For the warm welcome and the honor of being here today to present the state of the state. It was not too long ago that i stood here and laid out a bold plan for the future of missouri. Back then, many were worried about the direction of our state. Some of you were probably worried about how your new governor would lead and address the problems within missouri. But because i love this state and the people of this state, i knew i was ready for that challenge. And with your help, ready to chart a new path for missouri. A path that would push us to the fo forefront of the nation, providing more opportunities for our citizens and make missouri a destination for others around the country, ready to embrace our showme way of life. I also want to thank the many of you in this room and the thousands around the state who had confidence in me, supported my vision, and offered me patience at a trying time for missouri. Even though it was a challenging time, it was also an opportunity to do things differently, to tackle tough problems, and propose bold solutions. And with your help, we have made tremendous progress. That is why i am confident telling you today that the state of our state is strong. And by working together, we will be ready for an even better future. [ applause ] one year ago, i told you my administration would take a very disciplined approach to work for the people of missouri. Workforce development and infrastructure must be our dedicated priorities. Focusing on these issues would allow us to not only make short term gains for our state but also provide long term stability and a Solid Foundation for future generations. They were issues that we worked on together, regardless of party or regions of the state. And most importantly, after listening to community, civic, and Business Leaders from across missouri, i knew they shared the same belief, that these issues would help strengthen every Community Across our state. In fact, in just a single year, missouris workforce develop agenda has caught the attention of the rest of the country. Other states are watching us now and taking notes. And we are rapidly working towards our goals of becoming the best in the midwest and frankly, the best in the nation. [ applause ] for example, through our collaboration with employers, we now have 42,000 missourians signed up for onthejob training through the onestart program. 42,000. [ applause ] we have reached second in the nation for apprenticeships and we fully intend to keep that momentum going. Our Fast Track Scholarship Program has reached hundreds of applications. And i am very proud that these scholarships are primarily used at our Community College where women make up 61 of the total enrollment. [ applause ] another Workforce Development program im very proud of is aspire mode, a 20week program that helps incarcerated women develop Business Plans and prepare for successful reentry into the workforce. Here with us today in the upper gallery is Emily Kershaw and the gala gives. Both of these ladies served in the vandalia womens correction center. Both would tell you they made poor choices in their past. But they stand before us today as graduates of aspire mode. Through this program, they have shown dedication to learning new skills, taking responsibility, getting back on their feet, and into the workforce. Ms. Kershaw is employed in a call center that connects veterans to health care services. Mrs. Gibbs is employed at americold, a storage and Logistics Company in st. Louis. If we were to be a society that believes in forgiveness and second chances, then it is the next chapter in their lives that will matter most. Please join me in recognizing mrs. Kershaw and mrs. Gibbs. [ applause ] please know we believe in you. We support you, and we wish you the best in the days to come. The opportunities we have provided for individuals to better themselves and in return provide a more stable environment for their families will truly change lives long after all of us are gone. When we talk about these successes in Workforce Development, it is also worth pointing out that real incomes are rising faster than at any time in recent history. More people have more money in their pockets and the tax cuts at the state and the federal level are absolutely having a positive impact here in missouri. [ applause ] missouri now ranks seventh in the nation for Small Business wage growth. And at a 3. 1 , our Unemployment Rate continues to remain at historic lows. And what has been below the national Unemployment Rate for 40 consecutive months. Another example that missouris growth is strong and that we are on the right track. [ applause ] not to mention that the africanamerican Unemployment Rate in missouri has dropped from over 10 in 2014 to 5. 