The beginning of his inaugural address. They are words about the importance of a strong relationship between the governor and the legislature. The extent it is humanly possible to do so, said governor mccall, let us put aside the temptation to be guided by regionalism, factionalism, or anything which fragments the public interest. May we pledge to one another to work not in partisanship, but in partnership. It is in that spirit that i address you, the members of the 79th oregon Legislative Assembly. And it is in that spirit that i address all oregonians. Let me start by congratulating my fellows statewide secretary of state richardson, state treasurer tobias reid, welcome aboard. [applause] and attorney general ellen rosenthal, welcome back. [applause] congratulations and welcome to all of our legislators. This freshman class includes representative Teresa Alonso leon, who personally knocked on more than 4000 doors during her campaign, and senator alan deboer, who won his election by just over 500 votes. Given the fact that i won my first legislative victory by a mere seven votes, i consider 500 votes to be a landslide. Congratulations. [applause] i know this is a very exciting day for you and your families, and i am so very, very grateful for your commitment to Public Service. Speaking of Public Service, i believe it is worth noting that the Legislative Assembly that begins today is the eighth assembly at which Peter Courtney will preside as president. A number that is unmatched in oregons 158year history. Nobody loves this building and the legislature more than Peter Courtney. Please join me in saluting him on his historic service. [applause] gov. Brown two final nuts of personal privilege. I would like to thank my family and friends, which include governors, for all their love and support, which encourages me and motivates me every single day. Thank you. I love all of you. Courage is defined as mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Personally, i define courage and i suspect many of you do as l in just three words representative vic gilliam. Your presence, here today inspires each and every one of us. [applause] gov. Brown members of the legislature and my fellow oregonians, i am so honored to stand before you as you are dulyelected governor. In farthe oath today happier circumstances than i did nearly two years ago, in february 2015. Despite those circumstances, and the fact that the 2015 legislative session was already underway, we worked together in the months that followed, and achieved to some very important accomplishments. Ethicsted meaningful reforms, needed to regain the trust of all oregonians. We invested in a seamless system of education, from cradle to career, including Early Childhood education, allday kindergarten, and our Community College access program, the oregon promise. We expanded the oregon opportunity grants to help more students pay for college. Thatst paid sick leave, so more workers would no longer have to choose between keeping their job or paying their rent. Stuff done good during the short session of 2016. Wage,sed the minimum thereby supporting oregon families struggling to make ends meet, and making the statement that no one working fulltime should be living in poverty. [applause] gov. Brown we responded to the community Umpqua College by providing 6 million to address campus and community needs. We upheld the tradition of leading on environmental oregonship, by making once again a national and global model, with the passage of the cleans first cold to law, eliminating coalfired electricity for good. I have often said, future generations will judge us not on the fact of Global Climate change, but how we responded to it. Under my leadership, we will continue to move oregon forward. [applause] gov. Brown but for me, and i suspect for senator chuck thom s sen and representative mark joh nson, one of the most memorable days of the session was when we passed legislation forever proclaiming march 28 as minoru yasui day in oregon. Born in hood river a little over sui wasrs ago, minoru ya the first japaneseamerican to graduate from the university of oregon law school, and the first japaneseamerican to be a member of the oregon state bar. He made National History by challenging the constitutionality of executive 9066, signed by president Franklin Roosevelt on february 19, 1942, which required persons of japanese ancestry to remain in their homes between the hours of 8 00 p. M. And 6 00 a. M. 1942, at the ripe old age of 26 years old, mr. Yasui put his personal liberty on the line for justice, as he intentionally violated the curfew by walking the streets of portland. He was arrested, and imprisoned for nine months in solitary ltnomahment at the mu county jail, before being deported to the Minidoka Relocation Center in idaho, where he would remain until near the end of the war. Eventually established a law practice in denver. And until his death in 1986, he continued to fight for civil rights for all, and for the courts to rule that executive order 9066 was unconstitutional. Ashes are buried beneath a pair of giant cedars in hood river. 2015, president obama awarded mr. Yasui with the president ial medal of freedom, the highest award that can be bestowed upon an american citizen. Oregonian ever to receive this reward. [applause] i share this story today because america has just come through the most bitter and divisive National Election in memory, and election featuring rhetoric questioning the very citizenship and civil rights of americans. And i want to make it very clear , wherere in oregon thousands have fought for and demanded equality, we cannot and we will not retreat. [applause] gov. Brown we must guard against prejudice based on race, ethnicity, religion, or belief. We must not allow the rights of any one person or class of people to be degraded in any way. ,e must champion womens rights and fight for our struggling families. [applause] gov. Brown we must stand up for our veterans. [applause] we must defend the btq oregonians. [applause] and we must continue to fight to preserve the oregon tradition of respecting the treaty rights of the nine sovereign tribal nations, and work with all native peoples who join us in calling this great state home. [applause] gov. Brown