Constant. Our values, priorities, vision, we are all you jerseyans. The stories weve heard have a good across our state for the better part of the past. They are stories that show great and reveal our hearts. They echo the pain of 2020 and previewed the hope of 2021. They are tied with a Common Thread that we are all in this together. Most of all, these you jerseyans select the state of our state although deeply wounded, we enter 2021 wiser than before and ready to move forward together. Weve lived this truth together, new jersey was one of the first hardest hit states that our communities of color have been disproportionately impacted currently battling a second wave which is just as brutal as the first. Every single day, as we have for nearly a year, we face the challenge head on. Every day we wrestled with the tough, yet necessary decisions we know there are more to come. The right decisions for the longterm Public Health of our families. We wait every pro and con to ensure every decision is not only effective the equitable with each other and making sure that no one left behind. We are facing pandemic not with a dimmest wave under the counter attack. We are making the fight against covered on the engages every new jersey and. Three years ago, i took office with a pledge to rebuild from the bottom up, to change the way you work not simply for the sake of change but the sake of people middleclass families first. That mission is now even more urgent. Over these three years, we like to support new jersey that works for every family, to do before the pandemic and theyve turned out to be some of the best decisions to get us through the pandemic, passing sick leave and expanding paid family and medical leave, making those at the top pay their fair share with a millionaires tax while at the same time, cutting taxes for working families with either earned income tax credit or direct rebate or both. Protecting healthcare from attacks from washington and reducing premiums for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans. Expanding prek education, making record investments in Public Education while at the same time stabilizing property taxes, making Community College tuition free, thousands of New Jerseyans and expanding job training programs. These are real accomplishments that help people across our state. We made strides by working with the people of new jersey and with my partners in the legislature, especially president Steve Sweeney of the General Assembly and their colleagues on both sides of the aisle together we will continue moving forward, grounded in shared every day reality yet propelled by our optimism about tomorrow. We all sense what comes from the arrival of approved safe effective Covid Vaccines. The tremendous work of health commissioner, judy and her team of medical and scientific experts and despite many obstacles we have a plan to vaccinate every willing new jersey in adult resident and hundreds of thousands have already rolled up their sleeves. Six vaccine phagocytes are opening across the state vaccinations will be available and hundreds more places statewide. We streamlined the vaccination process to enhance efficiency and ensure if you choose to receive your first vaccine dose, you will get the proper followup shop. I hope you will take a moment to visit Covid Vaccine to learn about the safety and effectiveness of the Vaccines Available to us. Preregister for your own vaccination. As our statewide Vaccination Program continues to grow, we will begin to see the light on the horizon and a little bit brighter. Be assured, will get back to be able to gather and celebrate with our families and friends. We will be able to see all children back in the schools they love and see our economy recover and flourish. Youve heard me say Public Health creates economic health. Our commitment to this ideal is unwavering. The pandemic slammed Small Businesses across america so our economic focus has been squarely where it should be, helping our hardhit Small Businesses and encouraging new ones to grow. We been consistent in our decisions and protected businesses especially by way of struts from the revolving door of opening to closings that occurred in so many places across america. To the new Jersey Economic Development authority, nearly 55000 Small Businesses, by the way, many of them owned by women, people of color and veterans have received a truly lifesaving grant or loan and some of our nations startups have received guarantees for vital capital. These steps allowed businesses to keep employees on the payroll and pay their bills their determination, creativity and plain old artwork in the of the people who work with them, its been extraordinary and inspiring. Our Small Business community is the backbone of our local economies the states economy. These shops and restaurants that turn the town community. This is why i am so excited about the prospect of new business and job creating Recovery Plan i signed five days ago. A package that is proud to work on alongside numerous lawmakers, Progressive Advocates from a private sector leaders, union readers, entrepreneurs and Small Business owners long before i became governor. I call for sweeping reforms to our incentive system. The old ways worked for too few and left too many behind we set out to create a new system that transparent and fair which focuses not on huge corporations but job creating Small Businesses and innovative startups, a system that most of all promotes good paying future focused jobs, a system that sensible spending and Inspector General to safeguard every penny of taxpayer money. We set out to lift up new jerseybased Innovative Companies of tomorrow a fund, encouraging publicprivate investment and theres no other bond like it in america. We set out to turn eclectic areas into new walkable and inviting cleaners, we set out to your workforce and Affordable Housing options to illuminate food deserts, we set out to create the states first Historic Preservation tax credit so our future can be filled by repurchasing the buildings that