5 today, nearly in half. Applause mauz [ applause ] and our workforce effort have created over 40,000 new jobs, 40,000 new jobs here in missouri. And more importantly, it is the private sector that is driving these investments, not government. And here are just a few examples. A fortune 250 agribusiness company, bungi, announced the relocation of its Global Headquarters from new york to st. Louis. Bayer announced it will add 500 new jobs to the st. Louis region. And pfizer also invested over 230 million. Boeing secured a 16 billion contract to built the tx trainer. And the nga west just broke ground on their billion dollar campus on st. Louis. And on the other side of the state, Companies Like swiss reed, faricia, cvs, and walter reed have made Huge Investments in the area. And course kansas beat more than 130 other cities around the country to land two divisions from the usda and over 500 new jobs for the first time in our nations history. [ cheers and applause ] our big cities arent the only ones generating new jobs and attracting investment. Briggs and stratton is creating 130 new jobs in poplar bluff. Dollar tree is invest 110 million for a new distributionw 375 new jobs. The largest Steel Company in the United States is close to production at its 250 million steel mill and will create 250 new jobs in saedalia, missouri. A new Processing Plant in thats whats going on around the count country. Purina expanded in bloomfield, missouri. [ applause ] about one month ago, General Motors announced one of the largest single project investments in our States History in wentzville with a 1. 5 billion investment to build midsized trucks for north america. And we like our trucks here in missouri. [ applause ] this is just the beginning. And these successes will help us build further momentum. All of these are shared successes and show that by working together, our investments in Workforce Development and infrastructure are succeeding. I am proud to report we exceeded even our own estimates and the result has been a better cost savings and more projects for the people of missouri. As a matter of fact, senator schatz, representative ruth, i want to thank you for your leadership in getting the bridge bonding resolution completed and let you know that our first round of bonds was achieved at an Interest Rate at 1. 25. [ applause ] and what triggered these bonds was an 20. 2 million grant from the u. S. Department of transportation to build the rocheport bridge. [ applause ] even more to celebrate are the vital grants we have received to complete the macarthur bridge in st. Louis. Make significant improvements to the river board in cape girardeau, and finally, wrap up funding for the i49 bella vista bypass in southwest missouri. I appreciate the support and leadership from our federal delegation in securing those funds, especially congressman sam graves and senator roy blount. [ applause ] these projects are critically important to the regions. And i am proud of modots hard work to leverage every tax dollar to the fullest and make our Transportation System safer for all missourians. In addition to these projects, we got even better return than expected on the infrastructure and Cost Share Program that you all passed. And im excited to tell you that this nearly 50 Million Investment will lead to nearly 150 million in new Infrastructure Investment and an Economic Impact of approximately 350 million. [ applause ] the bold infrastructure proposal we all worked on together are netted 1 billion in new projects across the state of missouri. There is so much excitement and optimism across all parts of the state. But right here in jefferson city, we shook things up even more. We stopped talking about reform and pushed through real reforms that have changed State Government for the better. Our first reorganization effort of State Government took effect this past august, impacting hundreds of state employees. These changes represented the most significant reorganization of State Government in decades. [ applause ] this was the right thing to do, to make government more efficient, more accountable, and more customeroriented to the people we serve. As part of our efforts to improve State Government, we also successfully consolidated a state prison that will save us 22 million every year. [ applause ] and on top of this, through greater efficiency, better management, and more accountability to the missouri taxpayers, we gave our state employees a muchneeded pay raise. [ applause ] an effort like that does not happen if you dont have bold leaders who are dedicated to making State Government better. So i would like to recognize all of my cabinet members seated in the rear gallery. Would you please stand and be recognized today. [ applause ] i am proud of the support and commitment you show the state every day. And it is my honor to work alongside you. We have made record improvements in just a short period of time. But i believe that there is still more to do and much more we can achieve with hard work. Of course it is important to know that these bold ideas are working. But most importantly, it is about the impact it has on the lives of everyday people in missouri. That is why my call this legislative session is to propose initiatives aimed at building stronger communities, improving education and Workforce Development, revitalizre vie revitalizing our infrastructure, and making government more accountable. It is critical to understand that all of these issues provide individuals with more opportunities to strengthen Public Safety and create healthier and more stable communities. And i have learned that no one knows more about their communities than the mayors. Seated in the upper gallery are the mayors and their chiefs of police of the four largest metro areas of our state. Mayor Quentin Lucas of kansas city. [ applause ] mayor lyda krewson of st. Louis. [ applause ] mayor ken mcclure of springfield. [ applause ] and mayor brian brees of columbia. [ applause ] all of these mayors care deeply about their cities just as i care deeply about our entire state. We all know that missouri is diverse. And so are the opinions and needs of the people within it. But regardless of what part of the state we come from, we all want our