Governor matthew mead who gave his eighth and final state of the state address to a joint session of the 64th state legislature. From cheyenne, this is 45 minutes. Governor mead thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a seat. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a seat. Thank you very much. Good morning. President , speaker, members of the 64th legislator, auditor cloud treasurer gordon, superintendent, chief justice burke, members of the judiciary, members of the military, veterans, fellow citizens, my family, good morning. Today i give my eighth and final state of the state address, and in preparing it, i have had a lot of thoughts, including the speaker and president have been kidding me in recent days that its too bad, it takes about eight years to train a governor and just when you get them trained, they leave. It was a couple years ago when the president of the senate, when he was announcing me, rather than saying his excellency, he said the executioner. So it takes awhile to train a speaker and president , too. What a privilege its been to appear before a joint session each year and talk about wyoming, the state we love. I believe our work these past seven years has built a better legacy and a solid bridge to the future. We have one more year together, a little less, and i look forward to a great year. I want my last state of the state address to begin with tributes to those who work so hard for wyoming. In past years, i have identified select individuals to acknowledge but today, i want to start with the wyoming legislature. I thank you, the wyoming legislature, for working with me in a cooperative spirit for the betterment of our state. Since territorial days, the people of wyoming have counted on leaders to move this state forward and the legislature delivers. As citizen legislatures you generously give your time, skill, sweat, not just during the session but year round, for wyoming. You leave your families, leave your place of work, leave the comforts of home, not for personal gain but out of a sense of duty, concern for and love of this state and her people. To members of the wyoming house and senate who are currently serving or who have served during my tenure as governor, i say thank you. I applaud for your service and ask the audience to join me. Chief [applause] chief justice burke, to you and all our judges, i want to say its been an honor working alongside the Judicial Branch and an honor to appoint great judges in our meritbased Selection Process. Over the past seven years, i have appointed about half the state judiciary. That is Supreme Court, District Court and Circuit Court judges. The merit Selection Process is important because its based upon qualifications and experience. It is apolitical and it results in great judges. Our justice yes, it does. Our justices at the Supreme Court and judges on federal courts and around the state are committed to our communities, state and people. They are committed to a wellfunctioning Justice System, access to justice for everyone and the rule of law. Lets thank them all for what they do. [applause] its been a pleasure working with the other statewide elected officials who are here today. Especially on the boards, state loan and investment board, state board of land commissioners that we serve together on. Auditor included, seems likecloud, it just yesterday. State superintendent and treasurer, i thank you for your service to the state of wyoming and i have enjoyed the privilege of working with all three of you. Thank you. [applause] i recognize the tribes today. We are neighbors and we are friends. We care about each other. Working with the tribes is important and we must continue to work together. The tribal Justice System is also important and i note that john st. Claire, the chief judge of the tribal court, is retiring. Judge st. Claire has been on the bench for 30 years. I recognize him this morning for his long service and commitment to tribal court. [applause] with recent budget constraints, two tribal liaison positions in the Governors Office became parttime. The liaison for the northern arapahoe tribe also serves as an amazing member of the executive council and i would ask if the liaisons and members of both tribes joining us today would please stand. We welcome all of you here in these chambers. [applause] as always, its my privilege to recognize the wyoming National Guard today. The guard had a busy, productive year in 2017. Every year they are busy and productive. They remain busy. Currently 198 of our guard are deployed. Joined recently by 15 for security for the next couple weeks at the Winter Olympics in south korea. Seeing the work of the guard at home and i have traveled to visit our troops in cuba, bahrain, kosovo, qatar, afghanistan, i have seen too many deployments and welcome homes to count. I can share with you, without a doubt, wyoming guard is the best of the best. In 1899, wyomings governor richard said of those who serve in our military they have so conducted themselves under all circumstances as to entitle them to the honor of which there is none higher of being called true american soldiers. General, please stand so we can show our appreciation to you and the guard who, without a doubt, are true american soldiers. [applause] i recognize our veterans today. Over 47,000 veterans live in wyoming. Our country would not be what it is, strong and free, and we would not be able to live freely as we do without them. I thank our vets and the people who support them. And i thank those currently serving in the u. S. Armed forces and the people