made us an economic power in the first place. We set out to ensure incentives come with strong protection for union workers. Everything i just mentioned, everything we initially set out to do is now reflected in our Ground Breaking program. This is what people have the powerful looks like. This is what focusing on mainstream looks like. This is what protecting today and planning for tomorrow economic emergency is something we havent faced since the great depression, 90 years ago. The old ways of doing business, build us back stronger or more resilient. New jersey is a new model for set for Economic Growth and job creation of women, minorities Small Businesses, and by those who vision for the future preserves our history new jersey and back to work, find and is safer and more we prove the naysayers wrong by reading the deadline for federally ended safety technology, completing 11 years as a new eliminating the most. This new rail bridge will not only improve the thousands of new jersey and will emulate economies and provide thousands of new union jobs. Commuters will also see efforts in the hiring and training of multiple classes of the new rail engineers we need to ensure ontime operations with inherent rights and to date, about 94 engineers with another 82 in Training Like joe biden xp, will and his team to see the full Gateway Program the parts under the hudson river. We are meeting for the next generation, rail system wholly different than the one we inherited and making his torque investments in our roads and bridges. Every imagine airports and seaports. , but together, we are embarking on the largest Infrastructure Program in the history of our state. These transformative investments will reap tremendous returns for our economy, create good paying new jersey jobs and attract new and Innovative Companies to the state that will a infrastructure system and ensure these Infrastructure Investments live up to their promises, demanding new levels of transparency and accountability. The commitment to transparency and honesty was we set across the whole of government just as we cant go back to economic policies that put the wealthy and wellconnected first, we cant lean on the broken politics that puts special interest first. I was proud to propose last year the First Comprehensive set of Ethics Reform at the gate with bipartisan support and i remain committed to that. You jerseyans need to know, not just believe that the government has their backs, with all the turmoil in washington, lets set new jersey as an example for moving forward. This is how our future will be powered. Bold ideas, real oversight and commitment to the task at hand. We will be powered by clean energy, using Natural Resources and talent pool, one 100 Clean Energy Economy by 2050. Just this year, weve cemented places the countrys leader in offshore wind. Announcing his south jersey book but new jersey when support and a new manufacturing facility the marine terminal. The investments in offshore manufacturing will bring up to 2000 good paying union jobs to our state, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments make us the nations offshore wind energy leader. Economy is a once in a generation opportunity. We are bringing together stakeholders, a robust green Jobs Workforce Development prodigy strategy will ensure these jobs are developed and designed. Centering labor unions, Environmental Justice advocates, people of color and women so our economy is as diverse and dynamic as new jersey. The first state in the nation to incorporate Climate Change through our k12 education standards, we are laying the groundwork for tomorrows workforce. Just as Public Health creates economic health, inclusive equitable economy must be healthier families safer communities. Perhaps one of the best examples of this principle is our effort to make our Overall Health care system more transparent, accessible and affordable. Weve entered the trauma of unexpected costs by prohibiting supplies medical bills. We created the office of healthcare affordable and transparency to empower consumers. In the midst of the pandemic, we are making sure people settled with unfair expenses for protests and access to the provider via telemedicine. We are putting government to work to keep costs in check because he took the initiative to open our new state run Healthcare Exchange right now, hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans are purchasing healthcare premiums cheaper from the Affordable Care act first came online in 2014. After years of woelfel neglect, we are funding womens healthcare and familyplanning services and pneumatic what happens in washington, we are working to protect the womans full reproductive rights as a matter of state law. At the same time, we havent lost sight of the eternal and infant Health Crisis that threatens the lives of our mothers and babies, especially mothers in waves of color long before the codependent. No one should ever endure the pain of losing her parents will never feel the loss going up without a mother. From day one, this belief has driven the first lady, our administration and countless stakeholders to implement immediate solutions. We are determined to make new jersey the safest place in the nation, to deliver and raise a baby. As we are fighting the coronavirus pandemic, we are keeping our focus on fighting the opioid pandemic. We are working to approve our Healthcare System because we know healthier new jersey is a stronger new jersey. A stronger new jersey is one that ensures and protects justice for all. A fair new jersey recognizes the powerful truth of the words black lives matter. We are attacking and ripping up the root causes of systemic racism, given the national moment, we can and we must choose to make our state a model for moving forward. Theres no more important step in reforming the way our communities and Law Enforcement work together. We are incrementing the first broad scale reforms to our state use of force policy in a generation and making Justice System more transparent and fair, not just