communities to be safe and we worry when we see violent criminals threatening our neighborhoods. That concern for our citizens brought the five of us together. Despite our varied backgrounds and different opinions, we have stayed focused on what we can accomplish by working together, while also showing respect and willingness to listen to one another. These mayors understand my commitment to support the Second Amendment for lawabiding citizens. And let me be clear, during my six years in the United States army, 22 years in Law Enforcement, and as a lifetime member of the nra, i have never, ever wavered my support for the Second Amendment. [ applause ] but we all have to understand the very real issues of Violent Crime affecting our neighborhoods and the potential consequences of doing nothing. By working together, we have come up with a solution to help combat Violent Crime, such as providing greater protection for victims and witnesses, providing more Mental Health resources and services, and finally, strengthening our laws to target violent criminals. [ applause ] we wont always agree, and there will always be issues that we each feel passionately about, but i am confident that by working together, the potential for our regions and the entire state of missouri is even greater. Please join me in recognizing our mayors, and our police chiefs, from kansas city, st. Louis, springfield, and columbia, missouri. [ applause ] we will continue to promote initiatives that incorporate more Mental Health resources into Public Safety, provide more targeted and tactful support of the pursuit of violent criminal, and encourage more coordination among Law Enforcement. We know some of these efforts are already paying off. Operation triple beam in kansas city, and our commitment of state personnel in st. Louis, has achieved remarkable results, including the arrest of hundreds of violent criminals, gang members, and the seizure of nearly 30 pounds of illegal drugs. With us here today are members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the division of fire safety who have been part of these efforts in st. Louis. Please join me in recognizing their hard work and commitment to protecting the people of missouri. [ applause ] these results reflect real progress. And show that by all of us working together, federal, state, and local Law Enforcement, and Community Leaders, we can make a difference and keep violent criminals off our streets. I also want to point out that we included Community Leaders. As governor, i have the greatest honor and privilege of representing all parts of our state, but i have learned that the most powerful voices is often the ones in the communities. With us here today are several members of the missouri faith, Leadership Coalition. I want to thank them for stepping up, leading by action, and not just words, putting their communities and congregations ahead of politics, and helping me better understand the struggles First Communities face. These leaders are also special to me, because i know we all have a special faith. And as, it is that special faith that allows us to look past any differences that we have and come together for a purpose than any one of us, would the members of missouri faithbased Leadership Coalition please stand and be recognized . [ applause ] there is also another special guest i would like to recognize today, mrs. Bernice jones. By looking at us, you might not think ms. Jones and i have much in common, but one saturday, at a grill for glory event, we realized we both have immense love for children. Mrs. Jones has 13 grandchildren and i have six. Being a grand parent is something we both cherish. I also learned that mrs. Jones has been involved in her same community in st. Louis for over 50 years, keeping an eye on things, offering assistance to the youth, and always serving others. Sadly, she and i met because of a tragedy of children being shot in the streets, but this also made me realize Something Else very important about working together. We need to take more time to celebrate Community Leaders like ms. Jones, who are making a real difference. Not those who are trying to tear it apart and relish in the fear they create by headlines in the newspapers. When it is hard to find the light in a bad situation, sometimes the spark is all you need to get the fire going again, and mrs. Jones has been that spark in her community. She had the chance to leave, but she chose not to. Mrs. Jones stayed to fight the fight, and was truly, has truly changed lives for the better. I had the opportunity to go to mrs. Jones home, very humble home, typically like most of our grandmas would have, clean, well put together, and we set there, she sat on the couch, and i sat in a chair right beside her, and we visited, and she told me the trials she had living where she lived and things that were happening in her neighborhoods and her streets. And during that conversation, she pointed to the wall between me and her, which is about three feet apart, and she said governor, you see that hole right there . Thats a bullet hole, come into my house. People, we can do better. We can do better. And if all of us had a few minutes and a little bit of time to spend a little time with mrs. Jones, and we all worked a little harder to understand what she goes through, this state and this nation would be better off. Please help me recognize mrs. Jones in the upper gallery. [ applause ] as a former sheriff, it is important to me that we also give special