Transcripts For CSPAN3 Rhode Island State Of The State Addre

Good evening. Good evening. Thank you and good evening. [ applause ] thank you and good evening. Good evening rhode island. Mr. Speaker and Senate President , members of the house and the senate. Members of the judiciary to my cabinet and my wonderful family. Thank you for being here tonight. And my fellow Rhode Islanders. Tonight i stand with all of you filled with optimism for our future. We work hard together digging our way out of the deep economic hole. And now we are prepared for Rhode Islanders for success in a fast changing economy. Right now in rhode island. We have more than half a million jobs in our state. Thats more jobs than we ever have in our states history. [ applause ] our unemployment is the lowest it has been in three decades now i want you to think about that. That means that our economy is as strong today as it has been in a generation. Whats going on . We know it has not always been that way. Actually just a few years ago, it was not that way. Whats different . Whats changed . Whats changed is we put aside the old way of doing business and we are working together never before to tackle our biggest challenges. Because of that, because we have come together to collaborate and embrace change. My fellow Rhode Islanders, tour state is strong. And now the work we have to do, now what we have to do is make sure that momentum last. Make sure this strong economic momentum last into the future. It means we have to embrace innovation in all that we do from the jobs that we are bringing here to the way we run government. Our new approach, our new approach working together is a proven success. A few years ago of the setbacks, we decide to deepen our commitment to the black stone valley. It is beginning to pay off. A few months ago we cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing Training Facility at Davies High School in lincoln. We are finally billing the nantucket central fall train station. In a few weeks ago, we announce the biggest Economic Development project ever in the history of nantucket. [ applause ] it is a project thats going to bring a professional soccer team and a new stadium, thousands of jobs and revitalized downtown. For years the land that we made available when we move 195 just sat there as a vacant lot. Today on that land, we have a vibrant innovation center. A physical symbol of our economic future. We made it easy to do business in rhode island. Cutting thousands of pages of regulations and provide over 120 loans to Small Businesses. And over half of those loans are to women of minority owning businesses. That did not exist when i became governor. Working together in the past few years. We added thousands of jobs at our business parks. Electric boats keep on growing and hiring Rhode Islanders. In the past few years, more than two Dozen Companies have moved or expanded in quanset. Now, it is bursting at the scene. Rhode island needs more new available Industrial Sites. I am announcing to develop new Industrial Site all across rhode island. It is a proourch succeven succes time to put Rhode Islanders to work in the process. [ applause ] we made all this progress while cutting taxes every year. Lets continue on that path and once again this year lets give every single Rhode Islanders a cut in their car tax. Also cutting taxes for Small Businesses. You know for 25 years, Small Businesses in this state never saw any relief in their Unemployment Insurance taxes. Tonight i am announcing that for the third time since i have been governor, this year well once again cut on Unemployment Insurance taxes on every business in the state of rhode island. [ applause ] over the past few years, we have completely changed our approach to job training. We have done that by partners with businesses and hundreds of businesses come to the table to retool the way we do job training. As a result, our new approach, the past three years we have trained nearly seven thousand Rhode Islanders. Seven thousand road eye lahode. Also, because of this new approach, more than 7 out of 10 people trained get jobs immediately. For some people this new job training has been lifechanging. Jan like my dad started her career in the jewelry manufacture business. Thats when all those jobs went overseas and then she got another job at the bank. Until that job was out sourced to india. So also like my dad, she found herself in her mid50s looking for a new career. And thats a scary place to be. Thanks to our new training approach. Jen was able to start over. Today jennifer has a great job working at cranston. She tells me thats right, give her a hand. [ applause ] we are proud of you. Jen tells me that her new job is great. She said it has been lifechanging. But more than the job, she said the training gave her something else. It gave her confidence and hope and optimism that she never thought she had again. Thank you for being with us tonight. We are so proud of you. We hope everybody enjoys success like you are. [ applause ] so not surprisingly because of this success of this new approach, rhode island businesses are calling on us to expand it and sustain it into the future. They tell us they need it in order to find the right talent to grow their businesses. Lets do it. Lets answer the call of these businesses. Tonight i am proposing we expand the job of rhode island