who support them. We have made progress these past seven years. Veterans welcome home day legislation, Vietnam Veterans highway designation, more veteran service officers, expanded programs and services. I have been to 24 wyoming veterans welcome home day ceremonies in communities all around the state, going to some more in a couple of months. These are great occasions. They are very patriotic. They are very personal. On these occasions, i am so proud i live in a patriotic state that values and respects our veterans. Theres Something Else we can consider for our vets. Wyoming needs a Skilled Nursing center for them. We are the only state that does not have this service. In my mind, its a benefit our veterans have earned and its time wyoming delivered this service. The trains dont run on time without the hard work and care of state employees. Im proud of the work of our state employees and agencies directors and i want to thank them for their service. [applause] finally, i recognize the many volunteers who served on boards, commissions and task forces during my tenure. As many of you know, we have so many people from wyoming who volunteer and step up, and they do a tremendous amount of work for the benefit of our state, and when they work and they work and they reach great things and do great things, every year i double their salary. [laughter] for those not familiar, they make no money. When i hand the keys to the Governors Office to someone else in january 2019, i will leave the premises with gratitude to the voters who gave me the opportunity to serve. With admiration for legislative, judicial and executive branch employees who serve the state so well, and with knowledge that i leave a framework for important work to continue. As i look back to january 2011, when i took office, i see we have much to celebrate. We have Smaller Government. That is, we have smaller budget, fewer employees and fewer rules and regulations. We have downsized government and built our permanent and rainy day savings. We consolidated Technology Services in one place, ets, creating buying power and efficiencies. For example, where state agencies had different email systems in the past, the state now has one. We have made longterm policies that will serve wyoming for many years with an energy strategy, water strategy, ten and ten, Forest Health and Outdoor RecreationTask Force Recommendations and now the endow initiative. A lot has been achieved already under these policies. Just a few examples. Baseline water testing, orphan well plugging, continuing efforts to establish a pipeline corridor, the forest collaborative assistance program, play clean go and development of uniform hydrographers operations manual. Im pleased to report the first five of the ten and ten projects already have start dates for construction. Because these are longterm strategy, there is more to come and im pleased to see the legislature considering senate file 14 which provides a statutory framework for continuation of the energy strategy. One of my Top Priorities as many of you know has been growing technology and we have done so with a state 100 gigabyte network which is double the National Standards for connectivity to schools. It is the envy of many states. [applause] we have not only connected fiber but also provided a connection for many of our Industry Experts by starting and growing an annual Technology Summit and an annual broadband summit. These efforts will continue to bear fruit. We can celebrate when many said it couldnt be done the delisting of grizzlies and wolves and the nonlisting of sage grass. [applause] endangered species are a tough issue as chairmen and western governors in 201516, my initiative was to improve the endangered species act. We have moved forward. The western governors approved a resolution. We got it through the National Governors. Its being considered by congress and i believe there is a real opportunity this in the have changes endangered species act at the national level. [applause] wyoming loves wild life and we have been doing a good job managing wild life. We must never lose our leadership role in doing so. We must continue our conservation work, leveraging and building the Wildlife Natural Resource trust. When it comes to federal overreach, i think we have fought the good fight. The Attorney Generals Office has been very busy these past years, and in fact, so busy im occasionally criticized for being too litigious but i like the word litigious. The state the ags office has defended boundaries, fought a federal hydraulic fracturing rule, litigation for a coal terminal in oregon and a clean power plant. These are only a bit of the many cases the attorney general and his office have been involved in since i took office. We have taken on other difficult issues that are important including homelessness and Suicide Prevention. Safe to tell was launched in october 26, 2016. From then to midjanuary 2018, we received 889 tips. The highest number of reports were for suicide threats. The second and third highest were reports of bullying and drugs. One district knew they had saved two students lives in the first two months. They had the program in place and were able to intervene. [applause] these are just two of many stories of the importance of the successful program. In 2015, we released a home for everyone, the tenyear plan to address homelessness. We must keep pursuing the aspiration expressed in the plans title. With respect to suicide as many of you know, the rate in wyoming has been high for decades. Very high. Many reasons are cited. High altitude, rural