Holcomb gives the state of the state address in indianapolis, outlining his legislative priorities for the new session which include increasing funding for education, jobs and infrastructure and roads and improving the health care of that state. [ applause ] process [ applause ] [ applause ] [ applause ] mr. Speaker, mr. President , madam chief justice, Lieutenant Governor, members of the General Assembly, my fellow hoosiers. Its indeed an honor to stand before you to discuss the state of our state and the work that were all going to do to make life better for all hoosiers. And im going to get right to the point. Thanks to the energy, ingenuity and hard work of hoosiers all over our state, the state of our state is stronger than ever. [ applause ] the economic numbers are compelling. Since i first took this body glum 2017, our Unemployment Rate has dropped to 3. 2 , a 19year low, lower than the National Average and lower than every state we touch. [ applause ] weve set alltime records in job commitments and capital investment. In fact, there are an additional 88,000 jobs in the iedcs pipeline because of the work thats occurred over the last three years and its not just the quantity of, its the quality. Last years job commitments averaged more than 28 an hour, another alltime high. [ applause ] and were pressing on. Im pleased to announce tonight that Fiat Chrysler has chosen indiana for diversification and will invest nearly 400 million in its kokomo facility. Brad clark, Vice President of powertlan manufacturing for fiatchrysler and uab region 2 director rich rankin are both with us tonight. And later this week, i look forward to going down to princeton for another special toyota announcement. Congratulation, gentlemen, and thank you for choosing indiana. Thank you. [ applause ] our Strong Economy didnt just happen. We did it the oldfashioned way, we earned it. Throughout our time together, weve operated within an honestly balanced budget and protected our aaa credit rating. We set aside 2. 3 billion in our states savings account which is in stark contrast to our neighbors. Others have notices, too. In 2019, we ranked first in the midwest and top five in the nation for business. Number one for structure. Top two in the nation for longterm fiscal stability. A recent editorial in the Chicago Tribune put it this way, they said what does indiana offer that illinois doesnt . Lower taxes. More stable home values, balanced state budgets and funded pension systems. No wonder 36,000 people moved to our state last year, and indianas welcome mat is out for everyone that wants to join us. [ applause ] but ive always believed that records are made to be broken. And races are meant not just to be run, but won. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, as you just heard, we have with us two of the winningest men in all of sports. The new owner of our most globally recognized icon, the n indianapolis motor speedway, roger penske, and the president of penske racing, a local boy who proved with a lot of hard work, indiana dreams do come true, my life long pal, tim cindric. Gentlemen, would you please stand up so we can fully express our hoosier hospitality. [ applause ] we look forward to many more checkered flags in our future. My friends just like on the track, i have no intention of slowing down. It was the great philosopher Indiana Jones who said, to be a good archaeologist, you got to get out of the library. Well, thats exactly what weve been doing. Canvassing the country and the world, attracting talent and business to indiana. Last october, i met with Prime Minister modi of india, the Worlds Largest democracy. Population 1. 4 billion people. We talked about our mutual interests in agriculture and sports and wellness. And after that meeting he tweeted out how pleased, his word was gladdened, to his 50 million followers. Im convinced that because of relationships like this, our collaboration will yield more growth for both. Thats exactly why commercial secretary Jim Schellinger recently announced we will host the first indiana Global Economic summit here in april. Not only will we bring together local Economic Development partners, but well also assemble diplomats and decisionmakers from around the world to discuss topics like cyber security, the future of mobility, and Energy Storage solutions. In addition, ive set a goal to triple our federal defense investment in our state and i tasked secretary schellinger, his defense guru clif toolley and Brigadier General dale lyles at the National Guard to parter in with military, with crane, u muscatatuck and atorbury, no state is better positioned to develop the future of radar, sonar, hypersonics and Drone Technology in our state. [ applause ] now, a booming economy requires a strong infrastructure. And our growth has enabled us to make unprecedented investments into building one indiana border to border. Were completing i69 from evansville to indy, three years early. And were making u. S. 31 stoplightfree all the way up to south bend. But better roads has to mean safer roads. Thats wee we join 21 states that have already passed a handsfree device driving law. Distracted driving increases the risk of a crash by 3 1 2 times and it is a leading killer of teenagers in our country. This is unacceptable and avoidable. Last august, tina and lor i n smith were riding motor cycles in a fundraiser. And they pulled off the side of the road to check their mileage and they were sideswiped by a minivan who was looking at her cell phone while driving. Both 19 and lorin lost a leg in that accident. Rather than ask why me, they immediately asked themselves