Cspan where history unfolds daily. In 1979, cspan was created as Public Service for americas Cable Television companies and brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. Next, a look at another state of the state address. Utah governor gary herbert addresses his state in Salt Lake City and talking about education, the ceconomy and reducing homelessness. This is just under 30 minutes. Thank you. President , speaker, members of the ledgislature, justices of te utah supreme court, utahs first lady my wife ginnet, and other constitutional officers and my fellow utahns. It is great to be addressing you in this capitol that serves for our collective dreams and aspirations. At our state inauguration we had the privilege of hearing the mormon tabernacle choir, and in spite of them deciding to sing at my inauguration, not one choir member has decided to resign. [ applause ] youll aremember that the choir sang climb every mountain and as they were singing, i was reminded of the mountains that we must climb in our personal lives and as a people and state. And when i took office, utah was climbing out of the great recession, and recognizing that our challenges are required a economic recovery and we made economic recovery a primary objective. The climb has been arduous, but the height that utahs economy occupies is remarkable. I could spend all evening simply listing the National Accolades that have come our way. I know yall want me to do that, but, let me simply note that these meaningful bottom line facts. Last year utah had one of the fastest e growing Technology Sectors in all of america, and utah businesses added more than 43,000 jobs to our economy. Thanks to the collective efforts of the lawmakers and the officials gathered here tonight, and primary thanks to the hard work and the cooperation of the people of utah, i can say emphatically that the state of our state is truly exceptional. But we havent come this far to only go this far. There are several important summits for us to climb together over the next four years. But before we talk about those peaks, let me say a few words about two of the very ep deep and shadowy valleys this the states current landscape, drug addiction and homelessness. I firmly believe that those closest to such issues will typically have the most informed answers, and i have been encouraged to see our local elected officials, and the local law enforcement, and the local charities working together to alleviate the suffering of those seeking treatment, and those needing shlter, but i recognize that the state has a role in addressing the problem. And speaker hughes, i am particularly grateful for your willingness to address this issue headon. I look forward to your assessment and the recommendations of what further state support is needed as you and the legislature engage with and monitor local efforts, and let us as a state be absolutely clear that we will no longer tolerate the unconscionable drug trade that victimizes the most vulnerable in the community. Let us all agree tonight that this is absolutely must stop. [ applause ] thank you. I wish that we had time to talk through every challenge that we face, but lets direct the gaze to a few of the more significant summits ahead of us, and among the most important is that of educational excellence, and if we are going to unite and focus, utah can be at the top of the nation of student achievement, and we have come quitem some distance, and since 2009, utahs High School Graduation rate has climbed from 75 to 85 . The fourth largest such increase in the nation. And in the most recent National Assessment of the educational progress known as the nations report card, utahs fourth graders ranked eighth in the nation in math, and seventh in read aring and fifth in science. And utahs eighth graders are ranked eighth in math, and six nt reading and first mt. The nation in science. Thanks to the dead gags and the hard work of utahs teachers and parents and students, we can confidently say that utah is getting a superior return on the investment of the education. I am gratified by the progress, but as you all know, we have work to do. Our strong aggregate statistics masked the challenges faced by some of our students, but i remain hopeful, because i know of utahs innovative and cando spirit. Therefore i truly do believe that utah can be number one in the nation on meaningful and measurable milestones of student achie achievement, and pleased that Business Leaders and educators from across the state are close to uniting on the innovative tenyear plan for kindergarten through 1th grade to take utah education from where we are which is pretty darn good to where we need to go which is to be at the very top. Governance of the Public Education system is complex. The state board of education has the general board and conal troll of supervision of the Public Education, and the constitution tasks you sh, the legislature with the establishment, and the maintenance of the Public Education system, and we recognize that the most important work is accomplished by the educators and the parents and the students at the local level and the 41 School District s and in the 1119 Charter Schools all designed to make Students College and career