initiative, it has a proven track record of success and cant we all agree that every Rhode Islanders deserved a shot at a good i also hear from Rhode Islanders all the time about the importance of transportation and infrastructure. Businesses want to grow and people want to live in communities that are connected. Thanks to road works, were fixing our roads quicker than we ever have. [ applause ] you know, it used to be that projects would sit on the drawing board for years, like the 610 connector. Now, like the 610 connector, theyre finally under construction. In fact, in the last four years, we fixed more than 100 roads and bridges and right now, all around rhode island, were fixing another 100 roads and bridges. So i ask you, just imagine what rhode island would look like if we improved our trains, buses, and Public Transit in the same way, with the same approach that weve tackled fixing our roads and bridges. Imagine a day when high speed Commuter Rail connects providence to boston. Imagine electric buses powered by solar panels zipping through dedicated lanes. Thats within our grasp right now. Not 10, 20, 30 years down the road. Right now. Its today. A few years ago, we all came together to change the way we invest in roads and bridges. So now lets take that same proven approach to improve our Public Transportation and transit for every single Rhode Islander. [ applause ] and lets also invest in our beaches. Like a lot of you, my familys best memories have been created on our states beaches. Right, guys . So dont you think its time we renovated the tired bathrooms and fixed up the pavilions and the concessions . Because i do. I think its time to make a once in a Generation Investment in our beautiful beaches. [ applause ] millions of people flock to our beaches every summer. So lets protect this beauty. Its the beauty that sets our great state apart. And if we really want to ensure that Rhode Islands beauty is protected for many years to come, then we need to address Climate Change with urgency. [ cheers and applause ] about three years ago, i set an ambitious goal to increase our clean energy tenfold by the end of 2020. And when we announced that, a lot of people said, gov, we cant do. Im proud to announce that by the end of this year, were going to exceed that goal. [ applause ] we are the nations leader in offshore wind production. And in a few years, well be producing enough energy from offshore wind to power half of the homes in rhode island. [ applause ] so lets go bigger. Its time to aim higher. This week ill sign an executive order to make rhode island the first state in the country to be 100 powered by Renewable Energy by the end of this decade. [ applause ] you know, from the day that i was elected governor, from the day i became governor, a lot of people gave me advice. And they warned me, a lot of people gave me the same advice, stay away from the biggest issues. Theyre too controversial. Its been trade and faileied an. People before you tried and it didnt work. But ill tell you this. Improving our Public Education for our children cannot wait and we cannot think small. [ applause ] im committed to doing whatever it takes to set Public Education on a better path. Our students are smart and capable. And our teachers are talented and dedicated. And ive been in classrooms all over this state and ive seen great work happening. So what we need to do is build on and expand whats working and be honest about whats not working and fix it. Now, were starting to see some results. Last year, rhode island saw improvements in third grade reading scores. And thats a great thing, because every educator will tell you that third grade reading scores are a key indicator for a childs future classroom success. But still, the scores lag behind massachusetts. In fact, weve lagged for decades. And weve lagged for decades because for decades our decisionmaking lacked consistent direction. And too often we just shied away from the tough decisions. Those days are over. We have a moral and economic imperative to our children and the future of this state to do better by these kids. [ applause ] now, nowhere is our challenge more obvious than in our capital city. The test scores that came out of providence last year were a call to action for all of us. And unfortunately, the deeper we dig, the more we find a system in crisis. No consistent curriculum. Not enough student learning. Brown Drinking Water coming out of the faucets and bubblers. Bats in classrooms. Our teachers and our students are working incredibly hard every day in a system that is broken, has been broken for decades. They deserve to know theyre not alone. And frankly, they deserve better. [ applause ] last year, we took unprecedented action, and the state intervened in providence. And weve begun the hard work of transforming a system thats failed kririds, teachers, and families for decades. Were moving to high level curriculum across the state. Were making smarter investments in our buildings so people can feel safe. And we will end the culture of low expectations for these kids. [ applause ] studen students, teachers, parents, the community, youre the ones driving this change. And i want to thank every one of you for your engagement. And i also want you to know, we need you to stay at the table the whole way through to make sure we get this right. I also want every Rhode Islander to know that