Oh, my gosh. Thank you. Thank you for that. Thank you for being here. Thanks so much. Take a good seat. This is only 3 1 2 hours long. President perkins, speaker her areman, and members of the 65th legislature, thank you for your welcome. To the people of wyoming here and those watching at home, good morning. And i also want to welcome secretary of state ed buchanan, treasurer kurt meyer, and superintendent bay low. [ applause ] together we have addressed many tough issues this year, always crafting sensible, Workable Solutions to even the most challenging of those facing our state. Communities large and small. And i thank you for your work. We are honored this morning with the presence of Supreme Court chief justice and justices bloomgarden and gray. Thank you for your wise consideration of perplexing issues and your appropriate allocation of the law. [ applause ] and im really pleased to have lee spoonhunter, chairman of the northern arap ahoe Business Council today. Travel conditions prevented karen snyder from being here. I would like you to join me in welcoming them to this chamber. [ applause ] we are friends, and ive enjoyed building our relationships this year. And i look forward to the progress that we will make in the year ahead. Our peoples and our governments deserve our very best efforts. And i know that we will jointly work on that. I want to that anything secretary buchanan and his team for his partnership with the tribes to advance a good proposal so that tribal i. D. S can be used for voter registration. I really this is one of the great honors that you have in an address like this, and i couldnt be more pleased to welcome captain scott cannic to the chamber, a wyoming native who along with 29 other soldiers recently returned from afghanistan. He and other members of the third platoon of Charlie Company left last january on a challenging mission, to provide 24hour evacuation coverage in helmand province. Captain, welcome home to wyoming and know that we are so proud of you and the talented and brave members of your team and i want to congratulate you for receiving an air medal and a combat action badge. Captain koenig is up in the gallery. [ cheers and applause ] we are glad you are home. Command Sergeant Major harold pafford, i thank him for his many years of leadership and service to the state. There is command Sergeant Major pafford. [ cheers and applause ] as the general is fond of saying, our guard is the sword and the shield. Our nations lethal fighting force when necessary and the folks who keep us safe from fire, flood, and other natural catastrophes. A little story here. General porter, command sergeant pafford and i accompanied the first lady to enjoy thanksgiving with men and women overseas. Jenny grew up in a military family and knows well that any deployment is not easy, not easy because our army and air guard are away from the folks that they love and away from those that love them. So i want you again to rise and please join me in sleualuting o men and women and their families for being the sword and the shield. [ applause ] lets keep in our thoughts [ applause ] and lets keep in our thoughts all members of the military serving overseas and at home. We thank you and we thank the many veterans who have defended our nation. You know, im especially proud of jenny. Clearly i married above myself. As first lady she established the nationally recognized wyoming hunger initiative, one that is so critically important to so many kids in our state. And true to form, shes done it by lifting up the extraordinary efforts of many working around the state to address food insecurity. Shes making this happen while keeping our ranch running, support our family, and loving every moment of being a grandmother to everett. My equal in every way, she is the epitome of a wyoming woman, accomplished, strong, versatile, independent, caring, talented, funny, warm, and a lover of the great outdoors. Jenny, my respect for you is absolute and my love for you is boundless. [ cheers and applause ] let us respect all women, all wyoming women, by working to live up to our motto, we are the equality state. I want to thank sarah and spencer up there for being here. Your son, our grandson, represents the future generations of this state. Everett isnt here today but his other grandparents, mark and shelley fagan, are. Hes busy studying for an an ag degree with his toy tractor, his horses, cows, and sheep. Finally, on behalf of the citizens of wyoming, i want to sincerely thank the members of the 65th legislature for your willingness to serve and your commitment to this great state. These are not easy times and there will be hard choices to make. But i enjoy our work together. And i respect and value your thoughts and i look forward to facing our Common Future together. I ask all guests here to join me in applauding our state legislature. [ applause ] before moving on to the progress weve made and the issues we face, i want to offer a few thoughts on this magnificent building. To quote you, mr. Speaker, from statehood day last summer, look around you. Take in this place. Take a moment to appreciate it. And the history that has happened here. And a lot has happened in this building this past year. Culminating on december 10th when we honored the wyoming womens heritage as the first government to