly schedules. From the General Session page, you can also read proposed bills from both the House and Senate, read House and Senate Journals, and set up bill tracking. There is also a page listing significant session dates to help you keep track of legislative deadlines.


• Listen or watch live the daily House and Senate floor debates. For live recordings, visit the legislature's home page. Archived recordings are available online for both the House and Senate.


• Listen to committee meetings and review committee agendas and related material. Use the main committee page to find the meeting you're interested in. You can also monitor upcoming agendas.

• HB 301: School District Property Tax Revisions.
• SB 162: Military and Overseas Voting.
• SB 248: Controlled Substances Database Amendments
• SB 287: Specialty License Plate Amendments.

To see all the laws that passed January 1st, go to the Utah State Legislature's passed bills page, select 2011 General Session (or any of the three special sessions) from the drop down box, and click on the Effective Date heading to sort the list by that criteria.

The Utah Insurance Department has information on what to do if there is damage to your property, including documenting the damage, finding a reputable contractor to do repairs, and reporting a claim.

The Utah Department of Commerce reminds consumers to be aware of scams by fake contractors and companies preying on people whose property was damaged in the recent storm. Remember to always ask to see a copy of the contractor's license and get a written contract.

You should also check with your city and county for information on clean-up efforts. For example, Farmington has information about green waste clean-up here and Layton has provided information about fraud and clean-up efforts on their website.

The state of Utah has a variety of resources for caregivers, including:

• Ucare, developed by the Utah Department of Human Services
• The Utah Coalition for Caregiver Support, an advocacy organization for both caregivers and seniors.

The Utah State Courts website has information about guardianship and conservatorship in Utah. You can complete court forms for a minor guardianship using the Online Court Assistance Program. The courts' YouTube channel has videos about Guardianship of an Adult and Guardianship of a Minor available to watch at any time.

Many Utah cities and police departments have put together safety tip guides for trick or treaters and parents, including Layton, Sandy, and Lehi.

In addition to trick or treat activities, Utah cities, libraries, and schools may also be hosting Halloween activities. Contact your local city or county office, public library, or school district to see if there are Halloween related activities for you and your family. You can also search for events on the Utah Office of Tourism online calendar.

According to the 2010 census, Utah's population increased by nearly 24%, which earned the state fourth U.S. congressional seat. In addition to redrawing the U.S. congressional districts, the redistricting process will also redraw state senate and house districts as well as school board districts.

You can learn more about the 2011 redistricting effort online at the Redistrict Utah website. Here, you can see various redistricting maps drafted by state legislators, learn more about the redistricting process, and see archived materials from the 2001 redistricting process online.You can also submit comments and try drawing your own redistricting map.

There are two upcoming Redistricting Committee meetings scheduled this week at the State Capitol. All meetings are open to the public and will be streamed live on the Utah Legislature's website.

If you missed any of the prior public meetings held throughout the state, you can read reports from and listen to meetings onlne. In addition, a Special Session of the Utah Legislature will convene beginning Monday, October 3rd to to address redistricting.

The Statewide Online Education Program allows eligible high school students to earn credit by taking online courses. For the 2011-2012 school year, students can receive up to two credits through the program.

Many school districts have begun offering online courses, such as the Jordan School District and Nebo School District. Some have even implemented their own online education programs, such as Provo School District's eSchool.

For information on all Utah school districts that are offering online courses, visit the State Office of Education's Public Education Online page.

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation has an online page called Ten Years After: The FBI Since 9/11. Here, you can watch videos of agents talking about their memories of responding to those events. You can also learn what types of changes the FBI has made since 9/11.
  
• The National Archives has a guide to 9/11 Commission Records. Some of these records have been digitized, like the Memoranda for the Record, a collection of interview summaries the Commission had with federal employees, citizens, and scholars.
  
• The Center for History and New Media and American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning have put together a September 11 Digital Archive. You can browse the site's collection of stories and memories shared by people, including stories recorded by visitors to the Smithsonian's Bearing Witness exhibition and emails sent to the Department of Justice.

In Utah, volunteer organizations around the state are commemorating 9/11 with a Day of Service and Rememberance. You can find ideas for volunteering and see a list of organizations looking for project volunteers and donations.

Good landlord programs help landlords understand property management requirements and how to keep rental properties safe from illegal activities. Cities that have passed Good Landlord Program ordinances require landlords to get a business license, and participation in the Good Landlord Program reduces the cost of the business license fee.

Salt Lake City is the most recent Utah city to adopt a Good Landlord Program, passing a city ordinance that became effective on September 1, 2011.

Participation in the Good Landlord Program requires training that is available through the Utah Apartment Association. See the UAA Calendar of Events for class listings near you.

Governor Gary Herbert issued a directive on June 1st indicating that all state agencies return to a five day work week on September 6th.

Need to find an executive agency office? See the directory of state agencies list online.

Utah Code §53A-11-203 requires vision screening for children under the age of eight entering school for the first time. Parents or guardians must submit a certificate signed by a licensed health professional that their child has received vision screening or a written statement stating vision screening violates their personal beliefs.

A variety of free vision screening services are available. Check with your local school district to see if they provide a free vision screening clinic. Or, see if a local or national agency provides free services or referrals through helpmegrowutah.org, an information resource for parents of children up to eight years old. Search for agencies using the site's community resources database.

To learn more about children's eye health, see the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' guide, Get Your Child's Vision Checked. Here, you can learn the signs of common children's eye problems and ways to protect children from eye injuries.

To enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of this legislation during the 2011 harvest season, Utahns can find an increasing number of farmer’s markets throughout the state. Utah also has many budding small farm, food co-op and CSA (community supported agriculture) programs, including producers who use a revolutionary business trend called SPIN farming.

For Utah growers, the Sales Tax Information for Nurseries, Florists, Landscapers and Related Industries sheet is a quick and useful guide to tax exemptions in the agricultural business.

Within this division, the Utah Recreational Advisory Council is responsible for advising the division on on several aspects of trail management in state parks, including establishing trails and and selecting signs and markers.

Before the Division can establish a trail, a public hearing must be held in the area where the trail will be located. Information about public hearings for the Division of Parks and Recreation or any other government agency can be found online.

• H.B. 84: Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services, which creates this new office within the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.
  
• H.B. 206: Special Group License Plate Amendments, specifying changes in requirements for issuing special plates.
  
• H.B. 303: Prepaid 911 Wireless Service Charge, which provides for the collection of a prepaid wireless 911 service charge from a prepaid wireless customer at the point of retail sale.
  
• S.B. 47: Driver License and Identification Card Amendments, which modifies provisions of the Uniform Driver License Act relating to the qualifications for and requirements to obtain a driver license.
  
• S.B. 256 Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation Process, which modifies provisions related to teacher career ladders and educator evaluations.
  

Want to see what other laws are effective July 1st? Go to the Utah State Legislature's passed bills page, select 2011 General Session from the drop down box, and click on the Effective Date heading to sort the list by that criteria.