Transcripts For CSPAN Wisconsin State Of The State Address 20170206

At this time, it is my honor to introduce the governor of the great state of wisconsin, the honorable scott walker. [cheers and applause] mr. Walker thank you. Thank you. Speaker voss, speaker pro tempore august, president roth, assistant majority what leader, minority leader schilling, minority leader barka, Supreme Court justices, constitutional officers, tribal leaders, members of the cabinet, members of the legislature, distinguished guests and most importantly, fellow citizens of the state of wisconsin, it is my honor to appear before you today to report on the state of our great state. First, i would like to introduce the first lady of wisconsin, my wife, tonette. Cheers and applause] thank you for all that you do for the people of the state of wisconsin. Next to her, our sons, matt and alex. Were proud to have both of them here today. [applause] next to our family is the adjutant general of the Wisconsin National guard, Major General donald dunbar. [applause] on behalf of the citizens of this great state, i want to thank you and the more than 10,000 strong members of the isconsin National Guard. At the start of december, i had the opportunity to travel overseas to visit wisconsin troops in the National Guard, reserves and on active duty in places like kuwait, the united arab emirates, afghanistan and germany. Then at the end of last month, general dunbar and i traveled to Guantanamo Bay to visit members of the 32nd military police company, from the Wisconsin Army National Guard. I am so proud of the men and women from wisconsin. Please remember all, all of our Service Members in your prayers, now and in the fewer. [applause] i also want to thank the members of our National Guard for all that they do within our state. Northern r parts of wisconsin were paralyzed by severe storms and floods, roads and bridges washed out. Norther wisconsin were lives devastated by loss. We sent in the National Guard, en and acting quickly, they were on the ground working together with state, local agencies to help in the recovery. It was an amazing team effort. I joined the local residents from that area in thanking everyone who responded an helped in their time of need and helped in their time of need. [applause] to all of our men and women in uniform, we appreciate all that you do, here and abroad. On behalf of all of us, i want to say thank you to each and every one of you and your families. [applause] tonight i am happy to report that the state of our state is strong. [applause] more people are employed in wisconsin last year than at any point in the history of our great state. Unemployment levels are the lowest in more than 15 years, and the percentage of people working in wisconsin is one of the highest of any state in the country. [applause] we are working and winning for wisconsin. [applause] in the kenosha area, joshua, a former marine staff sergeant, was hired as a Maintenance Technician at culvert packaging. The company Just Announced in october it was relocating from illinois to kenosha, and plans to hire 100 employees this year. Over the past three years, 7,900 jobs have been created in this county alone, that borders the state of illinois. In addition to the 1 billion in Capital Investment and more than 9 1 2 million square feet of development. In the fox valley, amy was hirsched hired in the h. R. Department. She joins us here today. Along with their c. E. O. , mike vanderzanden. Thank you for joining us. [applause] now, amy specializes in recruitment and works with our Technical Colleges on youth apprenticeships. Ameriequip has invested more than 0 million into improvements for its facilities and the Company Recently doubled its welding capacity. These stories show the faces of record employment in the state, which begs the question, are we , you, me, us, are we better off than we were six years ago . The answer is a resounding yes. [applause] it may seem hard to believe now, but during the four years before we took Office Wisconsin had lost 133,000 jobs. And the Unemployment Rate peaked at 9. 2 . When we first took office, the biggest challenge in our state was helping to create more jobs. Today we have more than recovered the jobs that departed during the recession. Wages are up. More than 50,000 new businesses have been created. And Unemployment Rate, well, its down to 4. 1 . [applause] in fact, our biggest challenge is not creating jobs, but finding people to fill them. We went from a focus on jobs, jobs, jobs, to talking about work force, work force, work force. That will be my top priority for 2017, and beyond. [applause] during the past four years, we invested millions into work force development. This helps people like gary, ryan and jeff who are part of our wisconsin fast forward program. Today they work at catalyst, producing mechanical printing paper. These are just a few of the many people who were trained through the wisconsin fast forward Grant Program, and theyre here with us today. [applause] gavin, matthew, kaitlin and brianna are just a few of the students who got a head start in their career through youth apprenticeships, offered while theyre in high school. This program has more than double since we took office. Thanks to all of you for being here this afternoon. [applause] and madeline and graduated from our project search jordan graduated from our project Search Program here in wisconsin. Each of them is working and each of them are part of a program for people with disabilities that has a success rate of 88 . [applause] im proud that the number of project search sites has grown from two when we first took office to 18 today. And by this next school year, we will have 27 sites across the state. Mehdi and jordan, thank you for join maddie and jordan, thank you for joining us here today and for being a great inspiration. [applause] as you can see and hear, we are working and winning for wisconsin. In addition to a growing economy, im happy to note that our finances are stable. We finished the fiscal year yet again with a surplus. Our Rainy Day Fund is 165 times bigger now than it was when we took office. And wisconsin had the fourth lowest overall longterm debt obligation of any state in the country. [applause] getting our finances under control allows us to reduce the burden on the hardworking taxpayers. Im proud to report that since taking office, weve cut taxes by more than 4. 