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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution recognizes the detrimental effects of an adverse childhood
11 experience (ACE) and emphasizes awareness and community engagement to prevent
12 adverse childhood experiences.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 ▸ describes certain ACEs and the potential detrimental effect of accumulated ACEs;
16 ▸ highlights strategies to raise awareness about, prevent, and mitigate the effects of
17 ACEs; and
18 ▸ encourages Utah's communities to strengthen opportunities for individuals and
19 families to learn about ACEs and connect with services and activities that reduce
20 the potential for future negative outcomes.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, ACEs have been shown to correlate with significant future challenges in
26 adulthood when not properly mitigated;
27 WHEREAS, with prevention, education, and resources made available to members of
28 all communities throughout the state, ACEs can be managed and the detrimental effects of
29 ACEs reduced;
30 WHEREAS, research has identified common ACEs, including physical, sexual, and
31 emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect, substance use or mental illness in the home,
32 incarceration, domestic violence, incarceration, and divorce;
33 WHEREAS, as the number of ACEs a child experiences increases so does the child's
34 risk of future perpetration of violence, sexually transmitted infection, involvement in sex
35 trafficking, teen pregnancy, mental health conditions, and various chronic diseases, including
36 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease;
37 WHEREAS, exposure to ACEs may contribute to damaging stress responses and
38 unhealthy coping strategies, including smoking cigarettes, alcohol dependence, use of illegal
39 substances, and other behaviors that are detrimental to physical and mental health;
40 WHEREAS, the harmful effects of ACEs are felt throughout the state by individuals
41 belonging to all socioeconomic statuses and ethnic groups and in both rural and urban areas;
42 WHEREAS, a 2020 report published by the Utah Department of Health found that over
43 six in 10 surveyed adults in Utah experienced at least one ACE, and nearly one in four had
44 experienced three or more ACEs;
45 WHEREAS, a 2016 report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation estimated that
46 from 2011 through 2012, 44,000 children in the state of Utah had an absent parent due to
47 incarceration;
48 WHEREAS, the Utah Sentencing Commission's 2021 Adult Sentencing and Release
49 Guidelines recognize the complex nature of childhood trauma and encourage the use of an
50 ACEs questionnaire to assist in understanding and responding to an offender's circumstances
51 and needs;
52 WHEREAS, a 2021 report published by Utah's Intergenerational Poverty Initiative
53 described Utah Department of Health efforts to increase workplace training on trauma and the
54 effects of trauma, including a pilot program to establish trauma-informed organizational
55 assessment;
56 WHEREAS, awareness in Utah's communities can help prevent the occurrence of
57 ACEs while other activities can help manage the impact of ACEs, including mental health
58 treatment, physical exercise, spending time in nature, and meditation; and
59 WHEREAS, when a parent is able to meet the basic needs of shelter, warmth,
60 nourishment, and transportation for a child, household stress and the likelihood of ACEs is
61 reduced:
62 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
63 Governor concurring therein, supports efforts to raise awareness in all of Utah's communities
64 about the detrimental effects of ACEs and the importance of parental efforts to reduce the
65 occurrence of ACEs.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor support current
67 strategies to increase awareness about the impacts of trauma within state agencies and
68 encourage the further development of strategies that create trauma-informed organizations in
69 the state.
70 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage
71 communities in the state to strengthen opportunities for parents to connect with services to
72 prevent and mitigate ACEs, including mental health treatment, services that provide physical
73 activity and meditation, and, when necessary, services that provide shelter, warmth,
74 nourishment, and transportation.