Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you yall very much. Thank you very much. Thank you for the kind introduction, mr. Speaker. Lieutenant governor duncan, speaker ralston, mayor bottoms, governor and mrs. Deel, president pro tem miller, speaker pro tem jones and members of the general assembly. Constitutional officers, member, of the judiciary, members of the consular core, and my former georgians. During my first state of the state speech, i talked about a wise builder who put his house on a shore foundation. The rain and the winds came, the floodwaters ros s rose, but the stood firm. I tip my hat to governor deal and those lawmakers before me. Those who poured the concrete and laid the footers. Hard working georgians who left this place better than they found one year ago i urged those in this room, in this historic space, to join me in building a safer, stronger, and more prosperous state. A state where Small Businesses are empowered to grow, invest, and thrive, where government is responsive and effective. A state where health care is affordable, accessible, and where the rights of the unborn are protected. I ask lawmakers, both republicans and democrats, to join me in the fight for georgias future, to crack down on gangs and sex trafficking, to invest in education and our educators. To stand up for our values and those we value. To put politics and partisanship behind us and unite for the greater good. Over the last 12 months, we have realized incredible success and endured hardships. We have seen the fruits of our labor and we have seen the power of gods providence. In 2019, we stood together on the construction site, building on a sure foundation. Im proud of what we accomplished. But theres still more work to be done. As your governor, i have been honored to travel this great state. And everywhere i go, i start out by saying the same thing. It is a great time to be a georgian. Wouldnt you agree. [ applause ] right now, our Unemployment Rate is 3. 3 . Thats the lowest in our states history. We have a Record Number of hardworking georgians in the workforce. Our state is the number one place for business, for the seventh year in a row. During the last 12 months, since i addressed this joint session, we have added over 64,000 private sector jobs. The 371 Economic Development projects announced by the state in 2019, 79 of them were outside of atlanta. In communities like cairo, cartersville, and commerce, creating Economic Opportunity no matter what your zip code. The state of the state is strong and folks, we are just getting started. [ applause ] i was raised to work hard. And i know that my mom, who is in the audience today, remembers driving me around with a push mower in the trunk of her red buick lesabre. That we nicknamed the reddog. I had a bunch of odd jobs growing up. But construction is the one that stuck. Theres something about the process that drew me in. Every step is important. Every moment matters. I started with a pickup truck and a shovel, digging ditches, pouring concrete, and hammering nails. Over the years ive built homes, apartments, light commercial, multiuse. I volunteered on habitat houses, re mmodelled the Wright Center athens. Ill be honest, under this gold dome we have framed the house with strong georgiagrown lumber, cut in a local sawmill and brought to the job site. In year two, its time to set our sights on the sheetrock, the siding, and the bricks. Each side of the structure will protect those inside by providing an environment ripe for learning, opportunity, and growth. Every window looks to the future. A door that welcomes those in need and those who want help. While republicans and democrats disagree often, we all know the value of a good education. We know the impact that a teacher can have on a student. We know that learning has the power to lift people out of poverty and help many realize their full godgiven potential. As we move forward as a state, we must reaffirm our commitment to georgias schools, trust parents to make decisions in the best interests of their children, support our superintendents, teachers, counsellors, and specialists, as they work to educate and inspire the next generation. I want to applaud governor diehl and first lady sandra diehl who are in the gallery today for fully funding Quality Basic Education and for investing in Early Learning for georgias students. Thank you both. [ applause ] i also want to thank this lur legislature for working together to champion education. Together we fully funded qbe for the second year in a row. We provided over 69 million for School Security grants for all 2,314 schools. We increased funding for Mental Health services in our high schools. And we gave teachers a long overdue and historic pay raise. [ applause ] i am so proud of our teachers and School Leaders for what they do on a daily basis. And while we spend a lot of time honoring athletes and elected officials, these are the Public Servants who really deserve the credit. Joining us in the gallery today are two hardworking oo oor hard working georgians. [ applause ] we also have ms. Tracy pendley of atlanta Public Schools who is our 2020 georgia teacher of the year. Let us thank her as well. [ applause ] to truly honor their service, we have some work to do in the days ahead. Lets fully Fund Public School education for a third year in a row, accounting for growth and resources needed to properly educate. Lets dismantle the recommend unanimous of common core, reduce the number of tests, and give teachers the opportunity to do what they do best, teach. [ applause ] and finally, lets give our educators another welldeserved pay raise. [ applause ] in my budget, i have included a 2,000 pay raise for all Public School educators. This raise will continue to enhance retention rates, boost recruitment numbers and improve educational outcomes in schools throughout georgia. By investing in education, we can build a strong house, a place where everyone learns and all georgians have the opportunity to thrive. [ applause ] as a farther of three, i know that a healthy home is a happy home. The same is true in our state. And while we are the hub for job creation and business growth, we also live in a state where many hardworking georgians cant access Quality Health care. Premiums are too high and many families have to compromise coverage because of the cost. Empowered by the patients first act, we crafted a georgiacentric Health Care Solution to Lower Health Care cost, reduce insurance premiums, enhance access to top notch care, and ultimately improve Health Outcomes for georgia families. For nine months, we developed two unique and