ready. Structurally, my role as governor is the power to kconvee and the power of the bully pulpit. And i assure thaw you i will continue to do all i can to push for the support of the front line funding and the alignment of the classroom and the diverse and the dynamic marketplace. And for example, jobs in utahs Aerospace Industries are growing faster than there are trained workers to fulfill them. And to address this in 2015, i announced the private program called utaht Aerospace Pathways to provide High School Students with early training and internships and head start of entering the workforce with the Aerospace Companies such as boeing, and excel and orbital tka and colton winters who is with us here tonight in the balcony was one of the first to enroll in the Aerospace Pathway s and his father, luke winters, he wrote to me about the great experiences his son had in this program, and even bet, the experiences of excel with colton was so positive that they hired him right out of high school. The pathways model assures the parents that their children will find meaningful employment here in utah and gives the confidence of utah businesses that they will have a qualified workforce, and by supporting the schools by optimizing the engagement of business and education. Therefore, i am pleased to announce tonight a major collaboration called talent ready utah that will ak sccelee the mutually reinforcing successes and led by the governor of economic development, and the Education Development tammy peifer, talent ready utah will expand opportunities statewide by increasing the number of businesses and educational partnerships, and over the next four years for pathways like o programs alone, talent ready utah will recruit hundreds of businesses across utah to partner with and invest in local education. And we anticipate that talent ready utah is going to help fill 40,000 new highskill, hig highpaying jobs over the next four years. [ applause ] working together, we have invested 1. 8 billion of new money in education over the last five years. And i thank you for your wisdom and foresight and commitment. As you know, however, because utah has had the Fastest Growing student population in the nation, we have significant funding needs just to accommodate the growth. And in order to push our way to the top, we need to invest more money into education, but at the same time, im very concerned about altering the tax policies in any way that could damage the robust economic engine, and in fact, the very best way to assure ongoing Education Funding is to continue to grow the economy. And failure to take into account how tax rates affect the Business Investments wont help us to make good policy decisions. Now, look, i get it. I know that you get it. No one like s s to pay taxes. Be but everyone agrees that the state rerequires sufficient revenue to perform the essential public functions that we, the people, need. Utah has benefitted from a sound and diversified revenue policy that has helped us to weather economic shocks better than any state in america, but over the years the utah base that produces the tax revenue has in fact narrowed. Utah has required use of the use tax and out of state purchases since 1937. Back then, when out of state purchases were few and far between, the collection of the use tax was not a big deal. Today, however, we purchase more and more goods out of state, because of the convenience of Online Shopping and collection of the use tax on those purchases is cumbersome, and the legislative fiscal offices, and the office of management and budget now estimates that the old and the unpaid use tax is approximately 150 to 200 million per year and rising. In addition, our tax system has become complicated. For example, in 1996, there were 48 sales Tax Exemptions, and today, there are 89. And in that same period, income tax credits have tripled from 12 to now 38. And this narrowing of the base is now creating pressure to raise tax rates. We all know that Congress Needs to resolve this issue of how to effectively collect our old but unpaid use tax, but if Congress Wont do the job, then you, the Legislature Must act to provide our own state solution. I also urge a state review of every Tax Exemption and credit to examine if it has in fact outlived the usefulness and that means by making the taxes fairer and eliminate ing ting the loop and broadening the base. I look forward to speaking with with the president , and speaker hughes and senator henderson, and others in the legislature and in particular those with the private is sector to improve significantly the fairness and the equity of the tax system while maintaining utahs number one business friendly environment. [ applause ] i believe that the government regulations are designed to level the playing fields and protect the public and example of the state regulations can be found with how utah governing alcohol. The result s has have been stro attested by the low dui fat fatalities and the low underage consumption and the low binge drinking rate, and the enviable Public Safety record, there is the room for improvement and therefore i appreciate the work of senator brad wilson and represent Jerry Stevenson to improve the alcohol problems, and we have been looking to