recognize the womens vote. And before i recognize the good men and women who worked to bring this effort to fruition, jenny and i want to present you, mr. President , and you, mr. Speaker, the first flags that have flown over your chambers. [ applause ] just to let you know how this came about, we couldnt fly either flag on statehood day last summer because the hardware was broken. Consultants projected it might cost thousands of dollars to repair because scaffolding had been removed. In fact it really do not look like we would be able to fly the flags today. But tommy ogetta and his crew found a way to make them fly for less than 300 bucks. Thats the ingenuity of our state workforce. [ applause ] now let me recognize the members of the original capital Oversight Committee, some of whom are here. Chris rothfuss, phil nicholas, representatives kermit brown, tim stubson, mary throne, and especially governor mead, would you please rise. Thank you so much for your work. [ cheers and applause ] thank you all for your dedication to this effort, for persevering through a long project. And i also want to recognize mr. David hart who must be thanked for his work in getting this project on track. And thankfully also for keeping that Oversight Committee in line. Mr. David hart, would you please stand. [ applause ] and lastly, i hope you will thank me in joining the craftsmen and women whose care is evident everywhere you look in this building. [ applause ] so now to the business at hand. Today i am proud to report that the state of wyoming is strong. We are strong because more people are finding a Better Future for our state. Our population has grown. Unemployment is down, at its lowest rate since 2008. Gross National Product is increasing. Gross domestic product is increasing. Personal income is up. And despite some obvious challenges this year, our committee remains strong. Were strong thanks to our people. Were strong because we have planned well for challenging times. And were strong because of our industries, energy, tourism, agricultural, and the emerging sectors of knowledgebased business and manufacturing. And im confident that we will remain strong by aggressively engaging our future and seizing our opportunities. Thanks to the wisdom of our forebears, some in this very room, and the leadership of an Extraordinary Group of governors and treasurers, including treasurer meyer, wyoming finds itself in an enviable place among our peers. We have savings. This means we have time, not a lot of time, but time to make thoughtful decisions about our future and our budget. The budget i presented you, which the joint Appropriations Committee passed, was intended to trigger a serious conversation about our future, ways to diversify our economy and ways to strengthen our state. Wyoming will always depend on our traditional industries. But it must also take advantage of new opportunities. My budget charts the fiscally stable path. It keeps ongoing spending flat, giving our state time to think about the services we need to provide and those we can do without. This budget took the advice of this legislature and funded education in an undiminished capacity. In doing so, you all know that we will have to spend for more savings. The valve on Education Funding is stuck open. And it will be up to this body to think carefully about how long that plumbing will hold out. This is a year when we recal bait wyomings funding model. Accordingly, i recommend this year we carefully consider the superintendents suggestion to review wyomings basket of goods. The basket is what wyoming mandates to be taught in school. It was crafted when amazon was only a bookstore and the spice girls were all the rage. We owe it to our kids and our state to offer a 21st century world class education. [ applause ] my budget proposes curbs on capital construction. I did so noting that we already are engaged in several expansive and expensive projects. The state hospital, the life resource center, the uw science facility, the Skilled Nursing facility, the wyoming state penitentiary, and the casper state office building, to name a few. Given that its hard for us to afford to pay the people we need to staff these buildings, it makes little sense to continue to build as aggressively as we have when times were more flush. In keeping with this administrations desire for transparency, i want to commend the auditor and her office for bringing unprecedented transparency to the states checkbook. With her wide open website. My office has also set up a website, wyoming sense. It illustrates wyomings budgeting process and it will track the progress of work this session. Now anyone in wyoming can easily see whats being budgeted and how its being spent. [ applause ] it may come as something of a surprise, but State Government has actually shrunk now from a decade ago. There are fewer state employees who are being asked to do more with less. They have capably responded by leveraging technology to implement better ways to provide the services our citizens need. Ive endorsed Strategic Investments in new technology and advanced cybersecurity. We cannot afford to fall behind in this critical area. We must also recognize the value of our workforce. Were losing some of our most skilled and productive and knowledgeable employees because we dont pay competitively. On