our work in education is absolutely not limited to the city of providence. We are every bit as focused on improving outcomes for every child in every School District across our state. [ applause ] were going to apply the Lessons Learned, and make all schools better, everywhere. Every single one of us, every single Rhode Islander, has a stake in this work. And i would ask you all tonight to ask yourselves what you can do to support this work. And i would ask you to do something else, all of us. I ask you to challenge yourselves to see beyond the borders of your own community, your own neighborhood, your own city, or your own town. Of course we all want the best for our own kids. But we all also have a stake in the children in the next town, or all the way across the state. They all deserve a high quality Public Education. And frankly [ applause ] and frankly, these kids are our future. You may see one of them one day by your bedside as a nurse or a doctor or as a teacher or as a Police Officer or as a computer programmer. Heck, even as a governor. These kids are the future, and we all have a stake to make sure we do right by them. Schools in every community have to do better. And so tonight im announcing an additional 30 million to support students and teachers in every community in our state. [ applause ] in every District Across the state, well invest in high quality curriculum, ensure more students have access to advanced classes in high school. Well invest to support multilanguage learners for whom the field is still devastatingly unequal. Well increase the number of Mental Health professionals in our schools. [ cheers and applause ] well increase the number of Mental Health professionals in our schools because all children deserve to have their learning needs met. You know, we all know that having a great teacher can change your life. Weve all had a great teacher whos changed our lives. So were going to do more to support our teachers. That means more professional development for our teachers. More and Higher Quality professional development for our teachers. And more mental headlight traini Health Training for our teachers. Were going to do more to keep math and science teachers in rhode island by helping them out with their student loans. [ applause ] a very bright spot in our Education System is our public prek. As many of you know, rhode island is a nationally recognized leader for the quality of our public prek, and we should celebrate that. Heres the problem. For too many, its unaffordable. Parents of Young Children routinely spend a quarter of their income on childcare. In fact, chances are, if youre the parent of preschool age kids, youre spending more on their prek than you are on your rent or your mortgage payment. Actually, artiz couldnt afford it. Shes a working mom. She recently went back to school to become a nurse. And her oldest son didnt get to go to prek because it was too expensive. But her two younger kids did get to go. They got to go to fantastic public prek classrooms in woonsocket. And because of it, theyre thriving. [ applause ] ashleys here with us tonight. And we all know how hard it is to be a working mom. Youre doing a beautiful job and were going to keep fighting for more prek like your kids have. [ applause ] we know in study after study its been proven, we know and anyone who is a parent knows that high quality prek works and it is a good investment and kids should not have to be lucky or rich in order to get a good start in their educational life. [ applause ] so tonight, im proposing a more than 50 increase in the number of high quality public prek classrooms throughout the state of rhode island. [ applause ] when we do that, well be taking a big step forward toward our goal of universal prek for every 4yearold in our state. [ applause ] now, in order to do this, we actually need to build more high quality classrooms. The lack of Available Space is one of the greatest barriers to our expansion of public prek and high quality childcare. Tonight, im calling for a bond to build these spaces for our kids. Massachusetts broke through that barrier for their kids with a similar very successful program. And i think our kids deserve the same. The truth is the only way to really give our kids and all of us a shot at a Bright Future, and to give our businesses access to the talent that they need, is to ensure that more Rhode Islanders can continue their education past high school. In fact every Rhode Islander should be able to continue their education past high school. Its the only way were going to thrive in this new and fastchanging economy. So a few years ago, we tried something new. We enabled High School Graduates to enroll at ccri, tuitionfree, for two years. We did that to make sure that every Rhode Islander could have access to the Higher Education and job training that they needed to get a good job. At that time, we were one of only a couple of states that did it. And now, many others have followed our lead. Today, im proud to say, the promise scholarship is a proven success. Ccris Graduation Rate has tripled. [ applause ] and statewide, last year we hit a record. More students than ever enrolled in college. And in fact, last year our very own ccri earned the distinction of best twoyear college in america. [ cheers and applause ] so that good news. But theres a risk. The scholarship is set to expire