setting, insufficient resources, isolation, illness. Theres many reasons. In 2013, i have brought up this issue in my state of the state trying to take the stigma away and bring it to the forefront of our conscience. In 2015, i talked about renewed focus on Suicide Prevention in a statewide initiative which included employee training. In 2016, i started an annual suicide symposium, the third to be held this spring. The symposium brings suicide to the forefront of public attention. The human toll in terms of lives lost and families shattered of course is at the center. Health programs and prevention are also part of the suicide agenda, symposium agenda. We have to in wyoming recognizing the seriousness of the problem to keep adequate resources at work on Suicide Prevention, bullying, and homelessness. We must also stay abreast of the opioid crisis. The good news in wyoming, we are doing better than most. A study of the last two and a half years shows Drug Overdose deaths increasing in the u. S. As a whole but decreasing in wyoming. It is good that Overdose Deaths are declining in our state but it remains the case that in wyoming, prescription painkillers are a leading form of drug abuse in 12 to 25yearolds. Last november, i signed a proclamation for the kickoff of the wyoming prescription abuse stake holders Educational Campaign they didnt know which will educate teenagers and young adults about Prescription Drug misuse and abuse. The wyoming abuse stake holders is working to do just that. Its a Capable Group and they should continue their good work with legislative support. In the last seven years, we have never lost sight of trying to improve wyoming and the Services Provided to our citizens. Despite a period of diminished revenue, the trimming of the budget and increasing our savings, we have continued to invest in wyomings future. The Capital Square project was started years ago. It will have ups and downs like any major building project but is proceeding nicely. In the long run its all positive. The capitol is the most important building in wyoming. Its inspiring to look at, inspiring to visit. It is a repository of our history, past, present and future. The legislature well before i came into office began setting aside funding for the capitol. Its important for us to continue that work. Other important projects that have moved along include the university of wyoming engineering, education and research building. The s. T. E. M. Building. The integrative test center. The research facility. The Science Initiative and many Wonderful Community college projects. So proud of the test center, funded with state and private resources, it became fully operational at the end of 2017. This cutting edge facility makes wyoming a leader in advanced coal technologies, allowing wyoming to be a continued leader not only in Coal Production but coal technology. [applause] funds have been appropriated for the Science Initiative. Im a big supporter of this initiative and requested the release of the last of the funding in my budget message. Appropriations approved the release of funds in midjanuary and uw has now approved the final design of the Science Initiative building. We tackled many other projects. Just on schools, which i remind you all in 2011, i suggested we slow down new school buildings, but we have not, really. We have tackled many projects including 57 new or replacement schools, in excess of 1 billion. 19 School Renovations and additions, about 267 million. Over 11,000 major maintenance projects for about 417 million. Theres more we can get done and theres more we can get done this session. The projects are at the State Hospital and life resource center, theyre well planned, important projects and in my mind, must move forward to construction now. As i have said before, and i say again today, investment in wyoming is a great investment. This body has invested in wyoming. My hats off to the visionaries in this room who planned for and worked through these important projects. However, as we have invested in these projects, we must adjust to the times of constrained revenue, recognizing we cannot continue to build at the same rate and must now focus on maintaining what we have built. My budget calls for dollars, more dollars for major maintenance, recognizing deferred maintenance is, in fact, deficit spending. [applause] before i talk about the times ahead i want to talk briefly about last year. 2017 was another year for budget reductions. Reductions have occurred in four of the last eight budgets. The budgets for some agencies, for example, the department of health and department of Family Services, have been cut too much. Services and programs suffer. There are other concerns associated with overcutting. For example, in the department of corrections and state fair. The 1920 budget gives us an opportunity to remedy this situation and j. C. Has begun that important work. To j. C. Members, i appreciate your work and look forward to resolving our differences in my favor. [laughter] that actually wasnt in there but thats what im thinking. [laughter] budget aside, 2017 was a year to remember for the increased emphasis on Outdoor Activities and endow. The eclipse was a wonderful occasion. It was the first total Solar Eclipse to pass over the country since 1918, with out of state and international travelers, the boost to the states economy was an estimated 63. 5 million. More great events are coming. This year is the 150th anniversary of the historic fort bridge treaty. Next year on september 10th, on december 10, 2019, wyoming will celebrate, wyoming will celebrate the 1