thanks to those who risk their lives to keep ours safe. Our Law Enforcement Emergency Personnel do a job that most of us dont want to do. But others expect them to do it. We must trust them and we must stand up for these brave men and women. I hope that this legislative session, serious time and consideration will be given to these proposals to strengthen our communities. While reducing Violent Crime is our immediate goal, i strongly believe that at the end of the day, its about better education, and skills, to get a quality job, that because that is going to be the longterm solution. Last year, our Work Force Development efforts focused on new training opportunities for working adults. However, in some of the most troubling communities, or any community in missouri, for that matter, our children are the true work force of tomorrow. The most important and impactful time of a childs development is the early years of his or her life. And missouri recently received a 33. 5 Million Preschool Development Grant aimed at creating a more effective high quality Early Learning system. With this funding, we have an opportunity to strengthen our Early Childhood offerings, and better prepare missouri children for success, which is crucial to the development of our strong work force. [ applause ] in addition to Early Childhood education, we will also focus on increasing opportunities for high demand training at the high school level. We need to ensure our students understand the many opportunities out there, whether it be going into the work force, the military, a Community College, a technical school, or a fouryear degree. Currently, in missouri, approximately 30 of our population has a fouryear degree, with a college or university, meaning that 70 do not. We need to move away from the stigma that not having a College Degree is a failure, when in fact, there are many other excellent education and job training opportunities. This is why were seeking 750,000 to certify approximately 12,000 New High School students as work ready through the work keys program, and this is a major step that could open doors to students, not sure if college is the immediate plan, but still put them on a path to greater opportunities. [ applause ] in addition, we are proposing greater access to Virtual Education for high school students, as well as home school students, and we will also be working to expand opportunities through jobs for american graduates, a program that helps youth grauduate from high schoo and transition to the work force. And for our College Bound students, we have secured a total of 5. 3 million to increase bright flight and aplus scholarship funding. [ applause ] we are also proposing another 19 million for the moexcel Work Force Initiative and we can do all of this while increasing School Transportation funding and still fulgly funding our foundation formula. [ applause ] this focus on training our future work force has been a true collaborative effort and i greatly appreciate the partnership youve had from the private sector and the education arena. Many of these changes to our work force system would not be possible without our teachers. And thats why i also want to start discussing ways to improve teacher pay. [ applause ] however, the solution cannot just be asked in the state to write a bigger check. Were going to ask school districts, school boards, to propose a better plan and a bold plan for our teachers. Being an educator today is not an easy job. By supporting them, we also support our children, their futures, and the future of our state. Here with us today is a missouri teacher of the year, misty grandell, from fort lenoir 3 high school. No person has a greater impact on our childrens education than teachers who helps them flourish and grow. Mrs. Grandell is a shining example of this. Please join me in recognizing the missouri teacher of the year ms. Grandell. [ applause ] and to all missouris outstanding educators, thank you for what you do. The next phase of our plan will help continue our momentum, but we cant emphasize Work Force Development without infrastructure. That is a big reason why approximately 5 billion in new private investment has poured into our state, while our unemployment remains at record lows. Why we are pulling ahead of our neighboring states, and we must keep up this hard work. And we will continue to build our critical infrastructure. And we will once again propose setting aside 4 million in Disaster Recovery funds. Unfortunately, the flooding we saw last year was some of the worst we have seen in decades. And even historically. But i want to truly thank the work of senator haggerman, representative andrew, and the other legislators for their leadership in their communities during these trying times. Despite these challenges, we have still made some major accomplishments worth celebrating. We have proven that we can get through tough times, and together, we are creating a new horizon of opportunity for infrastructure in our state. Some of the most exciting Infrastructure Investments well see this year can be tied back to the boa bridge infrastructure plan that you as legislators passed. More than 250 bridges around the state will be repaired, or replaced. These bridges are not only critically important to their local communities, but also to Public Safety. And for example, by combining our bridge proposal, with federal funding secured by congressman graves, missouri is now on track to significantly reduce the number of deficient