in short, we must always remember the words of mr. Yasui, who said, if we believe in america, if we believe in equality and democracy, if we believe in law and justice, then each of us, when we see or believe errors are being made, has an obligation to make every effort to correct them. [applause] gov. Brown the guiding principle of my Public Service is to fight to bring opportunity to all oregonians, especially those who have not had a fair shot, or who have been left behind. This has been and remains the guiding principle of my Public Service career. [applause] gov. Brown this principle can be seen in the priorities and programs i have outlined in my proposed budget. It is a budget that prioritizes what i believe are the requirements central to the building of successful life the opportunity for a good job, the opportunity for good health, and the opportunity for a good education. Let me briefly touch upon each of these. For those living in urban oregon, it seems like the economy is growing like a gangly teenage boy overnight and out of control. For the first time in almost two decades, the statewide Unemployment Rate dropped below the national average. News outlets from forbes to fortune to bloomberg are writing glowing profiles of oregons job producing economy. But for Rural Communities such as john day or powell butte, as Republican Leaders ted ferrioli mclane know so well, there is a disturbing gap between the Unemployment Rate in urban oregon and rural oregon. For families living in colombia, crook, or any of our rural counties, we must first open the doors of opportunity so that individuals can find good paying jobs right where they live. [applause] to accomplish this, and to ensure the economy is humming in every single corner of oregon, we need to take a multifaceted approach, leveraging investments in workforce development, infrastructure, collaboration, and innovation. As i have traveled across oregon, doubtless employers and Business Owners have told me that they have struggled to find employees to meet their needs. Is toy we can help them make colombia county, with an Unemployment Rate of 6. 3 , the National Role model for 21st century workforce training. Based on a model created in england, and bolstered by the determination and drive of the indomitable senator betsey johnson, we have reallocated resources at business oregon and partnered with the private sector to build the oregon manufacturing innovation center. [applause] gov. Brown it is a place were High School Graduates will learn the technical and soughtafter skills that successful businesses need skills that will enable them to find good paying jobs as welders, electricians, and elders. Builders. These are jobs that provide Financial Security that goes beyond the next paycheck. The center is not even finished, and it is already a model of success. 12 large manufacturers have made commitments to the center, and some are expressing interest in opening their own facilities in scappoose. Ok, give scappoose a round of applause. [applause] gov. Brown like colombia also knowss county the struggles of rural oregon all too well. This despite creative efforts to expand access to good jobs, im internationally renowned golf course, and extensive state investments in the port. Despite of all of this, the region is still struggling with an Unemployment Rate of 6. 4 . I believe, however, there is an opportunity to create jobs right now. That opportunity is in the 135 bridges we have on the coast. Experts tell usthat opportunityo of those bridges will either be totally destroyed or severely damaged in the event of a major earthquake that many geologists believe is inevitable. Lets create more good paying, family wage jobs in coos and curry counties, and all along by investing in seismic retrofitting of our coastal roads and bridges. [applause] just like seismic retrofitting creates jobs on the coast, it can also create Economic Opportunity in central and eastern oregon. Have heard from Truck Drivers who are starting to use 97 as an to avoid Traffic Congestion we are facing in the portland metropolitan area congestion that has led metro commuters spending 52 hours a year in their cars. Also the alternative route through our state in the event of that major earthquake. It is a crucial artery for safety that can also create jobs. Lets make the investment to make u. S. 97 functional right now. [applause] gov. Brown improvements to coastal bridges and highway 97 or just parts of a transportation package that i have been working on with legislators and community leaders. I am confident that before this session adjourns, this legislature will have passed, and i will have signed into law, a bipartisan transportation bill that will move oregon forward in the 21st century. [applause] gov. Brown but it is going to take more than a transportation package to bring Economic Opportunities that will help rural oregon thrive. It will also take investments in our water. Basin, we have shown that getting water out of olumbiaombia river c river and onto the ground helps grow crops, which in turn helps grow jobs. That is why my budget includes 32 million in bond funding and grants for local water projects, which will help meet the needs of Rural Communities, agriculture, and the environment. [applause] we have found another path in places such as grant county, through the Good Neighbor agreement we have signed with the u. S. Forest service. Thanks to this partnership, we have seen a 14 increase in timber harvests, and a 16 increase in timberrelated jobs. We must continue to search for similar innovative programs that are good for both the economy and the environment. [applause] gov. Brown that is why i have invested in the Rural Entrepreneurship Development initiative, or redi. This is a program to help rural entrepreneurs get the capital and expertise they need to build their Small Businesses into thrivi economic engines. In thealso invested technologies that inspire these entrepreneurs. Unmanned aerial vehicles and cross laminated timber are not just the hot tech trends of the moment. They are brilliant innovations that cant grow without space items that two rural oregon has in abundance. Believe that by investing in workforce development, roads and bridges, and innovative leveraging they human, material, and Natural Resources that once made our Rural Communities the most prosperous in the state, we have a real chance to tackle the economic fault line that has split our state in two. It takes a constellation of approaches and the work of all of us to build a bridge to one another, and ensure that our entire economy continues to thrive in every county, rural and urban. [applause] gov. Brown let me now turn from Economic Health to the physical health of oregonians. We all know that good help is fundamental to the wellbeing and selfsufficiency of every oregonian. I am so proud to report that we have made great progress in the equitable delivery of health care. Years,e past several oregon has expanded health care to 95 of adults and 98 of children. [applause] gov. Brown i think these numbers are worth repeating. 