this year. Which means if we dont take action now, this Years High School seniors will be the last class of promise scholars. That means if we dont take action, well be pulling the rug right out from under all of our other High School Students and well be putting an end to a proven success. Economic experts agree the most important thing that we can do to strengthen our economy and make it resilient into the future is to have a more educated workforce. We cant go backwards. Lets make the promise scholarship permanent and cement affordable Senate President<\/a> , members of the house and the senate. Members of the judiciary to my cabinet and my wonderful family. Thank you for being here tonight. And my fellow Rhode Islanders<\/a>. Tonight i stand with all of you filled with optimism for our future. We work hard together digging our way out of the deep economic hole. And now we are prepared for Rhode Islanders<\/a> for success in a fast changing economy. Right now in rhode island. We have more than half a million jobs in our state. Thats more jobs than we ever have in our states history. [ applause ] our unemployment is the lowest it has been in three decades now i want you to think about that. That means that our economy is as strong today as it has been in a generation. Whats going on . We know it has not always been that way. Actually just a few years ago, it was not that way. Whats different . Whats changed . Whats changed is we put aside the old way of doing business and we are working together never before to tackle our biggest challenges. Because of that, because we have come together to collaborate and embrace change. My fellow Rhode Islanders<\/a>, tour state is strong. And now the work we have to do, now what we have to do is make sure that momentum last. Make sure this strong economic momentum last into the future. It means we have to embrace innovation in all that we do from the jobs that we are bringing here to the way we run government. Our new approach, our new approach working together is a proven success. A few years ago of the setbacks, we decide to deepen our commitment to the black stone valley. It is beginning to pay off. A few months ago we cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing Training Facility<\/a> at Davies High School<\/a> in lincoln. We are finally billing the nantucket central fall train station. In a few weeks ago, we announce the biggest Economic Development<\/a> project ever in the history of nantucket. [ applause ] it is a project thats going to bring a professional soccer team and a new stadium, thousands of jobs and revitalized downtown. For years the land that we made available when we move 195 just sat there as a vacant lot. Today on that land, we have a vibrant innovation center. A physical symbol of our economic future. We made it easy to do business in rhode island. Cutting thousands of pages of regulations and provide over 120 loans to Small Businesses<\/a>. And over half of those loans are to women of minority owning businesses. That did not exist when i became governor. Working together in the past few years. We added thousands of jobs at our business parks. Electric boats keep on growing and hiring Rhode Islanders<\/a>. In the past few years, more than two Dozen Companies<\/a> have moved or expanded in quanset. Now, it is bursting at the scene. Rhode island needs more new available Industrial Site<\/a>s. I am announcing to develop new Industrial Site<\/a> all across rhode island. It is a proourch succeven succes time to put Rhode Islanders<\/a> to work in the process. [ applause ] we made all this progress while cutting taxes every year. Lets continue on that path and once again this year lets give every single Rhode Islanders<\/a> a cut in their car tax. Also cutting taxes for Small Businesses<\/a>. You know for 25 years, Small Businesses<\/a> in this state never saw any relief in their Unemployment Insurance<\/a> taxes. Tonight i am announcing that for the third time since i have been governor, this year well once again cut on Unemployment Insurance<\/a> taxes on every business in the state of rhode island. [ applause ] over the past few years, we have completely changed our approach to job training. We have done that by partners with businesses and hundreds of businesses come to the table to retool the way we do job training. As a result, our new approach, the past three years we have trained nearly seven thousand Rhode Islanders<\/a>. Seven thousand road eye lahode. Also, because of this new approach, more than 7 out of 10 people trained get jobs immediately. For some people this new job training has been lifechanging. Jan like my dad started her career in the jewelry manufacture business. Thats when all those jobs went overseas and then she got another job at the bank. Until that job was out sourced to india. So also like my dad, she found herself in her mid50s looking for a new career. And thats a scary place to be. Thanks to our new training approach. Jen was able to start over. Today jennifer has a great job working at cranston. She tells me thats right, give her a hand. [ applause ] we are proud of you. Jen tells me that her new job is great. She said it has been lifechanging. But more than the job, she said the training gave her something else. It gave her confidence and hope and optimism that she never thought she had again. Thank you for being with us tonight. We