7 billion. [applause] that means accumulative income tax reduction of 1,159 for a typical family. We also cut property taxes. Since december of 2010, the cumulative reduction is 426 for a medium valued home. Remember this, in the decade before we took office, property taxes went up 27 . If that trend had continued, the difference is a savings of 1,700. Folks, thats a thats real money were talking about. [applause] property taxes as a percentage of our personal income in this state are the lowest that theyve been since the end of world war ii. Think about that. Since the end of world war ii. [applause] plus, heres another piece of really good news. Om 2010 to 2014, wisconsin outperformed 43 other states in reducing the overall tax burden. 43 other states. Remember, since taking office weve cut the tax burden by 4. 7 billion and were not done yet. Just as i promised when running for reelection, property and income taxes will be lower in 2018 than they were in 2010. [applause] thats great news for families like jeffs and patricias, who told me how surprised they were to see their property tax bills going down. Yes, we are working and winning for wisconsin. [applause] in addition to providing more tax relief, getting our finances in order allows us to focus on other priorities. For example, we invested more than 18 billion into transportation over the past six years. Put that into perspective, thats about 2 billion more than my predecessor put into transportation during the previous six years. We also invested more than 14 billion into programs to help needy families, children and seniors over the past six years. Our reforms allowed us to cover everyone living in poverty under medicaid. No other wisconsin governor has been able to make that claim. In fact, we rank as one of the best states in the nation for Health Insurance coverage. And eastbound though we did not take even though we did not take the obamacare Medicaid Expansion, we actually outrank 21 of the states who did and every one of the 22 other states that did not. Cheers and applause] a few years ago, some argued that we should take the obamacare Medicaid Expansion money. In turn, i warned that it would come back to hurt wisconsin taxpayers. What happened in minnesota this past year suggests we were right. Late last year, Health Insurance premiums there increased by as much as 67 . The governor of minnesota declared the Affordable Care act is no longer affordable. Just last week, he actually called the called on the legislature to spend 313 million to buy down Health Insurance premiums, putting minnesota taxpayers on the hook. In contrast, we have a surplus in medicaid. While covering everyone living in poverty. All without putting the taxpayers at risk through a state exchange or by taking the obamacare Medicaid Expansion. We are working and winning for wisconsin. [applause] this also allows us to do more to help our students prepare for college and careers. You see, it is a moral imperative that every child have access to a great education. But the also an demick imperative. As we need economic imperative, as we need to grow the work force here in wisconsin. We invested more resources this past year into college and Career Readiness initiatives, including dual enrollment, fab labs and youth apprenticeships. The state started providing funding for School Districts to do academic and career plans as early as sixth grade. We want a every child to prepare a path to a career that is right for them. Across the state, our students are doing well. We just started including everyone in the a. C. T. Test. And wisconsin is one of the best states in the country in that category. Students here also have some of the best Graduation Rates in the nation. Op on on top of that, more than 90 of the School Districts in the state meet or exceed expectations, according to the report cards. One of those districts is even ina. Today we are joined neenah. Today we are joined by students and teachers from neenah. [applause] and families, particularly lowincome families, all across the state now have more quality choices in education. For many, like my family, it will be a traditional Public School. For others, it will be a choice or a charter school. Some will choose a virtual school. While others prefer to home school their children. Whatever the option when it comes to making the right choice for their daughters and sons, i trust parents. [applause] many of the areas of new investment in our schools are giving students a jumpstart in their careers. Our initiatives are helping many students get through college sooner and into the work force. Earning College Credits in high school also helps reduce the cost of higher education. In addition to reducing the time needed to receive a degree, we need to focus on the price of going to college in the first place. For the past four years, we froze undergraduate instate tuition for students at all, at all university of wisconsin campuses. [applause] a typical student saves more than 6,300 over four years when compared to the trend before the freeze. Tonete and i still have a son at the university of wisconsin and we appreciate the freeze, just like families do all across the state. During the decade before our freeze, tuition went up 118 . Ironically, some of the people who were around when the u. W. Tuition went up by more than 8 on average each year now want the state to create a new government bureaucracy to refinance student loans. But heresed good news heres the good news. We found a better way to help people with high debt. Our administration worked with wisconsins very own Financial Institutions to promote reFinancing Options available to those with student loan debt. Wisconsin Credit Unions and banks offer refinancing at rates that are the same or better than what is offered by many governmentsupported programs in other states. I encourage anyone, anyone whos dealing with student loan debt, to visit lookforwardwi. Com thats lookforwardwi. Gov to figure out what free Financing Options are available in your area. We also provided the greatest amount of needbased Financial Aid in wisconsin history. [applause] were making college more affordable. And at the same time the university of wisconsin is thriving. The u. W. System had the largest overall budget in history this year. U. S. News and world report moved the ranking of uwmadison up on their