95 of adults, and 98 of children now have access to health care. [applause] gov. Brown we should not stop, and cannot stop, until every oregonian is covered. [applause] gov. Brown as everyone in this chamber knows, health care is about more than just seeing a doctor. Every child in this state deserves the opportunity to be healthy and successful. One of the families who now has hoalth care is the camac family in medford. Camacho grew up in a family that struggled with abuse addiction, which influenced her to make lifestyle choices she knew were detrimental. She was referred to jackson care connect, a coordinated care organization, and in their 12 week healthier new you program, she was able to transform not just her life, but the lives of her husband and son. Before starting the program, kelleni was overweight and faced a host of healthrelated problems. Her entire family, including her husband and son, also struggled with obesity. When she had access to care, kelleni took what she learned and taught her family to read nutrition labels, choose what foods were good for them, and begin to exercise more. They all each lost a significant amount of weight. Carlos, her son, was the selfdescribed chubby kid who would think nothing of eating a bag of potato chips in one sitting. He began to exercise with his mom, and they even grew fresh vegetables in their apartment. Carlos gained strength, and eventually became a successful athlete, which in turn made him want to be a successful student. He says his wrestling coach is strict about his grades, and will not let them practice if they have behavior issues, or miss class. Carlos sums it up by saying that the Program Makes him want to do good. Impressive as carloss story is, we still have more work to do. We still have children and families in our state who do not have access to health insurance. To they dont have access the services that transformed carlos and his familys lives. Demonstrates, Health Care Coverage is foundational to health and wellbeing. That is why i have proposed investing additional funds to expand Health Care Insurance coverage to all children in oregon. [applause] gov. Brown with this, we can provide the opportunity for good health for every single oregon child, and ensure every child is able to reach their full potential. [applause] gov. Brown it was once said, a school is a building with four walls on the outside, and tomorrow on the inside. There can life for our children and our grand children dpenld uponepend upon our ability to provide an education of the highest possible quality. And there is no doubt the investments we have made in the past two years in our early learning, k12, and Postsecondary Education systems have made a difference. Yet, there are still some statistics that should disturb all of us. Our schools continue to be among the nations leaders in all the wrong categories. Largest class size. The shortest school year. The highest dropout rate. And in some Rural Communities such as crook and jefferson despite heroic efforts by local , legislators, fewer than half of Young Children are meeting early milestones indicating that a child is school ready. To be sure, there are some bright spots. One can be found in the fact that the Oregon Promise Program has opened the doors of opportunity by making Higher Education more accessible and affordable for more oregon students. [applause] take mia sanders. She is a firstyear fulltime student. She says the financial help from the oregon promise covers most of her tuition, leaving her 300 to cover books and fees for term. The oregon promise has given her the space to plan for her future. In addition to school, she now works about 32 hours a week to save money so they can eventually transfer to a four year school. She says the oregon promise is helping her achieve her goal of majoring in psychology and becoming a therapist. Lets ensure that her story is a unique. Lets make sure that every student in oregon, especially historically underserved students, have the chance to achieve their own dreams. [applause] let me be absolutely clear my top priority is improving High School Graduation rates in oregon. That is why my proposed budget provides an equity fund. It will be used to draes high school attendance, help students experiencing trauma, and make investments in underserved communities. An Education System that opens the doors of opportunity to all those who represent the oregon of tomorrow. A Health Care System that makes sure 100 of oregons children have access to care. An economy that creates the opportunity for good paying jobs in portland, port or for port orford and every community in between. [applause] these, my friends, are the goals that unite oregonians. These are the goals that we can only achieve by working together. I am, and always have been, an optimist. Im not naive. I know there are obstacle thats in our way of creating a better future. Chief among them, of course, is our 1. 7 billion budget deficit. 3 5 of the deficit is the cost expanding health care to our all oregonians. 