are so proud of you. We hope everybody enjoys success like you are. [ applause ] so not surprisingly because of this success of this new approach, rhode island businesses are calling on us to expand it and sustain it into the future. They tell us they need it in order to find the right talent to grow their businesses. Lets do it. Lets answer the call of these businesses. Tonight i am proposing we expand the job of rhode island initiative, it has a proven track record of success and cant we all agree that every Rhode Islanders<\/a> deserved a shot at a good i also hear from Rhode Islanders<\/a> all the time about the importance of transportation and infrastructure. Businesses want to grow and people want to live in communities that are connected. Thanks to road works, were fixing our roads quicker than we ever have. [ applause ] you know, it used to be that projects would sit on the drawing board for years, like the 610 connector. Now, like the 610 connector, theyre finally under construction. In fact, in the last four years, we fixed more than 100 roads and bridges and right now, all around rhode island, were fixing another 100 roads and bridges. So i ask you, just imagine what rhode island would look like if we improved our trains, buses, and Public Transit<\/a> in the same way, with the same approach that weve tackled fixing our roads and bridges. Imagine a day when high speed Commuter Rail<\/a> connects providence to boston. Imagine electric buses powered by solar panels zipping through dedicated lanes. Thats within our grasp right now. Not 10, 20, 30 years down the road. Right now. Its today. A few years ago, we all came together to change the way we invest in roads and bridges. So now lets take that same proven approach to improve our Public Transportation<\/a> and transit for every single Rhode Islander<\/a>. [ applause ] and lets also invest in our beaches. Like a lot of you, my familys best memories have been created on our states beaches. Right, guys . So dont you think its time we renovated the tired bathrooms and fixed up the pavilions and the concessions . Because i do. I think its time to make a once in a Generation Investment<\/a> in our beautiful beaches. [ applause ] millions of people flock to our beaches every summer. So lets protect this beauty. Its the beauty that sets our great state apart. And if we really want to ensure that Rhode Islands<\/a> beauty is protected for many years to come, then we need to address Climate Change<\/a> with urgency. [ cheers and applause ] about three years ago, i set an ambitious goal to increase our clean energy tenfold by the end of 2020. And when we announced that, a lot of people said, gov, we cant do. Im proud to announce that by the end of this year, were going to exceed that goal. [ applause ] we are the nations leader in offshore wind production. And in a few years, well be producing enough energy from offshore wind to power half of the homes in rhode island. [ applause ] so lets go bigger. Its time to aim higher. This week ill sign an executive order to make rhode island the first state in the country to be 100 powered by Renewable Energy<\/a> by the end of this decade. [ applause ] you know, from the day that i was elected governor, from the day i became governor, a lot of people gave me advice. And they warned me, a lot of people gave me the same advice, stay away from the biggest issues. Theyre too controversial. Its been trade and faileied an. People before you tried and it didnt work. But ill tell you this. Improving our Public Education<\/a> for our children cannot wait and we cannot think small. [ applause ] im committed to doing whatever it takes to set Public Education<\/a> on a better path. Our students are smart and capable. And our teachers are talented and dedicated. And ive been in classrooms all over this state and ive seen great work happening. So what we need to do is build on and expand whats working and be honest about whats not working and fix it. Now, were starting to see some results. Last year, rhode island saw improvements in third grade reading scores. And thats a great thing, because every educator will tell you that third grade reading scores are a key indicator for a childs future classroom success. But still, the scores lag behind massachusetts. In fact, weve lagged for decades. And weve lagged for decades because for decades our decisionmaking lacked consistent direction. And too often we just shied away from the tough decisions. Those days are over. We have a moral and economic imperative to our children and the future of this state to do better by these kids. [ applause ] now, nowhere is our challenge more obvious than in our capital city. The test scores that came out of providence last year were a call to action for all of us. And unfortunately, the deeper we dig, the more we find a system in crisis. No consistent curriculum. Not enough student learning. Brown Drinking Water<\/a> coming out of the faucets and bubblers. Bats in classrooms. Our teachers and our students are working incredibly hard every day in a system that is broken, has been broken for decades. They deserve to know theyre not alone. And frankly, they deserve better. [ applause ] last year, we took unprecedented action, and the state intervened in providence. And weve begun the hard work of transforming a system thats failed kririds, teachers, and families for decades. Were