H.C.R. 4 Enrolled

             1     

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 20TH

             2     
ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCHOOL AND INSTITUTIONAL

             3     
TRUST LANDS ADMINISTRATION

             4     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             5     
STATE OF UTAH

             6     
Chief Sponsor: Melvin R. Brown

             7     
Senate Sponsor: John L. Valentine

             8     
             9      LONG TITLE
             10      General Description:
             11          This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes 20 years of
             12      successful leadership, management, and accomplishment by the Utah School and
             13      Institutional Trust Lands Administration.
             14      Highlighted Provisions:
             15          This resolution:
             16          .    recognizes the 20th anniversary of the School and Institutional Trust Lands
             17      Administration; and
             18          .    expresses support for the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration's
             19      leadership and management on behalf of its 12 beneficiaries.
             20      Special Clauses:
             21          None
             22     
             23      Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
             24          WHEREAS, in 1994, the Legislature of the state of Utah, recognizing the potential of
             25      Utah's 3.4 million acres of surface trust land and an additional 1.1 million acres of mineral trust
             26      land to better serve the 12 state institutions authorized by the United States Congress in 1894,
             27      created the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) as an independent
             28      state agency;
             29          WHEREAS, the Legislature of the state of Utah structured SITLA as a self-funded


             30      agency, with no taxpayer or general fund support for its operations;
             31          WHEREAS, SITLA, consistent with its legal mandate, has managed its diverse land
             32      portfolio by balancing short- and long-term benefits;
             33          WHEREAS, in addition to its mandate to optimize and maximize trust land uses for
             34      financial support of its beneficiaries over time, SITLA has been involved in numerous
             35      transactions and projects that have preserved, protected, and improved more than 500,000 acres
             36      of land, an area equivalent to the combined acreage of Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and
             37      Capitol Reef national parks;
             38          WHEREAS, SITLA works to find federal, state, and private exchange partners with
             39      which to improve its land position by acquiring land more suitable for development, as well as
             40      preserving and protecting important properties;
             41          WHEREAS, the total asset value of Utah's school and institutional trust land
             42      beneficiary funds rose from $86 million in 1994 to $1.73 billion in fiscal year 2013 largely due
             43      to SITLA's efforts;
             44          WHEREAS, the percentage growth of these permanent funds in Utah has surpassed all
             45      other states in the last 20 years;
             46          WHEREAS, SITLA's contributions to the state's permanent funds, particularly the
             47      Permanent School Fund, has resulted in annual distributions now averaging $40,000 to each
             48      K-12 public school, which is the only discretionary funding these schools receive; and
             49          WHEREAS, it is anticipated that the growth of the respective permanent funds and
             50      annual distributions to its beneficiaries will become even more significant over time:
             51          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
             52      Governor concurring therein, recognizes the 20th anniversary of the School and Institutional
             53      Trust Lands Administration.
             54          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express support
             55      for the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration's leadership and management on
             56      behalf of its 12 beneficiaries.
             57          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the State Board


             58      of Education; the College of Mines at the University of Utah; Miners Hospital at the University
             59      of Utah Medical Center; the Division of Water Resources; the Utah School for the Deaf and the
             60      Blind; the Utah State Hospital; the University of Utah; Utah State University; the Division of
             61      Juvenile Justice Services; the Division of Facilities Construction and Management; the
             62      Colleges of Education at the University of Utah and Dixie State; Southern Utah, Utah State,
             63      Utah Valley, and Weber State universities; and the director of the Utah School and Institutional
             64      Trust Lands Administration.


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