bridges in the sixth Congressional District which encompasses nearly half of the entire state, and that is a major milestone. [ applause ] one of the benefits of the plan we laid out last year was not only the Immediate Impact but also the Additional Resources it would free up, for other critical projects. An example of this is modots recent announcement of a Huge Investment to rebuild a substantial portion of i270 throughout north county. This renovation has been needed for a long time. And because of our bold steps and modots innovation, we have made a real change to the system. And another very successful part of our Transportation Plan last year was the costshare program, and i am excited to announce that we will again be putting another 50 million towards the Cost Share Program this year. [ applause ] and before i move on, theres one more very special project that im so proud to announce. Especially in front of mayor lucas, and our kansas city delegation. And that is, we will build the buck oneil bridge. [ applause ] these investments are exciting to celebrate, and we have been working hard to make them a reality. We have also been driving greater efficiency and more accountability for missourians, hardearned tax dollars, so we can reap those returns without increasing taxes. By rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work, we have generated impressive cost savings. The single largest area we have been able to find savings is the medicaid system, which accounts for over 10 billion, over onethird of our state budget. Under the leadership of director todd richardson, a new level of accountability and enforcement have been put back in place. Both common sense things expected by the average missourian. The result has been a savings of 84 million. Further protecting citizens who need the services most. And taxpayers who deserve their tax dollars be used wisely. While some in the press are eager to criticize the improved efficiency, outright broken for many years, and unproductivity, serving every missourian who is paying for it, at the same time, opponents have been criticized our increased accountability. They have also been promoting expanding the system. But the reality is that expanding the system comes at the cost of other vital services, such as education, Work Force Development, and improving our aging infrastructure. So make no mistake about it, the big proposal theyre not explaining our purposefully withholding is a massive tax increase that missourians cannot afford. [ applause ] the hard work we are doing to drive efficiency isnt just by supporting policy provisions. It is fundamentally reforming State Government and driving accountability across all systems. This is a major shift from the same old style of government that is often supported, where small changes are made around the edges. But real changes are thought too big, and too hard to do. My administration has and will continue to do the hard work. And the benefit will be for missouri taxpayers. The progress we are making is real and exciting. But there is more we can do to improve government and promote our state. We must have a real discussion about tort reform in the legislature. [ applause ] and another simple way we can improve government and promote missouri is by offering licensed reciprocity to the spouses of the men and women who proudly serve our country, in the United States military. [ applause ] as a veteran myself, i am proud that missouri is home to over 480,000 veterans, and i hope that we can bring more to our state. Allowing license reciprocity would not only help us attract more military family, but also fill critical jobs in our economy. And senator brown, and representative lynch, i am counting on you to get that legislation on my desk as soon as possible. [ applause ] from the beginning our states economy and future Financial Health have always been of the utmost importance to our administration. And it is our responsibility to pass this on to the next generation. So i have one last proposal i will outline today. As mentioned before, my administration has been more serious than any other in our financial discipline. We have led by example. And again, we will be leaving over 100 million on the bottom line. [ applause ] however, we can do more. Which is why im supporting that we put a Cash Operating Expense fund in place to give our state greater flexibility and stronger finances than ever before. Since the beginning of our administration, our state treasurer, our budget director, my chief of staff, have been discussing this opportunity, and i am proud that we can finally make this vision a reality. To initiate this fund, i am proposing to set aside 100 million this year, and to ensure the saving remains stable, we will direct wayfair collections into this fund until it establishes solvency, and we must use the remaining portion to pay off debt obligations, as providing another funding mechanism for infrastructure programs done at a cost share basis. This final allocation would b h increase the long term financial strength of our state and create another consistent Funding Source to further upgrade our aging infrastructure. [ applause ] our policies and conservative budget are working and together, we can set the stage for greatness, for missouri, and our future generations. It is no secret that there are elections in the coming months. Everyone here is well aware of this. But im sure there are some of you here at the end of your term that feel a little