moving to high level curriculum across the state. Were making smarter investments in our buildings so people can feel safe. And we will end the culture of low expectations for these kids. [ applause ] studen students, teachers, parents, the community, youre the ones driving this change. And i want to thank every one of you for your engagement. And i also want you to know, we need you to stay at the table the whole way through to make sure we get this right. I also want every Rhode Islander<\/a> to know that our work in education is absolutely not limited to the city of providence. We are every bit as focused on improving outcomes for every child in every School District<\/a> across our state. [ applause ] were going to apply the Lessons Learned<\/a>, and make all schools better, everywhere. Every single one of us, every single Rhode Islander<\/a>, has a stake in this work. And i would ask you all tonight to ask yourselves what you can do to support this work. And i would ask you to do something else, all of us. I ask you to challenge yourselves to see beyond the borders of your own community, your own neighborhood, your own city, or your own town. Of course we all want the best for our own kids. But we all also have a stake in the children in the next town, or all the way across the state. They all deserve a high quality Public Education<\/a>. And frankly [ applause ] and frankly, these kids are our future. You may see one of them one day by your bedside as a nurse or a doctor or as a teacher or as a Police Officer<\/a> or as a computer programmer. Heck, even as a governor. These kids are the future, and we all have a stake to make sure we do right by them. Schools in every community have to do better. And so tonight im announcing an additional 30 million to support students and teachers in every community in our state. [ applause ] in every District Across<\/a> the state, well invest in high quality curriculum, ensure more students have access to advanced classes in high school. Well invest to support multilanguage learners for whom the field is still devastatingly unequal. Well increase the number of Mental Health<\/a> professionals in our schools. [ cheers and applause ] well increase the number of Mental Health<\/a> professionals in our schools because all children deserve to have their learning needs met. You know, we all know that having a great teacher can change your life. Weve all had a great teacher whos changed our lives. So were going to do more to support our teachers. That means more professional development for our teachers. More and Higher Quality<\/a> professional development for our teachers. And more mental headlight traini Health Training<\/a> for our teachers. Were going to do more to keep math and science teachers in rhode island by helping them out with their student loans. [ applause ] a very bright spot in our Education System<\/a> is our public prek. As many of you know, rhode island is a nationally recognized leader for the quality of our public prek, and we should celebrate that. Heres the problem. For too many, its unaffordable. Parents of Young Children<\/a> routinely spend a quarter of their income on childcare. In fact, chances are, if youre the parent of preschool age kids, youre spending more on their prek than you are on your rent or your mortgage payment. Actually, artiz couldnt afford it. Shes a working mom. She recently went back to school to become a nurse. And her oldest son didnt get to go to prek because it was too expensive. But her two younger kids did get to go. They got to go to fantastic public prek classrooms in woonsocket. And because of it, theyre thriving. [ applause ] ashleys here with us tonight. And we all know how hard it is to be a working mom. Youre doing a beautiful job and were going to keep fighting for more prek like your kids have. [ applause ] we know in study after study its been proven, we know and anyone who is a parent knows that high quality prek works and it is a good investment and kids should not have to be lucky or rich in order to get a good start in their educational life. [ applause ] so tonight, im proposing a more than 50 increase in the number of high quality public prek classrooms throughout the state of rhode island. [ applause ] when we do that, well be taking a big step forward toward our goal of universal prek for every 4yearold in our state. [ applause ] now, in order to do this, we actually need to build more high quality classrooms. The lack of Available Space<\/a> is one of the greatest barriers to our expansion of public prek and high quality childcare. Tonight, im calling for a bond to build these spaces for our kids. Massachusetts broke through that barrier for their kids with a similar very successful program. And i think our kids deserve the same. The truth is the only way to really give our kids and all of us a shot at a Bright Future<\/a>, and to give our businesses access to the talent that they need, is to ensure that more Rhode Islanders<\/a> can continue their education past high school. In fact every Rhode Islander<\/a> should be able to continue their education past high school. Its the only way were going to thrive in this new and fastchanging economy. So a few years ago, we tried something new. We enabled High School Graduates<\/a> to enroll at ccri, tuitionfree, for two years. We did that to make sure that every Rhode Islander<\/a> could