the laws to see what is dispensindi licensing, education, and enforcement. I know that many in the media have focused narrowly on the issue of dispensing restriction, but that is merely one aspect of the updating, and this is about public health, and Public Safety. We will ensure that our regulations coupled with additional state resources focus on education, prevention, and enforcement practices that are proven to have underaged drinking, and impaired dr eed d. And this is going to affect the way that adults consume alcohol in establishments, and without blurring the difference of restaurants and bars. To that end, we will Work Together with this legislative session to keep and enhance what work fos utah a what works fo utah and repeal what does not. [ applause ] a year ago i pledged that we would not rest until all 29 counties and 245 cities and towns in the state were full participants in utahs tremendous economic success. And we are making progress. Tourism and now an 8. 2 billion industry in utah has generated over a billion in state and local taxes and bringing jobs and more Economic Diversity to the cities and towns in rural utah. Moreover, visitation in the 95 National Parks and state parks and other areas in the states hit record levels over the past year. But tourism is only one piece of the puzzle. Across rural utah many businesses are working with the state to innovate and expand. One example is howlings tomatoes where stateoftheart technologies is helping to grow the business by some 280 fulltime jobs, and still, the fact remains that parts of utah outside of the wash edge front are struggling. Tonight, i want to have us unite of the goal of creating 25,000 new jobs in the 25 counties off of the wauset front over the next four years. Reaching that goal will require unprecedented partnerships to grow and diversify the e kconom in rural utah. To that end, i will work with lieutenant cox, taand the Rural Partnership board, and the private sector and you, the legislature, to ensure that all uta utahians have the same opportunities, so lets Work Together to create 25,000 more jobs in all parts of utah. Another issue that worries me, and concerns you, particularly at this time of the year is the air quality. Utah is now the Fastest Growing state in america, which means more trucks and more automobiles contributing to the air pollution. As i have said before, there is no Silver Bullet to the pollution problems and this is why i created the utah clean air patter in sthip and statewide nonprofit to empower organizations and individuals to take the proactive steps to reduce air pollution. We will continue to fasttrack the arrival of cleaner fuels and cleaner cars and to get people to drive less and conserve more. Utah is soon going to collect an estimated 35 million from volkswagen and their settlement to improve how diesel technologies affect air quality. I have asked the department of Environmental Quality and division of air quality to convene stakeholders to analyze and identify how these settlement dollars will give us the largest reduction of pollution possible. Those discussions should include replacing the high polluting diesel engines, and including those of the older diesel Burning School buses. [ applause ] as you know, we are already making a difference. While utahs population increased by more than 600,000 between 2002 and 2014, total statewide emissions declined by 30 . That is a 46 reduction in the per capita emissions. We have been able to accomplish this by requiring the refineries and the other large Emissions Industries to reduce emissions through technology, and by educating the public about things that we can all do such as the car pooling and turning down the thermostats and by engaging with industry to encourage the construction of more Energy Efficient buildings and by making inroads in the alternative energy. Utah is now in the top ten of the nation for electric vehicle adoption, and number one when it co comes to the compressed natural Gas Infrastructure and sometimes we fail to realize the progress we are making. So this year, i want to tour the state to highlight the actions that are making a positive difference for air quality such as the refineries accelerating the arrival of low sulfur fuel pos the market. And along the way, i will also visit those organizations that need a little extra encouragement to help to us make measurable improvements to the air quality. This is a shared responsibility. So lets keep it up, and lets redouble the collective efforts, because we shouldnt have to climb to a summit in order to breathe clean air. Last week i was in washington, d. C. , and boy am i glad to be home. But having returned from the inauguration, i can attest that if there is one message clear from the new administration, it is that power will be returned to the people and to the states. [ applause ] we are confi dhaent the new administration and Congress Working with the states will enact major reforms that will enable us as a state to gain greater control and management over education, transportation, health care, Natural Resources and our public lands. There is a are renewed appreciation for the 10th amendment and a realization that the states are truly the laboratories of