It can’t get much easier!  Utah building contractors are now renewing their licenses online and finding the process to be quick, easy and efficient.  The deadline for contractor license renewals with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) is July 31, 2003.  As part of Governor Leavitt’s initiative to make state government more accessible, the online renewal service is available to citizens 24 hours a day/7days a week at no additional cost.  Those who have used the new online renewal system are giving it the thumbs up.

 

DOPL, in conjunction with Utah Interactive Inc., the State’s official Web portal provider, launched the online renewal service in March 2003 and has since modified it to be more user-friendly.  The Web site for contractor renewals may be found at www.dopl.utah.gov.   To access the system, contractors need only to click on “Licensing” and then “Renewal of Licensure” where they are asked to provide the following information:

·         license number

·         renewal ID number

·         last four digits of social security number (optional)

 

Once in the system, a licensee will be asked to complete the following:

 

1.        Respond to 13 general and financial qualifying questions.

2.        Verify identity and make payment with a credit card or Utah.gov.subscriber account.

3.        Print receipt and Certificate of Renewal.

  

The option to update address and telephone information with DOPL is also available while renewing online.  To avoid late penalties and expiration, licenses should be renewed as soon as possible.   If a renewal is not successfully completed online, application for renewal must be made by mail following online instructions.   Licensees should allow extra time for mailing.

 

Contractors who have renewed online are saying good-bye to those long waiting lines and are instead saying, “Thank you for such a great system!”   Nearly 18,300 contractors now have the opportunity to take advantage of the new online contract renewal service. 

4:33:47 PM    

Utahns who have been unable to afford their employer’s health plan may now be able to get health coverage at work, thanks to an innovative program. The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) has granted approval for the Primary Care Network (PCN) Covered At Work program. PCN Covered at Work, created and administered by the UDOH, will combine employer, employee, and state funds to help purchase private health insurance for up to 6,000 working Utahns.

Covered at Work is the newest addition to the Primary Care Network (PCN). PCN was made possible through a Federal Medicaid 1115 waiver approved in January of 2002 by Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. Utah is the only state that has been given the authority by USDHHS to move forward on this type of health care benefit. Since PCN began accepting applications in July of 2002, about 15,500 people have enrolled.

Programs, like PCN Covered at Work, that improve access to preventive health care make economic sense. According to Governor Michael O. Leavitt, “The PCN Covered at Work program allows employers to provide a complete benefit package, which helps to reduce turnover and missed work days.” Preventive care is less expensive and more effective than treatment and hospitalization, which may result when care is delayed due to cost. Access to health care results in improved health, which is associated with improved earnings and educational attainment.

The PCN Covered at Work program is an insurance premium reimbursement program for adults who qualify. Adults who have access to health insurance at work, but the cost is greater than 5 percent of their income, may qualify. In addition, those who are ages 19-64, are U.S. citizens or legal residents, and meet income guidelines may qualify. For instance, a single person who earns $1,123.00 per month or $7.02 an hour would meet the income guidelines.

The new program will continue the work of PCN, to cover uninsured Utah adults, but with a twist. This program links those who have insurance available to them through their work to a way to pay for it. “This public/private partnership benefits employers and employees by making private insurance more accessible when it was previously out of reach,” says Rod Betit, Executive Director, UDOH. PCN Covered at Work reaches Utahns who have previously gone without health insurance, slipping through the cracks because they did not qualify for other programs. While PCN provides access to primary care benefits, PCN Covered at Work will provide a bridge to comprehensive private coverage.

Approximately 199,000 Utahns, or 8.7 percent of the population lack health insurance coverage, according to the 2001 Health Status Survey. About 145,000 of these individuals are adults. A goal of PCN, including Covered at Work, is to reduce the number of uninsured working adults ages 18-64 by about 25,000, or 16.5 percent.

The state and federal governments provide funding for PCN (including PCN Covered at Work). The total annual budget is $16 million. The federal government contributes about 70 percent of the budget while 30 percent comes from the State General Fund.

The UDOH expects to begin accepting applications for PCN Covered at Work in August. For more information about PCN, visit the web site www.health.utah.gov/pcn or call the UDOH Health Resource Line 1-888-222-2542.

9:50:27 AM    

Salt Lake City — Hunters who want the best chance to hunt antlerless elk, deer, moose and doe pronghorn on public land in Utah this fall are reminded that their 2003 antlerless application must be received no later than 5 p.m. on June 16.

"There are usually some antlerless permits available after the draw, but they're mostly for hunts on private land. If you want a permit for a public land area, you need to get your application in," said Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Those who applied in previous years should have received a preprinted 2003 application in the mail by now. Those who didn't receive an application can obtain one from this Web site, hunting and fishing license agents statewide or DWR offices.

Hunters who have a major credit card can apply for a permit on this Web site. Hunters who don't have a credit card can apply by mailing an application and their fees.