for our sake but to make new jersey a National Model for positive transformation and policing and ending racial inequities. I remain committed to eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug and property crimes. These reforms are long overdue. Doctor Martin Luther king jr. Noted, just delayed justice denied. We must get this done. Together with the legislature, we are on the verge of passing and innovative groundbreaking set of laws to reform are historically unjust approach to marijuana and cannabis. Two months ago, you all voted overwhelmingly to legalize adult illegal marijuana and begin the process racial imbalance that disproportionately, black and brown people against marijuana offenses. We will set up to promote the growth of new Small Businesses, many of which will be owned by women, minorities and veterans. Up to 30 months to make up for back rent. We work with our mortgage lenders to provide sensible and fair forbearance programs for homeowners struggling under the weight of covids uncertainties and we will continue to provide assistance to those who face eviction or foreclosure and support for those who cant make rent or mortgage payments due to covid. Yet many of our fellow residents were struggling before covid and will continue to struggle without our help. Through the work of Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver we are taking muchneeded steps to expand opportunities for safe and Affordable Housing. This means making more down payment Assistance Available to wouldbe homebuyers, building more Affordable Housing units in battling homelessness. At a time when rights are being rolled back in progress threatened we are putting the country on notice with the nations strongest laws for combating senseless drug violence, for upholding the rights and dignity of her lgbtq plus community and for welcoming our immigrant communities into her inclusive and diverse family. And we are ensuring these rod and Diverse Voices are heard and honored. Across the nation we have seen multiple attempts by some to diminish our Democratic Institutions to try to turn baseless conspiracy theories into the basis for Court Challenges and to silence the voices and throughout the votes of many americans. We were shocked to witness the mob that incited and supported by politicians and the highest levels of government shamefully try to invalidate the votes of 158 million americans through insurrection. A way to combat this contagion in our democracy is to further strengthen that very democracy. One way to fight back is to do what i was sent here to do, give more power back to the people by expanding democracy. We know that our democracy works best when more people, not fewer are given access to the ballot box and in your efforts and those of local and county officials and election workers more New Jerseyans cast a ballot in the year 2020 than in any other year in our states long storied history. Now its time to take the next step and im working with the legislature to enact a true in person early voting law among other issues to further open up our democracy. Regardless of your Party Affiliation your vote is your voice in this country is better off when more of us are heard. So these are all important for our future but perhaps nothing will have a long term impact thats upholding new jerseys reputation for having the best Public Schools in america. We know we have room to do better and to bring more schools, more students in more communities under that dinner. Just as the pandemic has been the stress test of the fabric of our state nowhere is this more true than with in our schools. It has put an enormous strain on students and parents and on educators and school leaders. None of this has been easy. I say that as your governor and as a parent and i also say it from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all that you are doing. The Digital Divide was real long before covid hit our state that became even clearer as the pandemic took hold. In 2021 no child should be denied access to all the exceptional Educational Opportunities of the on line world. An estimated 230,000 plus students almost entirely by the way from disadvantaged households lack either laptops are internet accessibility are both for Remote Learning so we got to work closing that Digital Divide and today 95 of those students have the tools they need and we are close to getting the outstanding gap to zero. I wish i could tell you that no child has fallen behind in this disruptive school year but i cant. That is why our focus must turn to ensuring our students at the academic and social of an emotional support needed as they rebound from the stresses of pandemic really begun to direct funding to School Districts that need the most help in getting students back on track so please know this, we are the number one state for Public Education precisely because of our strong support for attending to the educational, social and emotional needs of our entire education community. We wont let our students or educators down now. That effort matters today in it will pay further dividends as we move forward to close the remaining educational gaps among our students such as by protecting School Funding and expanding access to. Km by the way one of the smartest investments we can make. Since we took Office Working with Senate President Steve Sweeney and speaker Craig Coghlan we have added more than 750 million in direct classroom funding and we have protected this investment despite the pandemics fiscal impacts. This has been good news for educational communities and their property taxpayers. As we have noted before the pandemic further exposed every existing person in our society nowhere has that been more clear than in the balancing act between work and family. This covid19 raged we may make childcare more affordable for countless families, especially our essential workers who face the Impossible Task of serving their community in a time of crisis while caring for their children. In truth this wasnt an new problem. Working families needed