Colorado governor. [applause] is the South Carolina governor talks about the gas tax and building up the state. Her address comes courtesy of South Carolina etv. [applause] please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen of the joint assembly an honored guest. I am proud to present you have to the honorable governor of South Carolina. [applause] thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, mr. President , ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly, constitutional officers and my fellow south carolinians tonight, we have come together to discuss the state of South Carolina the success we have enjoyed and the challenges we face. But we must first acknowledge, as we do every year, that without the selfless sacrifice of our men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms, this night would not be possible. So now, please join me as we pay tribute to those who gave the last full measure of devotion in the service of their state and country capt. James e. Chaffin iii, West Columbia staff sgt. Irard jerry gass, jr. Huger Deputy Sheriff joseph joe matuskovic, summerville investigator holmes n. Smith, jr. , sumter patrolman 1st class robert blajszczak, summerville Laurent Larry britton, charleston lt. John m. Burns, myrtle beach firefighter paramedic kellen a. Fleming, chesnee on behalf of all south carolinians, to their families, know we will never forget. [applause] many of you enjoyed the festivities of last week. We want to thank you for making it a special time for our family and the state. We are thankful that michael has been home from deployment for over a year now. He continues to be very involved with youth challenge, advocating for adoptive children, and managing the mansion grounds, all while keeping a smile on his face. Please help me thank the coolest first gentleman ever, michael haley. [applause] and what would haley family fun night be without two really fun kids. Michael and i realized recently that four years from now, they will have spent half of their childhood in public life. Rena and nalin continue to take it in stride and make us both proud. They are 16 and 13 years old now. Rena is starting to tour College Campuses and nalin continues to tour basketball courts. Please help me welcome two little ones that make me proud to be their mom, rena and nalin. [applause] one of my favorite parts of giving this speech each year is being able to recognize some of the people who have helped make South Carolina the special place that it is. When we started our administration four years ago, we thought it was very important to highlight people in our state that make us smile. We will always have challenges in government. But for all of those challenges we have selfless people who, in the name of service and out of love for our great state, give South Carolina a good name. I know theres been a lot of chatter about who charlestons next mayor will be, but before we get too far down that road, we should take a moment, stop, and appreciate what we have. Here tonight is a man who has built a legacy of service in the lowcountry and across South Carolina. He has served as the mayor of charleston for nearly 40 years and he has helped transform that city into the most popular destination in america, a crown jewel of not just our state, but of our nation. He has decided to step down as mayor, but he will forever be remembered as one of South Carolinas great gentlemen and devoted public servants. I ask that you join me in welcoming mayor joe riley, and thanking him for his lifetime of service to South Carolina. [applause] just a few short weeks ago, we lost a great south carolinian with the passing of gov. James edwards. As governor, as secretary of energy, and later as the president of musc, he spent a huge part of his life serving others and cemented a place in our States History as a man we can all look up to. But as we all know, it is nearly impossible to be as strong and significant as he was without the support of a loving family. Tonight, i have the great privilege of introducing to you his incredible wife, mrs. Ann edwards. Mrs. Edwards asked that i thank you, the members of the general assembly, as well as the people of South Carolina, for the tremendous support you gave gov. Edwards during his full life and that youve given her since his passing. Mrs. Edwards, thank you for your service and for sharing your wonderful husband with us. You and your family will forever be appreciated by the citizens of South Carolina. [applause] nobody has represented us with more dignity than lance cpl. Kyle carpenter. We were able to have his parents join us for this speech in 2012 when he was recovering from his injuries, but we are thankful to have him here today, safe and healthy. Last year, michael and i were so proud to attend the ceremony where kyle was awarded the medal of honor for his acts of valor during his deployment in afghanistan. I would like to take a moment to read a passage from the official citation recognizing his heroic actions. Lance corporal carpenter and a fellow marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal carpenter moved toward the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow marine from the deadly blast. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him, but saving the life of his fellow marine. It is rare that you are able to be in the presence of a true american hero, but that is exactly what we have with us today in kyle carpenter. Please stand and join me in showing our deepest gratitude for his service to our country and his bravery that has made us all so proud. [applause] [applause] [applause] South Carolina continues to be a major Success Story when it comes to recruiting jobs to our state. We make it very clear to the companies that choose to invest here that they are joining our South Carolina family. The businesses we are honoring tonight could have invested and moved anywhere in the country, and they chose to join team South Carolina. We should never take that for granted. Tonight, representatives of a few of those success stories, from all across the world, are here with us. As i introduce them, please hold your applause until the end and then join me in giving them a warm South Carolina welcome. Please stand when i call your name, and remain standing. Representing 151 jobs in fairfield county, from enor corp. , mr. Steven udwin representing 1,700 jobs in chester county, from giti tire, dr. Enki tan representing 270 jobs in lancaster county, from haile gold mine, ms. Diane garrett representing 175 jobs in clarendon county, from kent international, mr. Scott kamler representing 40 jobs in chesterfield county, from Nestle Waters north america, mr. Lance tully representing 70 jobs in greenwood county, from portucel, mr. Diogo da silveira representing 500 jobs in Florence County from ruiz food products, ms. Kim ruiz beck representing 300 jobs in dorchester county, from scout boats, mrs. Sherrie ferguson representing 2,400 jobs in york county, from the lash group, ms. Tracy foster representing 65 jobs in richland county, from the ritedose corp. , dr. Umesh dalvi representing 615 jobs in aiken county, from medac, mr. Bijon memar representing 500 jobs in spartanburg county, from toray Carbon Fibers america, mr. Toshiyuki kondo thank you for making South Carolina your home. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the state of our state is inspiring. Over the last four years i have had the great privilege of traveling far and wide representing our state and her