democracy and the place where the Real Solutions are developed to improve peoples lives. And it ist at the state level where innovation, taylor ed ed the unique local demographics is actually taking place. And utah is at the forefront of that innovation, and that evident. So thank you all. [ applause ] yes, we have a history of accomplishing what others have said is too hard. Defying the odds to achievement greatness is part of our cultural dna and that is symbolized by greg paul, the founder of the popular momentum climbing gyms located in Salt Lake City, sandy and e lehigh. And in 2003 when the doctor told greg that his knees were shot and advised him to take up croquet, he ig mored the counsel and continued the dream the impossible dream to the summit mt. Everest, and then greg had his right knee replaced by a system from draper development. His first attempt to everest ended when the ave lalanches fod his team to cancel the climb. That same year, greg had the left knee are place and the second crack of everest fell short when an avalanche killed more than a dozen people on the mown tape. And finally last may confronted by Severe Weather in may, he paused just short of the summit wondering whether to turn back once again. On the morning of and get this, friday 13th, greg shrugged off all super stigss and seen the weather improve over the summit, he resumed the climb, and accompanied by the sherpa guide, he ascended to become the First American climber to conquer ever est in three years and the first ever to conquer with artificial knee knees and high replacements made in good old draper, utah. Recognize greg paul with us, and his family. Up in the balcony here. Pretty impressive. As a state, we have dawning s summits ahead and we need to get on top of the generational poverty, teen suicide, homelessness, addiction, and we need to be at the top of the nation in student achievement and align the training with marketplace demands. We need to keep the tax system balance and competitive while making it fairer and more inclusive and we need to see that the Economic Opportunities are expanding statewide. We need to continue to clean up our air. We need to reinvigorate principled federalism to apply utah solutions to utah challenges. Like greg paul, it may take year years and planning and preparation to reach the goal. And like greg, we may face seemingly insurmountable obstacles on the first and second attempts, but like greg, we need utah innovation and technology to enhance the natural capacity. But also like greg, we need to keep our eye focused on the lofty objective, and recognize when the momentary window of opportunity opens and then seize the day, and press on to the top. Personally, i am committed to this trek no matter how difficult the way. I am exhilarated with by the challenge, because i have never, ever been more optimistic about utahs prospects for success. And i invite all of you to join me in this effort. May god bless us as we together climb ever higher. And may God Bless America and may god continue to bless the great state of utah. Thank you so very much. [ applause ] here is what is coming up on cspan3. Up next, we will continue to show you this years state of the state addresses, and first, indiana, and a look at the situation in nebraska. La later it is wyomings state of the state speech. Today, the Bipartisan Heroin Task force is going to hold a hearing on opioids. It is led by cochair annie custer, a democrat from New Hampshire and new Jersey Republican tom mcarthur and focus on the treatments behind the opioids such as fentanyl. You can watch that here on cspan3. And we will be back with a series of votes and first up is the nominee betsy devos as lawmakers are going to continue to debate her nomination at noon eastern and final vote is scheduled tuesday. Nominations is Jeff Sessions for attorney general, and tom price for hhs secretary, and steven a mnuchin for treasury secretary, and they will continue to work on those throughout the week, and you can see them live on our companion network cspan 2. Tonight on the communicators, Consumer Technology Association President gary shapiro talks about the Major Technology issues facing congress and the administration. He also talks about the latest Innovative Products at the consumer show held in las vegas. He is interviewed by Michaela Ross of bloomberg. And the exhibitors there, everything is connect and the internet you could say is the overlay, but it is the benefit of being connect and the benefit of getting information and data and making our lives better and safer an increasing the Food Production and water, and the transportation and health care and so it is so many ways, and not just intentertainment, and gaming and videos and great sound. Watch the commune ta tters tonight on cspan 2. Indianas republican Governor Eric Holcomb addressed the joint legislature in indiana and he said that the state is sound, and highlighted five transformational policies that he called the five pillars strengthening the economy, maintaining the states roads and bridges and investing in the workforce and combatting the drug epidemic, and enhancing government work services. This is about a half hour
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