how they could be part of a solution. And they became advocates from that day on for reducing distracted driving ever since. Tina and lorin, we hear you, and were honored that you join us tonight. [ applause ] now being the crossroads of america means more than just building roads. Thats why were cleaning up our highways, having picked up nearly 16 Million Pounds of litter just last year. And were blazing the most trailfriendly state in the nation, connecting thousands of unserved homes and businesses to high Speed Internet service, adding more nonstop flights, transforming northwest indiana with two rail projects totaling well over a billion dollars. Were finishing our Due Diligence on a fourth water port in lawrenceburg, and facilitating the investment of 436 million in 20 communities to improve local Community Water infrastructure, just part what cities all over the state are already doing to enhance their water systems. Furthermore, indiana has the cleanest air and water since the clean air water acts passed in the 1970s. And we now have four times more timberland acreage than we did 100 years ago. [ applause ] recently, i learned that the Central Indiana land trust has admitted to planting one Million Trees throughout indiana to buffer some of our most iconic natural areas. Im proud to announce tonight that ive directed the department of revenue and resources to plant another Million Trees on top of that over the next five years. [ applause ] that extra timberland will perfect perfectly complement our 100 million renovation of our incredible memorymaking state parks. [ applause ] theres another project thats especially near and dear to my heart. Last session, we exempted military pensions from state income taxes. Thank you. [ applause ] and tonight, im delighted that in the spring, we will open the first facility in the country to bring together everything our veterans need, from the va to the dav, the indiana veterans initiative, vfw and the American Legion all under one roof. Thank you for helping make that happen. [ applause ] for all were doing to make indiana stronger, the most important investment we can make is in our most important assess, our people. Whether its making sure every child has access to a quality education, or creating tools like the icc phone app that shows where 92,000 open jobs are right now, on your phone, everything we do is aimed at ensuring every hoosier can take the greatest advantage of their talents and their drive and their aspirations. [ applause ] this, of course, starts with a good education. And that means Great Schools filled with great teachers. I know a little bit about this. My mother was a teacher, and i saw how hard she worked. Teaching to her was not a job, but more like a calling. Id go so far as to say a gift. And from the many conversations ive had with teachers all across our state, i know they feel exactly the same way. Thats why i created the Teacher Compensation Commission and asked them for once and for all come up with a sustainable plan to make sure our teacher salaries are competitive with other midwestern states. Their report [ applause ] their report is due this spring, but we did not wait. Last year, we devoted an unprecedented increase of 763 million new dollars to k through 12 education. [ applause ] including paying down 150 million in the teacher retirement fund, which freed up 65 million more a year for teacher pay increases. [ applause ] now, all of our School Corporations have finalized their locally bargained contracts. And more Indiana School districts have raised teacher salaries this year than in any other year in recent history. Tonight, i am recommending that in the next budget, the General Assembly uses an additional 250 million from our surplus and put it toward teacher retirement funds. In turn, 50 million a year will be generated to redirect to teacher pay. [ applause ] together, thats 115 million more, 115 million more available annually, year after year, to increase teacher pay with more to come from the Teacher Compensation Commission when they release their recommendation. [ applause ] and this year, weve already been at work with this. Well also work the k through 12 community to eliminate Unfunded Mandates and unnecessary paperwork. Well make optional requirements that teachers earn careerrelated professional growth points. Well see to it that last years ilearn proficiency test scores dont adversely affect evaluations or School Letter grades. Well make sure that every school in the state, every school in the state, has a relationship with a Mental Health provider, and well financially support educators who are working on the requirements to teach dual credit courses come 2022. [ applause ] now, our efforts to provide career opportunities, obviously, do not stop or end at the classroom door. As ive said from day one, hoosiers can outcompete anyone, anywhere, any day. But the vast majority of todays jobs require an education and training beyond high school. Thats why our goal that 60 of all hoosier adults have a Postsecondary Education and training remains critical to our collective success. This is the real gamechanger to addressing income inequality. Upward social mobility and driving true and deep economic growth. Thankfully, there are multiple paths for success. It might be a two year or a fouryear degree, or it might be a highvalue credential or certificate. The good news is the number of hoosiers with Higher Education has increased by ten Percentage Points since 2008, so, we are moving in the right direction. And at the same time, were doubling down with some homegrown training programs. In