Innovative Health care programs that meet the needs of hard working georgians. Keep our budget balanced and reflect on our values and vision as a state. These proposals, georgia access and georgia pathways, shake up the status quo and put patients first ahead of the special interests. While these reforms will provide a new pathway for 408,000 georgians to access affordable care, lower insurance premiums for millions more, this is only the beginning. We have friends and neighbors who need our help. So we must keep at it. Right now there are countless families who just received a surprise medical bill in the mail. A specialist who is out of network, a procedure that wasnt approved, covered, nights in the hospital that didnt meet the requirements. We have hardworking georgians who by no fault of their own are on brink of bankruptcy because theres no transparency in health care billing. Families are living on a prayer because the system is rigged against them. This year, we will implement long overdue reforms that put our Families First, working with patients, providers, and the private sector. Well craft legislative remedies to reduce surprise medical billing. We will demand [ applause ] we will demand transparency, embrace empathy, and insist on fairness. We will take care of each other in sickness and in health. Now, i know that reform, especially in health care, is daunting. And while the road ahead is long, there are plenty of men and women who have gone before us. Bold leaders and Public Servants who blazed a trail and set a standard for countless georgians to follow. One of these people is senator Johnny Isakson. [ applause ] a pioneer of the Georgia Republican party, Johnny Isakson is a man of character and incredible determination. He served under this gold dome in the georgia public assembly, chaired the state board of education, and went on to represent georgias sixth Congressional District in the u. S. Capitol. And for 15 years Johnny Isakson was our u. S. Senator. He is a gentleman, a statesman, and a true patriot. [ applause ] like you, i was incredibly saddened when johnny announced that he had parkinsons disease. And again when he called to announce his retirement from the u. S. Senate. While im confident that Kelly Loeffler will do an incredible job representing our state and our best interests, we are truly losing a giant in washington. Ive heard it said that words matter but actions mean more. Thats why today i want to take another step in honoring Johnny Isaksons service. Right now, over 20,000 georgians are living with parkinsons disease, with new patients diagnosed every single day. And while treatable, parkinsons disease has no cure. I dont know about you all, but i want to change that. Thanks to the leadership of president jerry moorhead, we are creating a Johnny Isakson professorship for Parkinsons Research at the university of georgia. [ applause ] once recruited, this ph. D. Researcher will develop better treatments for patients like johnny, better medication, and a better quality of life. Through this partnership, we will use technology and innovation to break new ground with the grit and the resolve of Johnny Isakson. We will move one step closer to a cure. Our house here in georgia will be a healthy one with a big framed photo of johnny right there on the wall. Our children and our grandchildren will walk past and ask about the statesman picture. His story is georgias story. His legacy will live on for generations to come. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me again welcome and thank this great man for his Great Service to our state. Senator Johnny Isakson. [ applause ] while georgia is experiencing historic growth, we have a statewide threat that undermines our safety and our future. Criminal street gangs continue to grow in size and scope, impacting every county and every part of our state. These organized crime units are flooding our streets with weapons, violence, and fear. They are ripping apart the fabric of our communities. They are eroding the foundations of our families. This year, with your help, we launched the Antigang Task Force at the Georgia Bureau of investigation. Under the bold leadership of director vic reynolds, we are partnering with local Law Enforcement and prosecutors to stop and dismantle gangs throughout georgia. We are providing the resources and training needed to put these dangerous criminals behind bars. We are working around the clock to keep our neighborhoods safe. While georgia already has tough gang statutes on the books, theres more that we can do to stop violence from taking over our state. Theres more that we can do to prevent another innocent person from being shot, another Law Enforcement officer being killed. And while some in the media refuse to acknowledge the gang crisis, i dont have the convince deborah ryder. A decade ago, deborahs son nicholas was sleeping in his room when gunshots rang out and ripped through the walls. A driveby shooting organized by a local gang left nicholas dead at the age of 10. Deborah, we are sorry for your loss. And while we cant bring nicholas back, we Will Champion tough antigang legislation in his honor. Thank you for being with us. [ applause ] this session, we will empower Law Enforcement and prosecutors so these people will get the justice that they deserve. We will work around the clock to prevent this tragedy from happening to another family, another nicholas in our state. We will do our part to make this right. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me thank deborah again for her service and her relentless commitment to honoring her sons life. Thank you for being with us today. [ applause ] gangs and drug cartels are fueling another Public Safety crisis. Every day, hundreds of people are bought and sold for sex in our state. Traffickers use atlanta as a hub, trading human life like its a commodity. Shortly after taking office, we created the Grace Commission to help coordinate efforts and to end modern day slavery in our state. Earned the leadership of our first lady, marty kim, the Grace Commission has worked to raise utterance. They have partnered with elected officials to fight human trafficking. They have traveled the state to sound the alarm and urge action. During this time, marty has met some incredible, inspirational georgians who devoted their lives to help others. Today in the gallery were honored to have katie, shameika, and nicki. Sadly, these women have something in common. They were trafficked as kids, robbed of their innocence and childhood, forced to see and experience things that we cannot imagine. But these women are survivors. Theyre