A total of 10,720 cow elk permits, 2,370 doe deer permits, 240 doe pronghorn permits and 23 cow moose permits, will be available through the public draw this year. Many of Utah's private Cooperative Wildlife Management Units will also have public antlerless permits available. Hunters can apply for these public CWMU permits during the application period.

Antlerless permit numbers are found in Utah's 2003 Antlerless Addendum. The addendum is currently available at Division of Wildlife Resources offices and an electronic version is available on this Web site. Hunting and fishing license agents should have their copies by June 2.

Draw results will be posted by July 31 on this Web site and DWR offices and hunter education centers. Successful applicants may be notified by mail before July 31.

Those with questions may call their nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

9:47:47 AM    

Special fishing events will be held Saturday, June 14, as the Division of Wildlife Resources marks Free Fishing Day in Utah.

People will not need a fishing license to fish in the state that day. All other regulations found in the 2003 Utah Fishing Proclamation will be in effect.

Special fishing events

Ogden

The Second Annual Ogden City Family Fishing Fair at the Ogden City Rodeo Stadium and West Stadium Park at 668 17th St. The free Fishing Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a fishing pond where children can catch a fish and win a prize. Fishing clinics for children also will be held. Local vendors will demonstrate their fishing equipment. Free fishing will be available all day along the Ogden River. Wal-Mart will also sponsor an All-American Fishing Derby that includes a casting contest running from 10 a.m. to noon. Sponsors of the Family Fishing Fair include the Division of Wildlife Resources and the BASS Federation. For more information call (801) 629-8253.

South Salt Lake

Huck Finn Days will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fitz Park, 3050 S. 500 E. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a flag ceremony. Fishing for children 12 and under begins at 10 a.m. Fishing clinics, a casting contest, a rock climbing wall, food vendors and free watermelon will also be available. Fishing rods and reels will be available for free checkout, so no one has an excuse not to participate. At 1 p.m., Miss South Salt Lake will drop a watermelon from the top of a fire truck ladder in the city's annual Watermelon Splatter Contest. The name of the person who guesses correctly how far the watermelon will splatter will be engraved on a plaque displayed at the South Salt Lake Recreation Center. The event is sponsored by South Salt Lake Recreation and the Division of Wildlife Resources. For more information call (801) 538-4769.

Midway

"Kid's Fishing Event," Wasatch Mountain State Park pond, about 2 miles west of Midway. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Space is limited and children who want to participate must register in advance by calling Wendy Wilson at (435) 654-1791. Rainbow trout will be stocked in the pond before June 14. Volunteers from the Division of Wildlife Resources' Dedicated Hunter program will be available to help participants fish (if needed) and to clean fish. The DWR will provide fishing poles, equipment and bait to those who need them.

Strawberry Reservoir

Free Fishing Day activities at the Strawberry Bay Marina, 4 miles south of the U.S. Forest Service Strawberry Visitor Center. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities and attractions include: "hands-on fly tying", fly casting, a fishing simulator, boat rides, a fish stocking barge demonstration, fishing tackle displays, "how-to" fishing information, booth displays, prizes, and cutthroat spawning demonstrations. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will also provide free boat safety checks.

Demonstrations will include:

• 9 a.m. — "How to Fish Strawberry" by Paul Phillips (Marina operator)
• 10 a.m. and noon — Fly casting demonstrations by Brandon Anderson and Robert Shamy
• 11 a.m. — Barge stocking demonstration by Alan Ward of the Division of Wildlife Resources.
• 1 p.m. — Cutthroat trapping and spawning demonstration at the Strawberry River fish trap (located behind the Forest Service Visitor Center)

For more information, contact the Strawberry Bay Marina at (435) 548-2261. A parking fee may be required.

Cedar City

"Fishing for a Change," sponsored by the Iron County Sheriff's Department and the Division of Wildlife Resources, will be held at the kids' pond at Woods Ranch, located in Cedar Canyon 12 miles east of Cedar City. This event for children runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Division of Wildlife Resources will stock the pond with trout before and during the event and provide fishing equipment. For more information call the Iron County Sheriff's Office at (435) 867-6700.

Free Fishing Day tip and reminder

Anglers fishing June 14 may want to focus their efforts on lakes and reservoirs, as this is where most of the fish stocked for Free Fishing Day will be placed, says Tom Pettengill, sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Pettengill reminds those fishing June 14 that while no license is required, all other limits and regulations found in the 2003 Utah Fishing Proclamation will be in effect.

Anglers, especially those who might be fishing for the first time, are encouraged to pick up a copy of the proclamation and learn the rules.

Proclamations are available from fishing license agents statewide; at Division of Wildlife Resources offices in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Springville, Vernal, Price and Cedar City; and on this Web site.

Those with questions may contact their nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

9:41:51 AM