indiana, when the job seeker puts in the time to train, the state is going to pay for it. The facts are in. Over the past three years, more than 23,000 hoosiers enrolled in our workforce ready programs. And as the start of this year has unfolded, 10,000 of them have completed a next level jobs workforce readyeligible certificate program. [ applause ] this is a mega milestone for this program. Another 2,000 hoosiers who previously started college and then quit have come back and completed their Postsecondary Educations. And more than 900 businesses, 900, have trained their employees using our employer training grants, providing training for more than 9,000 hoosiers. Their workforce and our states workforce. This is huge progress, and we were not going to overlook anyone who is aspiring to be successful. [ applause ] what im talking about is including hoosierses with disabilities, who seek to live and work in a safe, affordable and accessible environment. I join and commend my partner Lieutenant Governor crouch who is spearheading efforts to make that dream a reality for 100,000 hoosiers with an intellectual or developmental disability. [ applause ] weve also dedicated resources to those who need a second chance. You know this is a passion of mine. And a lot of yours. I challenged our department of correction to graduate 1,000 inmates annually in certified programs that lead to good jobs when they get out, both to boost our economy for sure, but also because theyre less likely to return to prison. Im happy to report that as of today, the d. O. C. Has graduated more than 3,000 inmates in just two years. [ applause ] im especially encouraged by the number of employers who are stepping forward, to offer Second Chances to returning citizens. Among them is grote industries, a Family Business in madison that designs and manufactures Lighting Systems for vehicles. The company needed skilled manufacturing employees, and the d. O. C. Connected them with offenders who had received that exact training while at the madison womens prison. Grote hired its first worker from the program a year ago and now they have five. One is Amber Campbell who spent more than five years in prison but got certified in manufacturing safety, production and maintenance. She joined grote in april last year and has already earned a promotion to team leader. [ applause ] she says her training, and i quote her, gave me the confidence that i can do anything as long as i work for it. [ applause ] im proud. For ceo Dominic Grote its a winwin. Along with amber, he has another employee getting a degree, to get a better job at grote and he has two others pursuing degrees at ivy tech in hopes of becoming engineers and do that minnick hopes that they stay with the company. Amber, on behalf of our state, we thank you for your hard work, and dominik, we thank you for giving her that shot. [ applause ] because of these new programs and most importantly, tuners, our state recidivism rate has gone down 4 . But in the yeah, thats worth recognizing. [ applause ] thats real money. But in the spirit of always improving, i have a new challenge for commissioner carter at the d. O. C. By 2022, i want 500 returning citizens annually to have validated Job Opportunities waiting for them before they walk outside that gate. [ applause ] and 3,000 more formerly incarcerated individuals to have jobs within five months after their release. Thats why ive proposed to redesign the way that we provide education credit to inmates so that they have more incentive to holistically engage in Addiction Recovery treatment, Mental Health management and vocational development. So they can reenter our communities as engaged neighbors, forever removed from the criminal justice system. [ applause ] and finally, were determined to improve the health of our citizens, which means tackling some of the most toughest individual personal challenges out there. Weve taken many steps to attack the opioid epidemic, including restricting the number of prescriptions and increasing the outpatient addiction treatment. And the trend is finally improving. In 2018, opioid prescriptions drops 12 , faster than the National Average, and most importantly, deaths from drug overdoses went down 13 , twice the national decline. [ applause ] we also need to do more to reduce another kied ond of addiction. We know that 95 of smokers start the habit before age 21. And theres been an alarming rise in ecigarette use among indianas youth. In addition to raising the age to 21, well seek to increase the penalties for folks who sell tobacco and vaping products to underaged buyers. Our message hasnt changed that if you peddle illegal substance to our kids, were coming after you. [ applause ] were also coming after High Health Care costs. Thats why well establish in a database as a first step to improve information about hospital pricing and insurance reimbursement giving hoosiers more transparency to make better choices for themselves. Well also require that providers give good faith cost estimates, five days before the care is provided. And well report innetwork facilities to ensure their patients receive care at the network cost. Because when youre injured or ill, the last thing you need is a surprise when you get your medical bill. [ applause ] i also want to report on the progress weve made at the department of child services. In 2018, i tasked director Terry Stigdon to right the ship and shes done just that, undertaking a total culture change, focused on supporting the frontline staff who work directly with children. The result is a much more stable workforce. The turnover rate of family cas