list of the best public colleges in the country. They also gave positive mention that 10 other u. W. Colleges. In addition, we invested more into the Wisconsin Technical College system. Our blueprint for prosperity plan opened 5,000 more slots for students in high demand areas. And this past spring, we expanded the wisconsin Grant Program. Our Technical Colleges continue to be a superoption for so many students looking for a rewarding career. We are working and winning for wisconsin. [applause] last year i spoke about plans to travel the state. As part of a longterm planning process called 2020 vision. Throughout the past year i held listening sessions in every county to hear about where we would like the state to be in the next 20 years. From students to retirees, i heard from a diverse mix of people. Teachers, Small Business owners, farmers, factory workers, law enforcement, veterans, Technical College staff, local officials, community activists, health care professionals, nonprofit leaders, clergy, parents, union leaders, loggers, tourism directors, we have a Cross Section of different agents, backgrounds, professions and, yes, political beliefs. On top of that, were connecting in other ways too. For example, we will host another Facebook Live session next tuesday, january 17, at 4 00 p. M. Feel free to join us at facebook. Com governorscottwalke r. Or follow us on twitter govwalker. Several major issues came out of our listening sessions across the state. Student success, Accountable Government and rewarding work with consistent themes. These are the areas well talk about today and these will be the focus of our next state budget. As promised, we will increase funding for public education. I love Public Schools. Both of my sons [applause] both of my sons graduated from Public Schools in the city of wauwatosa. I graduated from a Public School in dull van. And my nieces are attending Public Schools today, well, its about time theyre out, so theyre probably out of Public School right now. But i want strong Public Schools. In fact, i want Great Schools for every student in the state. Our budget will include a significant increase for Public Schools. S will also help rural school that have unique challenges. Such as transportation costs, Broadband Access and declining enrollment. [applause] College Affordability was also a major issue at our listening sessions. But it wasnt just students who raised it as a concern. As theyre concerned about the cost of higher education. It was parents, grandparents, educators and many others. Thats why im pleased to announce that our 2017 through 2019 state budget will do more than just freeze tuition. We will actually cut, thats right, cut tuition for all wisconsin undergraduates throughout the u. W. System. [applause] thats right. Were working and winning for wisconsin. In addition to student success, we heard people say they want a government that is accountable to the taxpayers. Overall, many of our listening sessions, many of the people at our listening sessions took pride in the fact that were selfreliant here in wisconsin. With this in mind, well continue our efforts to streamline government, to make it more effective, more efficient and more accountable to the people. Access to highspeed and Reliable Internet Service is something we heard about at nearly every listening session. Therefore im proposing the state invest 35. 5 million more to expand our Broadband Access Grant Program and for our efforts to help upgrade technology and train teachers from small and rural School Districts. [applause] this will bring our total investment to 52 million. You know, the great thing about the Broadband Expansion Program is that once the High Speed Network is in, the rest is up to the local telecommunication provider. Theres no need for a permanent government program. My mother was born and raised on a farm. For her parents generation, electricity changed the way we farm in america. Access to broadband is like that today in rural parts of our state. This afternoon i call on you, the members of the wisconsin legislature, to pass our plan as soon as possible, to help connect everyone, everyone in the state. [applause] good internet and cellular connections are important for a strong economy. Quality of life. So is a solid Transportation System. As i stated earlier, we invested more than 18 billion into our state Transportation System over the past six years. Thats about 2 billion more than the Previous Administration did. Between the same time period. In fact, the Previous Administration and legislature actually raided 1. 4 billion from the state transportation fund. We reversed that trend and restored a commitment to a strong Transportation System in the state. [applause] safety and maintenance of our existing system is a priority. Last year alone there were more than 300 Road Construction projects going on in the state. You probably drove through one of them. Looking ahead, well provide local governments with the largest increase in transportation aids since the 1990s. [applause] that includes an investment of 25 more over the last budget alone in the local road improvement program. 65 million more in local road aids and the largest increase in the local Bridge Improvement Program in over 20 years. Local governments can use these funds to fix roads and bridges and pot holes all throughout their communities. We also provide more money for state highway rehabilitation than ever before. To meet our commitment to safety and maintenance of the existing system. Altogether, the budget will propose roped proposed represents a 35 increase in maintenance and safety over my predecessors last transportation budget. We can do all this and more without raising the gas tax or the vehicle registration fee. [applause] i will keep my promise that i made to the voters in the last election. Whether you agree with me or not, i hope you can respect that ill keep my word. I believe firmly that we were not sent here by the people of wisconsin to raise taxes. Those that are listening at our listening sessions told us they wanted to us keep the tax burden doil down, while finding unique ways to [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] committee on filing under the rule. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title. The clerk resolution providing for krgs of the joint resolution, house joint resolution 44, disapproving the