fighters. And theyre powerful advocates who are working to turn georgia into a safe haven for those who have no voice, who exist in the shadows and who need an ally to shine a light into the darkness. Members of the house and senate, we are asking once again for your help to win this fight against human trafficking. We must advance legislation this session that closes loopholes that leave children vulnerable to exploitation. We must help victims tell their story in the courtroom, without the fear of retaliation. We must support survivors who want to enter the workforce but still bear the scars of the past. The house we are building will be safe and secure. And we will not stop working until it is. I hope you will join me in applauding the bravery of those that are with us in the gallery today. [ applause ] i also hope youll join me in thanking our first lady, our daughters, as well as the members of the Grace Commission. If you all will stand. Thank you so much for raising awareness. The state and the country are taking notice. [ applause ] we are a blessed people. Americans who proudly live in our nations greatest state. But what makes us great is not just what we produce on the farm or in the factory. We are great because of who we respect and what we value. During the debate on the heartbeat bill, i would always start by saying a simple statement. Georgia is a state that values life. Honestly, its hard to disagree with that. We live in a place where every person matters. Young or old, rich or poor, any race, from any place. As a prolife governor, i believe we need to protect the unborn and the born. We have to [ applause ] we have to defend those in the womb and then champion those when they leave the delivery room. Its incredibly sad how many children are abandoned in our hospitals. Hundreds every year, living, breathing babies, discarded, forgotten, innocent and full of potential, now wards of the state. Over the years the general seminary and governor diehl have made incredible progress in updating our adoption laws in georgia. Its now time to build on those efforts. First, we will triple the adoption tax credit from 2,000 to 6,000 to help offset the incredible cost of adoption. [ applause ] we will lower the adoption age from 25 to 21 so more qualified georgians can adopt and more children can be placed. [ applause ] finally, we will launch the Families First commission so we can begin to change the way our States Foster care system operates and serves the most vulnerable among us. Our goal is simple keep our kids safe to encourage adoption and to ensure every Young Georgian no matter where they live, has the opportunity to live in a safe, happy, loving home. [ applause ] in closing, i want to tell you another bible story about a builder. A man from the Old Testament who took on a massive construction project. You see, he learned his hometown was in ruins. The city gate was destroyed. And the people were in turmoil. With a blessing from the king, nehemiah traveled back and started building. He shook up the status quo. He brought hope to a hopeless place. There were distractions along the way. Those who wanted to slow his progress. Some who wanted nehemiah and his building project to fail. But he had a calling, a clear desire, a goal to build, restore, and revive. When opposition came calling, he always delivered the same message. There was pressure but any imne responded, i am doing a great work and cant come down. He refused to least job site until the project was done. He refused to let division divide his attention from the task at hand. Like nehemiah, we are doing a great work right here in georgia. We have a construction project that demands our attention. We have a people who are counting on us to get the job done. So lets put the politics aside and build a state where we invest in education. Lets build a state where we Lower Health Care costs and improve access for patients. Lets shake up the status quo and build a state thats safe, where gangs and sex traffickers want to leave and families want to stay. Lets [ applause ] lets live out our values and build a state that gives all georgians the opportunity to live, grow, and prosper. A house where all are free to realize their full godgiven potential. Its 2020, folks. This is a year for building. Pick up a hammer and keep working until the project is complete. Because remember, we are doing a great work and we cant stop chopping. Thank you, may god bless you, and may god bless this great state that we are honored to live in. Thank you very much. [ applause ] well return to our coverage of the annual state of the state speeches in a moment with wyoming governor mark gordon followed by kansas governor laura kellys state of the state address in topeka. Then we turn to a service for public televisions jim lehrer, a regular moderator in the president ial debates and longtime anchor of the news hour. The medal of honor at iwo jima consumes the medals of honor used in the war. When you consider those staring numbers, aside from the casualties, its amazing, the ferocity of the fight and just the absolute heroism. And these are the stories that we know about. The stories that we dont know, the things that happened that remain between those marines, the eyewitnesses, theres probably 27 more medals of honor that we just dont know about. For the marines that did see the flag raised, for the sailors that were out at sea, it was symbolic in that the fight has just begun. Its going to continue together as a team, as a nation. This island can be achieved. Unceremoniously in some ways, it became almost a calling charge, if you will. It was something that motivated the marines and continued to resonate in their minds as they push on for another month. Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the battle of iwo jima during world war ii. It lasted 36 days with 36,000 american casualties. Learn more tonight at 8 00 eastern as we take you to the National Museum of the marine corps in quantico, virginia, part of our museum week here on cspan3 as we feature American History tv programs each night as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan3. Watch American History tv and check out museum week at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, part of American History tv here on cspan3. Next, the state of the state address from wyoming governor mark gordon. Hes a first term governor who was elected in 2018 after serving six years as state treasurer. From the State Capitol in cheyenne, this is just under an hour. [ applause ] thank you. Its amazing to be here. Thank you so much
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