1 4 is the unfunded cost of three new ballot measured approves in november that i voted for. It is only a short term solution. The time for Short Term Solutions and kicking the can down the road has passed. [applause] for longer than i have served in government, oregon has faced a revenue shortfall. Less painful and good times, catastrophic in bad times. We have cut and we have squeezed our roads, public safety, and schools have paid the price. Now, we have two modern day oregon trails to choose from. One trail is to continue the endless process of slicing and squeezing. Of diminishing our hopes and expectations and shrinking our dreams of what it means to be an oregonian. The other trail is to follow the advice of governor tom mccall to not be guided by regionalism and factualism. To work in partnership rather than partisanship. It is a trail that will involve hard work and painful choices. But it is, my fellow oregonians, the only path to follow. [applause] we have to come together and know were all on the same side, fighting to make oregon a better place for all of us to live. If we are to win that fight, then there are three actions we must take. First, we must do Everything Possible this year and every year to ensure that each and every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely and efficiently. Second, we must change our states tax structure so that we have a fair and balanced system that provides the stable and Adequate Funding that allows us to properly fund our schools and to meet our critical needs. And third, we must address the on going liability in a way that keeps our promises to retirees and does not put us back on an endless hamster wheel of litigation. [applause] as secretary of state i made progress in cutting the red tape businesses had to navigate to Access Services to grow. As your governor i have enabled to improve services in several agencies and my own office. I called an managers to take specific actions to save money such as delaying the filling of , vacant positions and illuminating nonessential travel. I have encouraged them to operate more efficiently and at less cost. A couple of examples, staff at the department of Administrative Services renegotiated lease agreements saving nearly 64 million in rent over the course of the leases. And Oregon State Police revamped its training programs, reducing injuries and related costs by 35 . More must be done. To identify best practices and in time forndations the 2018 legislative session, im appointing a panel to engage with stake holders in both the public and private sector. The panel will make recommendations on how State Government can operate more efficiently, streamline the services that support our economy, and bolster the services that vulnerable families dpenld on. They will seek out solutions to the institutional obstacles that at times hinder our abilities to serve oregonian. We deserve smarter government. The same goal should be kept in mind when addressing the weight and the liability puts on our resources. Im proposing we manage our investments more effectively, creating greater returns and , innovating practices. My office is working to identify what we can do now such as bringing Investment Services in house to responsibly carry out our duties to retirees. I look forward to other solutions to be proposed in the months ahead. As we consider our next steps, lets agree to keep our promises to retirees. Lets ensure that no one can take advantage of the system. And lets Seek Solutions that are legally viable. So that dead ends arent left to language in the court while the challenge continues to grow. We must also rethink the fairness of our tax system and address the burden our families carry to fund State Government. Under my direction, my office will work with stake holders on potential options to generate the revenue we need so badly. We will work with all of you to restore fairness and balance in our tax system. We need solutions that dont unfairly burden working families struggling to make ends meet. We need solutions that support Economic Growth in our rural and our urban communities. We learned painfully that there is no painless solution. But we must do this together. Make no mistake. The oregonians who elected us put their trust in us to lead. They expect us to roll up our sleeves and get to work. They expect us to work together. I began my remarks today with a great oregonian, governor tom mccall. I end my remarks with the words used by another great oregonian, Mark Hatfield to conclude i had to conclude his inaugural address as governor in january of 1959. May these words guide each of us in the chamber in the months ahead. Governor hatfield said for those of us that make government policy our good and bad alike , live after us. W our childreno reap. Let us prepare them for a good harvest so oregon may have a future. It is my hope that future generations will look back at this legislative session and say, heres where bright successes were achieved. Here where the seeds were sound for a good harvest. Heres where a bountiful future for oregon was planted. Thank you, very much. [applause] governor kate brown, one of the dozen state of the state of addresses. Another one later with west virginias governor at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. They continued debate on Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. Last nightt session in the u. S. Senate, and a latenight vote 4940 three along party lines of holding that senator Elizabeth Warren had him. A fellow senator. There is senator sanders on the floor. You can watch live coverage on cspan2. And you can watch the debate on our website, cspan. Org. We are preparing to take you to the Lantos Foundation cover the annual award ceremony. This recipient is isis most wanted one then. And the washington journal looking at president trumps effort on the border wall. Desk. Back at our the judiciary member, former practicing lawyer. How do you think the lawyers for the Trump Administration did taking their case for the president s travel ban . , it is a is not a ban temporary suspension. They have the law on their side. They have the ninth circuit, the most reversed circuit in the country. They have an uphill battle based on where the case is heard. Host let you mean by most reversed . Go to thet cases Supreme Court. They have a higher reversal reading then any other circuit. Supreme court says you got it wrong more than any other circuit. Host what is your expectation . That it will get reversed, what will happen when it goes to the Supreme Court . Guest i know better than predicting