top of that, we should remember that both Employee Health insurance and retirement contributions have increased, which effectively reduced ta takehome pay. Let me sums th up this problem. We continually need to train new employees with better pay scales. This is unacceptably expensive and it is very costly. We should be thinking about keeping the people who know what to do and how to do it. While i understand wyomings reluctance to offer permanent satisfactori salary increases in this revenue climate, i propose a onetime bonus aimed at recognizing and retaining talent. If we want to reduce government, in my view we can only do it with motivated people who know how to do their jobs. Rarely has the importance of good employees been more evident than on july 1st last year when black jewel unexpectedly closed down coal mines. The dedicated, talented, and Knowledgeable Team at deq came in to support mine employees and immediately set about stabilizing the mine. Other agencies started working with our miners to find them jobs, provide them earned benefits, and renegotiate mortgage schedules. Things could have been much worse and they were elsewhere in coal country. Before moving on, i want to highlight another important and dedicated public employee, group of employees, the ones who keep us safe, our first responders. This past year, several Highway Patrol troopers have been injured. Trooper jamie winguard is here with us today. In october she was investigating a crash on i25 outside of wheatland when she was struck from behind by a semi truck, tearing her seat loose and totaling her car. Thankfully, she was wearing her seatbelt and wasnt significantly harmed. But it is a stark reminder that our first responders, troopers, firefighters, emts, and Law Enforcement folks put their lives on the line every day. Troop erwer winguard, please ac our esteem and appreciation and by the way, be careful out there. [ cheers and applause ] by now, wyoming citizens know too well how a Myopic National attitude to vilify fossil fuels has affected the industry, targeted at the very industries that have helped raise our standard of living, built our schools, funded Public Infrastructure and made the u. S. The premier economy in the united states. [ cheers and applause ] we produce better energy, more safely, and with more attention to the environment than anywhere else on the planet and yet our industries are still discriminated against, maligned, and decried as dead. Well, not on my watch. [ cheers and applause ] know this. Know this. Wyoming will always advocate for our industries. Whether it be to protect against unconstitutional restraints of trade or in their endeavors to deliver cleaner, safer, more Affordable Energy to our people. Rod represents the dedicated men and women who go to work every day to see that people, mostly outside of wyoming, can cool and heat their homes and that the lights go on when they hit the switch. Rod, i remember when you showed me the pink haul truck, a tribute to women miners and a statement to stand up to breast cancer. Your community, your mine, the people who work there, are the heart and soul of wyoming. Rod, know that we respect the work that your fellow miners do every day and that this governor will always have your back. [ cheers and applause ] you see, the problem we face is not burning coal. The problem is we havent recognized or seized the opportunities to burn it cleaner, to use its byproducts more beneficially, or remember its role as the countrys most reliable source of electricity for over a hundred years. We in wyoming are leading the way. The carbon valley in northeast wyoming and the test center are just part of this singular effort. We must do more. That is why my administration has taken this fight to the Supreme Court. Oregon, california, and washington have each sought to extend the reach of environmental regulation beyond their borders, to blockade interior states like wyoming their rightful access to coastal ports. These actions are a blatant, unconstitutional restraint of trade. A few weeks ago, montana joined us in bringing an original complaint before the Supreme Court to challenge washington states arbitrary action against the millennium coal bulk terminal. The issue is an arbitrary and c capricious threat to our products, to wyomings way of life, and i will defend our state. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, attorney general hill, and your staff for your meticulous work in drafting a strong original brief before our nations highest court. On the national stage, i continue to work with our exceptional federal delegation, congresswoman cheney, senator barrasso, and i especially want to single out and thank retiring senator mike enzi for his Yeoman Service to the state. [ cheers and applause ] together were advocating for legislative and Regulatory Reform of section 401 of the clean water act. In november, i traveled to washington, d. C. To support senator john barrassos bill that does just that. State Water Quality regulation should be about Water Quality within one states own boundaries and not used as a weapon by one state to impose its will on another. I have also provided resources to the Public Service commission to closely examine the assumptions made by various utilities intergraded resource plants. Changes in those it