differently about the coming months. When returning home to the people you serve, at the forefront of your mind will be what you accomplished to help improve your communities. If we thought more about what we accomplished at the end of our time, we would likely spend our days a little differently. My guess is that we would spend less time fighting each other over the few differences we have and more time working on the things that we agree on. We have all seen what the outcome of this behavior is when we watch what is going on in washington, d. C. Surely, we can do better. Surely, as the show me state, where our namesake inherently promotes actions and results over words, we have a higher sense of obligation to work together. Some may argue that all these victories are just coincidental, but i believe they are not. I believe they are about a commitment to finding a solution while Still Standing up for your values. For me, these values, like my faith, my family, and our nations flag, and another value, i will always stand up for is protecting those who cannot protect themselves. And all life has value, including the unborn. [ applause ] perhaps its my gray hair, but i am at the time in my career when what i leave behind and how i leave it is more important than impressing people and worrying about who i am not. Make no mistake, in this arena, you will be attacked, you will have to endure reading nothing but speculation about your motives, your commitment, and your beliefs, but you also have to choose to stand up against these attempts to divide one another, and instead be a leader, and as long as im a allowed to serve the people, i will work hard to make missouri better and hand it off to whomever follows me in better shape than i received it. So my final call is to challenge each of you to know one another better. This also means that we have to be willing to trust one another more. And my hope in the near future is that all of us will be able to celebrate more successes with one another. But the real benefits will be for the people of missouri, and our future generations. So in an effort to lead by example, i will go a little offscript tonight, and tell you something personally about myself. I might as well because no telling what you will hear about me from someone else who will falsely claim to know whats in my heart. I was raised by parents of the greatest generation. I was one of Four Brothers that was born in a hospital. I served this country for six years in the United States army. And without that experience, i would not be able to stand before you today. I attended college. I never finished. But i still believe in the promise of america and the american dream. And all the people that ive had a chance to meet and encounter in my life, the person i have been most inspired by was a single mother with two children that i met over 35 years ago. She had the fierce loyalty to her children that exemplified what true love really means, she had a kindness and a way of creating that only mothers are known for. She had a true strength and independence that a lot of us men try to fake. She was honest and humble and through grit and determination, she rose to the highest levels of the banking industry, even though she was often passed over for promotions by men. She helped start a Small Business and managed the books in the evenings. She trusted me to come into her and her childrens lives, and to love them and to take care of them like my own. Together, we have watched our children grow into wonderful adults. And now have their own families and have given us six beautiful grandchildren, and through it all, shes as beautiful and graceful as the days she was 35 years ago. [ applause ] i met her making a deposit at the bank, and she is the one that has allowed me to be a father, a grandfather, and the best person that i know how to be. Teresa, i will never have done this without you and only have been able to achieve it because of you. [ applause ] it is an honor and a privilege to be the 57th governor alongside an exceptional first lady, god bless you, god bless missouri, and god bless the United States of america. Thank you very much. [ applause ] coming up here on cspan 3, a discussion on the united kingdoms foreign and Homeland Security policy. Now that its left brexit. Thats followed by the executive director of the u. S. Advisory commission on public diplomacy. On the commissions recommendations for the state department. And then a house hearing on how technology is changing farming, and whether a federal policy needs to adapt. Museum week continues this evening with a visit to the National Museum of American History to learn about the centennial of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. Each night this week, we are featuring American History tv programs as preview of whats available every weekend on cspan 3. And be sure to watch museum week, all this week, starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, on American History tv. Here on cspan 3. Tonight, on cspan, President Trump holds a Campaign Rally in phoenix, arizona. Live coverage starts at 9 00 p. M. Ireastern on cspan or wat online or listen live with the free cspan radio app. Campaign 2020 is in nevada friday, live at 3 00 p. M. Eastern, as President Trump speaks in las vegas, ahead of the states caucus. Live coverage on cspan. Watch on demand at cspan. Org. And listen on the go with the free cspan radio app. Up next, a
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