help to cover the cost of childcare before the pandemic and they will continue to need support after. Lets be very clear, even in the year 2021 these burdens too often fall on women. The schools that work both remote it is women who bear the uneven load of providing childcare containing 24 perform in the workplace and managing a measurable other demands both seen and unseen. I see this tugofwar again and again, mothers struggling to be fully present at work and his parents. This is one fundamental reason we created our state child and dependent tax credit three years ago. We cannot afford to miss out on the contributions of half of our population harnessing the full economic power of all of our people requires providing real affordable options for childcare that works for all families. We remain committed to easing the burden of working parents especially moms in creating an even more robust childcare support system. With more New Jerseyans facing Food Insecurity because of the pandemics impacts we doubled down on our commitment to the food banks helping families to put food on their tables and we continued our commitment to put College Education within reach of all who want it and a Community College education for students and families with incomes under 65,000. There are good options for further education and training beyond Traditional College and we continue creating exciting Public Private partnerships to train more people for the jobs of the future with a particular emphasis on good paying union jobs. At every point in this difficult year the grace, ingenuity and compassion shown by so many have writes some dark days. That is the light as we begin this new year. Better days are coming. In 2020 the pandemic touched every corner of our lives and challenged every state. Some chose to deny covid. We chose to fight it. We told the hard truths, made the hard choices and never played partisan politics with peoples lives. Yet some in new jersey are suggesting the same old failed policies of decades past. They forget that after the last economic downturn the prior administrative cut taxes for millionaires, vital programs left middle and working class residents behind and as a result we have the slowest recovery of any state in the nation. Our longstanding inequities have never been felt more sharply than during the past 10 months. To blog them we must accept the fact that we cant grow and strengthen the middle class by pulling the rug out from under it and we cant our way to growth and opportunity. We are proving that the best way to beat covid is by leaning in to Smart Investments and forwardlooking principled ideas. There is no excuse for doing less or leaving more behind. Everything together shows the promise of the new postcovid day that is just beginning to dawn. Its today a day we will enter not fearing what is next but knowing where we are heading in that direction is forward. 12 days ago we welcome the new year but while the calendar has changed our mission has not. When i first asked for the privilege to serve as your governor a pledge to do what was right not for my next election but for the next generation. That is how we have governed. We are who we said we would need. We stand with new jerseys hardworking middleclass families and everyone working to get their. We have not sugarcoated or problems and we havent called on the same old trenton playbook of kicking them down the road for someone else to deal with. A year ago we had no idea of what 2020 would throw at us. As the poet Langston Hughes wrote and i quote him a dream deferred is a dream denied. For so many 2020 was a year of deferred dreams but we stuck together even in the darkest of days as a new jersey family that we are. Other shared pain and we shared purpose because of all we have done together in new jersey 2021 could be the year where dreams are once again possible and the wind is at our back. When we emerge from the darkness of the pandemic together we will be stronger, fairer and more resilient than before and we will be prepared to move forward as one state and one family. After all, this is new jersey. No state has our character, our back bone, our attitude, our fight. We have always fought because we have always been the under dog. We have been counted out over and over again but we have never been bowed and we have never ever failed. May god bless you and your family with a healthy new year and may god continue to bless the great state of new jersey and the United States of america. Yes let people have not migrated, if they had not migrated it is possible that black people could control up to 1450 the majority part of the coalition. It is possible that they could have controlled more Electoral College then california and new york state combined. It is possible that they would have real power on a state level. So what i am saying to black america particularly young black america, i saw you in the streets. I have seen you protesting about this. Ive heard your will. If you really want us shot a shot at changing the systems that you are approaching one of the quickest and most powerful ways to do that is through state power. Im asking that they consider a reverse of migration which a lot of people are doing without thinking about the political generations but i say do it with political personality. Donald john trump impeachment trial removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States so help you god. I do. They are for i make a point of order in this proceeding which would try a private citizen and not a president , a Vice President or civil officer violate the constitution and is not in order. Thank you, thank you Lieutenant Governor boseman and speaker gunn for working with us in these unusual times to make unusual circumstances. I appreciate your words. To the members of the legislature, and other Public Servants who would normally be here with us i wish that we could all be together today but we all know that normal has not been in the cards in 2020 nor has it
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