is our duty to verify that the proposed early closure of coal burning units are truly warranted and economic, not just philosophical and political. [ applause ] wyoming welcomes resources like wind and solar. They have a place here. We will not recklessly abandon our most baunabundant and relia energy source. I ask for your support requiring new electric generation capacity to be reliable and consistent and a reasonable portion of it be met. In doing so, wyoming will demonstrate will no other state has had the courage to do. We will require true co2 sequestration. Not just an artificial notion that wind and solar can cure Climate Change all by themselves. Ive asked you to add 1 million. This appropriation will be used to defend our energy industry, to sustain the Revenues Energy provide for the state and promote future planning. This program will provide a coordinated approach to supporting research to speed along technologies that advance zero or net negative carbon uses for coal and other fossil fuels. I cannot be more emphatic about this point. Time is of the essence. We must act now if were to stop coal mines from being closed. Thankfully there are people in wyoming who live by the code of the west. Dan and others responded. They worked tirelessly so the fellow employees would have a workplace to return to. Im happy to say that mine is up and running again. Dan, would you stand so we may recognize you. [ applause ] im supporting proposed legislation to change tax payments to a monthly basis. We all pay our debts and expect others to as well. Today, there are only two rigs drilling for natural gas in wyoming. Thats the lowest number in the last 20 years. Estimates of natural gas revenue continue to spiral down. I seek the Legislature Support in crafting a temporary, price based reduction in taxes that those most in need. Were eighth in natural oil production. Wyoming supplies 11 of the nations electricity. Wyoming is known for our Natural Resources and our public lands. It can be interesting when the largest land holder is the federal government. With initiatives like shared stewardship i commit to keep it that way. We love the hunt and fish and climb, bike, bird and just so sit out and take in the night sky. Over the past year weve made significant strides in addressing the challenges. Its establishing better ways to combat the spread of invasive species. It is imperative that we meet this challenge head on. Wyoming is the first state in the nation to tackle the important matter of preserving unique wildlife. National geographic recognized joe reese for tracing big game migration. Theres balance to be struck. My big game Migration Group did just that. Marissa, its so good that youre here today. I would like to recognize you. [ applause ] based on their work and my own travels throughout the state talking to affected state holders, i drafted an executive order to implement the recommendations. It provides opportunities for working groups and others informed by science so provide on the ground, tailored recommendations to preserve vital migration routes for two species. Its absolutely not a land grab nor a way to create hundreds of routes that some are saying it is. Our wildlife, our opportunitying and opportunity to enjoy the out doors. I believe agriculture is the backbone of our state. We will continue to work to expand markets and support this industry across a range of to c topi topics. Theres one issue that really came into focus this year. Early on the morning of july 17th, right when it was getting hot, the irrigation tunnel canal collapsed. The water then backed up and blew the canal bank up. It left a hole, the kind you can see from outer space. District manager is here with us today to represent the board. Robs a wyoming guy so he didnt want to be recognized. He wanted to make sure that other gid staff will all face this daunting challenge together and be recognized as well. I want to ask rob to rise so we may recognize him and the district for their determination. We just showed recent pictures of how the progress of that tunnel is going on. Believe me, its amazing, rob. Thank you. I worked with the Water Committee on this problem. Under the leadership of chairman hixon larson, the committee passed a good bill. It is the first step that lets you keep a target on irrigation. I want to make sure we do everything we can to grow the second most significant source of income to our state. Tourism and Outdoor Recreation and in wyoming represents an enormous opportunity to grow our economy. It is a sector that employs more people and returns substantial revenues and that revenues come mostly from out of state. Whether it is key majority, skiing in the ski town, snow mobile in the big corn or Mountain Biking or enjoying the daddy of them all, our rodeo, almost anywhere in wyoming. The water or on our water skiing on the gorge, wyoming truly has a bit of something for everyone. Think about what we can do with hot springs, National Parks and state parks. Now, there is a new location opening in may. I could go on. Wyoming is an amazing place where you can get on the river and enjoy a nice evening. I applaud our Tourism Industry that would help wyoming compete with it. Over the last year we spoken extensively about education. I had the pleasure to engage with Educational Community all over