Every year, eager eyes watch closely as the Utah Legislature spends 45 days in a frenzy of legislative activity. And, as site selectors and economic developers know, the outcome of such activity can be favorable or prohibitive to business.

But as Spencer Eccles, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) notes, "The important things we do are sometimes the things we don't do."

His meaning is simple: sometimes the laws that the State Legislature doesn't pass can be as important as the laws they do pass. He explains Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert's philosophy is this: while government does have an important role in fostering the business climate, it also has a role in getting off the backs of businesses so they can thrive.

Hence, the Governor has made it a priority to ensure the laws and regulations that do get on the books are not a detriment to Utah's business-friendly environment. The 2012 legislative session proved to be another good year in that regard. To be sure, Eccles and his team at GOED were busy shepherding bills through the legislature that support economic development while also working with legislative leaders to protect Utah's fertile soil from laws that inhibit business growth.

Read the rest of this story in EDCUtah's spring Site Selection Quarterly newsletter here.