May is Mental Health Awareness Month, inviting advocates and supporters to take action to help change the conversation around mental health.  

Western Governors, through their bipartisan work on the issue, have collectively developed policy resolutions to address a host of health care challenges, including growing rates of behavioral health conditions and increasing mental health care needs. 

The Governors recognize the importance of mental health care, which touches on a number of Western Governors’ policy priorities, including curbing the opioid crisis and supporting western veterans. 

In addition to their collective work on mental health through WGA, the Governors are working to address similar challenges in their respective states.  

This year, 13 Western Governors highlighted a commitment to behavioral health in their State of the State or inaugural addresses at the beginning of 2025. So far, Governors are delivering on those commitments to improve mental health access and outcomes in their states.  

In New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a pair of major behavioral health bills this year, including one measure to establish a dedicated behavioral health trust fund and another to create a behavioral health executive committee to coordinate statewide mental health reform efforts. New Mexico’s Health Care Authority has also rolled out a series of community behavioral health clinics across the state this year to expand access to mental health and addiction treatment.  

In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox recognized May as Mental Health Awareness Month and also proclaimed May 7 as Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Governor Cox has placed particular emphasis on improving mental health outcomes for children and teens in Utah, and he has been one of the country’s most vocal Governors on the effects of social media on youth mental health.  

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has also prioritized mental health during his time in office, launching his WY We Care mental health initiative in 2022. The Governor has heard from communities across the state about behavioral health care needs, and he has committed to elevating the conversation around mental health in Wyoming.  

In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis proclaimed Mental Health Awareness Month and joined the state’s Behavioral Health Administration to steer resources into communities and fight the stigma around mental health. Particularly for rural communities, the state has rolled out mobile health units to close the gap in health care access for Coloradans. So far, more than 2,000 unique patients have received essential care from mobile health units in Colorado. Governor Polis also signed legislation earlier this month to expand behavioral health care access for military families.  

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek have both proposed mental health care legislation this year and pushed their respective state legislatures to pass key bills. Governor Kotek has supported important measures to boost the behavioral health workforce, among other priorities. Governor Lombardo’s Nevada Health Care Access Act also seeks to expand the health care workforce while bolstering mental health resources.  

Read more about Western Governors’ bipartisan policy on mental health care in WGA Policy Resolution 2025-05, Physical and Behavioral Health Care in Western States.  

Common Ground Forum: on Monday, WGA’s Chair and Vice Chair sat down for a conversation on bipartisanship, mutual respect, and healthy conflict at the Ronald Reagan Presential Library in Simi Valley, California.  

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Utah Governor Spencer Cox talked at length about how to achieve productive, results-oriented cooperation despite ideological differences, as part of a series from the Ronald Reagan Center on Civility and Democracy.

“When I was younger, we were dads, and we were moms, and we were Utah Jazz fans, and we were Americans, and we were Utahns first,” said Governor Cox. “You wouldn’t have described yourself as a Republican or a Democrat.” 

“Discourse in an effective democracy means that you have to disagree,” said Governor Lujan Grisham. “You don’t have to be disagreeable, but you can be firm in your intentions as long as you leave a little bit of room to be persuaded for a different design or a different idea or strategy.” 

Ski train ridership up: Colorado’s Winter Park Express, which runs from Denver to the popular ski destination of Winter Park, posted ridership numbers that are up 153% from last year.  

This winter, service expanded from three days a week to five days a week and fares were cut by more than 40%. Representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation said that the increased ridership successfully took cars off congested roadways and cut emissions per passenger mile on the route.  

"Historic ridership increases on the Winter Park Express prove that when Coloradans have more affordable, reliable and safe transportation options to get to the mountains, we flock to it,” said Governor Jared Polis. “Thanks to this year’s state investment, more Coloradans than ever skipped the I-70 traffic and took the train to the mountains. Expanding this service and delivering Mountain Rail in this corridor will continue this historic growth, reducing traffic and pollution and saving people time and money." 

$4B aluminum plant: in Oklahoma, Governor Kevin Stitt announced a historic investment from Emirates Global Aluminium to build a $4 billion aluminum production plant at the Port of Inola.

The project will be the first new primary aluminum production plant built in the U.S. in the last 45 years, and it will be the largest of its kind in the country. Once finished, it will create 1,000 direct jobs and 1,800 indirect jobs. 

“This is a monumental day for Oklahoma,” said Governor Stitt. “We are proud to welcome Emirates Global Aluminum to our state and excited for the generational impact this investment will have on our future. Thanks to our pro-business environment, Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters of the United States.” 

Boosting fish populations: in California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife is upgrading 21 fish hatcheries to boost salmon and trout populations across the Golden State.  

“Our salmon populations are not only an important part of our state’s biodiversity, but a rich component of our history and heritage. We have a responsibility to prepare for the future and protect the ecosystems and people whose well-being are connected to the continued success of these important species.”

In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox also recently visited the Mantua Fish Hatchery in northern Utah, which produces about 30% of all trout stocked in the state.  

Reopening sawmills: state lawmakers in Montana recently passed a measure to incentivize companies to reopen sawmills in the state, after two large mills announced plans to close last year. More than 30 mills have closed in the western part of the state since 1990.  

The measure creates a low-interest loan program for companies reopening a sawmill in Montana, which lawmakers hope will boost local economies and help with forest management.  

Read more about the program in reporting from Montana Free Press.