the state for the variety of issues. I want to recognize the passionate teacher of seventh through 12th grade social studies. He lives in the town over the hill where is i grew up. Dane, please accept our congratulations on being wyoming teacher of the year. [ applause ] i would like to ask the acting president to stand so we can recognize and the university. It is a tremendous and enduring institutions for wyoming. [ applause ] just two weeks ago, i sat down with neil and the president of our community colleges, he knows those colleges are so important to our state. Over lunch we began a discussion about how to better organize wyomings secondary Educational Opportunities to be more economic and better to deliver education where it is needed. I left that meeting and very excited of our future and our opportunity. My administration helps to secure Financial Resources for the year ahead to strategize. We are hearing good things around the state about the stride we are making a work force development. In particular, the wyoming Works Program and the efforts of the educational, executive council which has aggressive goals to increase the number of people in wyoming. A group of collaborative efforts of the k12 education sector, community colleges, uw and industry, we can equip our students with the skills to ensure their success and improve wyomings economic health. This is really good news. We have a window of opportunity and recalibration year to think in good faith and discuss what we need to teach and how to sustainably fund our education system. Our wyoming people know it and we should not miss it. My administration is dedicated by improving access and lower cost of healthcare including prescription drugs. We need to improve Mental Healthcare and innovate approaches and coordinating policies and seamless delivery of focus. One area of focus is on the prevention of suicide. This issue struck close to home when i heard my own kids who have been struggling with these dark thoughts. Many are suffering and far too many are out there. I support a funding to launch a suicide hotline. It is just a start. We need to leverage our providers to do a better job of attending to those in need. My administration is working on ways to support families and individuals who have been exposed to adversities and traumas. Citizens have Quality Services for generations to come. Our state is strong. Wyoming was truly gorged out of the web by entrepreneurs cht it is our history and it must be our future. I am anxious to see our state once again become the model where anyone can create wealth from their own enterprise and work ethics. We are supporting our existing industry. It now has a new mission and a new ceo, josh gerrell, hell be coming to your community soon. His entrepreneur and private sector experience and deep understanding of wyoming will be invaluable in growing new businesses and attract a whole new enterprises to the state. Finally, to end where i began with this building. The significant percentage of the 56 legislature has never served in this capitol. I want to take a moment to remember what it was to be here before the construction began. When i arrive, there were full of people with energy. Visitors would wander the hall and marveling not so much with the architecture but that you are greeted by the people here. This simply does not happen anywhere else. Over and over again thats what i heard was the real charm of this place. It was a working capitol. The peoples house, it is the way the government should be assessable. When the session started, legislatures would stop by our office to discuss legislation or what they hope to accomplish during the session. The coffee pot was always on. Good work came from the comradery that was the hallmark of this capitol. This provides the opportunity to continue the culture. There is a great his ri but it is not a museum. There is promise and progress and moments ahead of finding the passage of the constitution and the recognition of universal suffrage. Like past generation in this building, we have a rendezvous with destiny. Were going to wrap up with our state of the state address. We turn to last months Memorial Service for public televisions jim lehrer. The long time anchor of news hour. Thats followed by Supreme Court oral argument on whether a public official can be excused from wrong doing resulting from a Public Policy decision by an elected official. Democratic president ial candidate Bernie Sanders holds a get out the early vote rally today on the campus of the university of nevada las vegas. Early voting ends today. The caucus will be held saturday. The nevada caucus is called the first in the west sending 36 pledge delegates to the convention. South carolinas primary is the following saturday with 54 pledge delegates. On super tuesday, march 3rd, 15 states allocate a third of all delegates. Youll find live coverage on the cspan networks. This election season go deep, direct and unfiltserred. See the biggest picture for yourself and make up your own mind. Kansas democrat senator dlired her state of the state address. This is 40 minutes. Mr. Speaker, madam president , madam jeef justice. Leaders of the kansas tribe, its my high honor to stand before you this evening to report on the progress of my administration and to share my plans for the year