SALT LAKE CITY -- Gov. Jon Huntsman used his State of the State address Tuesday to announce he will no longer allow executive branch employees to receive gifts from lobbyists and to call on businesses and community advocates to work together to find a way to provide affordable health care.

Huntsman's call came on the same day that a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing every resident the right to have basic, affordable health care stalled in a Senate committee.

The Utah Department of Health estimates that 11.6 percent of residents, or more than 200,000 people, lacked health insurance in 2005, up from 2004. Healthy working males were about 30 percent of the uninsured, ages 18 to 64.

While Huntsman acknowledged that uninsured residents are a "growing crisis," he provided few details on how to address the problem.

"We are fortunate in Utah to have some of the finest doctors, nurses, technicians and hospitals in the world. Let us work together to craft a solution for the uninsured which is equally impressive," Huntsman said.

In December, Huntsman announced that he's recommending spending $4.2 million to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, which will help about 14,000 more children in families that lack insurance.

But that doesn't address uninsured adults, which Huntsman said are driving up costs for everyone.

"We must stop kidding ourselves that those who are uninsured are simply not receiving health care. They are receiving care, but they are receiving too little, too late -- and typically in settings such as emergency rooms where the care is much more expensive," he said. "And who is paying for this care? ... In the overwhelming number of cases it is government -- which of course, means taxpayers."

Huntsman gave his third State of the State address at the Salt Lake City Air Base to honor Utah soldiers while the Capitol is undergoing its last year of renovation. This was the first time the governor used his constitutionally required speech to address health care. It was also the first time he addressed ethics in government, calling on the ban of gifts from lobbyists.

Democratic lawmakers have tried to ban gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers for years, but were always rebuffed by their Republican colleagues who scoffed at the idea they could be influenced by a meal or tickets to a Utah Jazz basketball game.

"Ethics and integrity should be a requirement within all branches of government. Tonight, I reinforce my pledge to build an Executive Branch that holds itself to a higher standard," Huntsman said.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said he felt the current reporting system used by lawmakers seemed to open and working well, with no evidence of abuses.

"It's transparent," Valentine said.

Huntsman also issued an executive order enacting a two-year cooling off period before state employees can lobby their previous place of work.

Rep. Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake City, said she's pleased with Huntsman's ethics plan and would like to see Republican lawmakers follow his lead and approve a slew of ethics reforms Democrats are proposing.

"I'm very glad Governor Huntsman is taking the lead on that. A reform such as this in the Legislature would increase the respect of the public for legislators," McGee said. "I get a great deal of information from lobbyists myself, but I personally can get that information from them without sitting down over dinner or engaging in some other kind of social or sports activity."

The governor said he'll also use an executive order to ban nepotism in hiring or contracting in all executive branches of government.

Huntsman also touched on several familiar themes, including his desire to lower the income tax rate most people pay on their taxes from 6.95 percent to 5 percent. Huntsman believes a lower income tax rate will make the state more competitive in luring businesses here.

He said he wants income taxes reduced to "secure our viability in the next generation."

Similar efforts failed last year and legislative leaders have said the burden is on Huntsman to prove why income taxes should be addressed during the round of tax cuts this year instead of other taxes, including the state-levied property tax collected by local governments.

Valentine said he heard nothing new from Huntsman Tuesday that helps the governor meet that burden.

"We didn't get to hear a focus on how these actions would effect economic development and how tax credits would effect them," Valentine said.

Huntsman also hinted at a plan to reduce the state sales tax on food, which he said in December he wouldn't tackle this legislative session, much to the frustration of House leaders.

"I am also excited about working together to enact a single statewide sales tax rate that could then be used to continue giving relief to Utahns on life's most basic staple -- food," Huntsman said.

House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said he's supportive of the effort and envisions it happening by eliminating add-on taxes to leave only state, county and city sales taxes in place. Removing other taxes would make it easier to reduce the state sales tax in the future, he said.

Huntsman gave no timeline or details on how this would be accomplished.