SALT LAKE CITY — In his annual State of State address, Gov. Gary Herbert set forth his agenda for the year, with the bulk of his focus placed on educational and economic prosperity.

Much was said about the various successes the state has seen since the last address, including the various successes of companies like Omniture, Edwards Lifesciences and Snap Daddy's, which have brought to the state many jobs and like-minded companies.

Nevertheless, here are four of the major takeaways from Gov. Herbert's address Wednesday night.

Education

The importance of education was an underlying theme throughout Gov. Herbert's address. Nearly every point in the address was emphasized by its impact to education.

"Education is the largest and most important investment Utah makes," Herbert said. "While we recognize that money isn't everything, we should still take note — that while so many states face shrinking budgets and bleak forecasts, Utah has the means, the vision, and the commitment to rank education as its top priority."

Herbert outlined his vision, which included a goal that 66 percent of the adult population receive a college degree or post-secondary certificate by the year 2020. In addition, he said the state needs to be "fervently" committed to STEM — an emphasis in science, technology, engineering and math education — by investing $20 million into the program.

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Gov. focuses on education in State of State

Education and economic development are Gov. Gary Herbert's main priorities for the state this year.

While investing in education for the future is championed by both Democrats and Republicans, Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake, said he was slightly disappointed Herbert did not give more details as to how he planned to reach educational success.

"I wish the governor would be a little more specific about what his dream and vision is in the short term and the long term of education," Dabakis said.

"The key to economic growth in the long run is a good education system. And right now, our education system is teetering on a D-," Dabakis added. "We are ranking really low in virtually every category nationally, so in the short term economic growth may be here, but if we don't invest what we need in education, then the state of Utah is not going to be economically competitive with the rest of the mountain west — nevermind the rest of the United States and the rest of the world."

Only Rep. Jim Bird, R-West Jordan, has introduced legislation this session that would increase revenue for education. Bird's bill, HB271, would appropriate 10 percent of the gross revenue from liquor sales to the state's education fund, which could be used for teachers' salaries and benefits.

Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, has introduced a bill that requires school districts and charter schools to administer assessments to indicate whether a student is prepared for postsecondary education or a career.

Leading business state

In addition to Gov. Herbert's goal of educational success, he outlined a plan to ensure Utah remains a business friendly state.

"My vision for Utah remains steadfast: Utah will continue to lead the nation as the premier business location that provides opportunity for all Utahns," Herbert said.

Citing the economic growth and rapid success of several IT companies throughout the state, Herbert said he hopes to continue to build upon the business-friendly environment for many companies, especially for companies like Adobe, Microsoft, eBay and Oracle. As a result, Herbert proposed relocating the state prison to open up 700 acres of land for the IT industry.

"Sometimes promoting economic development means accepting the herculean task of moving and modernizing a prison," Herbert said.

The relocation of a prison will have a significant impact on the economy and those who are employed by the prison. Additionally, that says little of transporting inmates and a viable location for the prison. There are several unanswered questions that will need to be addressed before the Governor's proposal is finalized.

Nevertheless, Herbert said he is committed to helping provide a more "stable environment and educated workforce."

"I will continue to work tirelessly with you in the legislature to empower the private sector to create job opportunities for every Utahn," Herbert said.

Energy development/production

Herbert emphasized the need for the private sector to take charge in energy development and ensure government regulations are curtailed. Partnerships in program's like the public-private partnership with Utah State University have created an emissions-free electric bus that are the building blocks to energy development, Herbert said.

Additionally, the Governor said the state has taken a conservation approach by increasing the use of video conferencing to reduce employee travel, more public transit eco-passes, more HOV lanes on I-15, and an executive order to reduce idling for the state fleet.

"Whether it's taking mass transit, idling your vehicle less and carpooling more, unplugging devices, or using energy efficient appliances, each of us individually can do our part," Herbert said. "I am calling upon industry and higher education to innovate — innovate ways to make energy more accessible, more reliable, cleaner, and affordable."

Nevertheless, no clear policies or directives were put forth by the Governor to determine how energy can be more accessible, reliable, cleaner and affordable. Sen. Dabakis said the Governor did not take it far enough.

"I think that energy independence is a very good goal," Dabakis said. "I didn't hear a word about alternative energy policies; I didn't hear a word about green energy; I didn't hear a word about saving energy; I didn't hear about working together for energy that doesn't hurt the environment."

Cutting waste

Lastly, Herbert called on members of his cabinet and all state employees to find a way to improve quality while reducing costs "to improve their operational efficiency by 25 percent over the next four years."

By cutting waste, Herbert said, more money can be invested in education. "Utah is providing great value to the taxpayer with lower cost, efficient, state government, but I believe there is more we can do.

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