have access to the Higher Education<\/a> and job training that they needed to get a good job. At that time, we were one of only a couple of states that did it. And now, many others have followed our lead. Today, im proud to say, the promise scholarship is a proven success. Ccris Graduation Rate<\/a> has tripled. [ applause ] and statewide, last year we hit a record. More students than ever enrolled in college. And in fact, last year our very own ccri earned the distinction of best twoyear college in america. [ cheers and applause ] so that good news. But theres a risk. The scholarship is set to expire this year. Which means if we dont take action now, this Years High School<\/a> seniors will be the last class of promise scholars. That means if we dont take action, well be pulling the rug right out from under all of our other High School Students<\/a> and well be putting an end to a proven success. Economic experts agree the most important thing that we can do to strengthen our economy and make it resilient into the future is to have a more educated workforce. We cant go backwards. Lets make the promise scholarship permanent and cement affordable Higher Education<\/a> and job training into the very foundation of our economy. [ applause ] you know, we cant talk about taking care of our children without taking into account our most vulnerable. Too many kids in rhode island live without a stable, loving home. And many of them live in the shadow of trauma, Mental Illness<\/a> or addiction. They arrive on our doorstep through no fault of their own. And we do what any one of you would do. We take them in and take care of them. Tonight im proposing that we make additional investments to strengthen our Child Welfare<\/a> system so that we can meet our obligation to the children in our care. [ applause ] this investment will support our dedicated staff on the front lines. It will allow us to recruit and license more foster families so we can get more kids out of group homes. And it will make sure that no child remains in limbo a day or a minute more than necessary. And if a child in certain cases cannot be reunited with their biological parents, then its on us to find them a stable, loving family that they can call their own. So tonight, im also announcing a new initiative to find and support more foster and adoptive homes for these kids. [ applause ] you know, no one needs our love more than these kids. Im making it my commitment, and im asking you to join me. As every parent knows, we also have to protect our kids from the dangers of vaping. Last year, facing a Public Health<\/a> crisis, i took immediate action and temporarily banned flavored ecigarettes. [ applause ] Public Health<\/a> experts agree, these dangers are real. Lets make the ban permanent and do the right thing and protect our children. [ applause ] you know, often we say everyone deserves a shot. And thats true. But that means everyone. And in some ways were doing that in rhode island. We are securing access to health care for most Rhode Islanders<\/a>. When i became governor, we decided to keep running our own state Health Exchange<\/a> instead of giving it to the federal government. Because of that decision and because of a lot of hard work, im proud to say that over 97 of Rhode Islanders<\/a> have access to health care. [ cheers and applause ] thats better than almost any state in america. And while the premiums in most states are going up, im proud to say that this year, Health Insurance<\/a> premiums on our staterun Health Exchange<\/a> will be going down. [ applause ] nobody should have to choose between going to the doctor and buying groceries. [ applause ] since ive been governor, working together with the legislature, weve raised the minimum wage three times. Lets do it again this year and give our hardestworking Rhode Islanders<\/a> the raise that they deserve. [ applause ] and while were at it, while were at it, at the same time, to make that raise even more impactful, lets expand the earned income tax credit so hard working Rhode Islanders<\/a> can keep more of their hardearned money in their pocket. [ applause ] no one, no one who works fulltime should live in poverty. And its in our hands to make that difference. By the way, no one should struggle to keep a roof over their head either. And right now in rhode island, too many working people do. And by the way, that affects everyone. Lack of housing affects everyone. It affects the young working couple who struggles to be good employees. They cant show up on time every day because their housing isnt stable. It hurts business, because they cant hire people who are priced out of the market. It even affects the kid who cant keep her eyes open in class because she slept on a relatives couch the night before. Our housing shortage threatens all of our economic progress. This year i propose a housing bond. And for the First Time Ever<\/a> in rhode island, a dedicated funding stream to build more housing. [ applause ] rhode island is one of very few states that does not have a dedicated funding stream for housing. Nearly every other state already has it. So lets do it, and lets to work building more homes in rhode island. Protecting our future also means protecting our neighborhoods and our workplaces and our schools from gun violence. [ cheers and applause ] we know this is a nationwide crisis. But in the past few weeks, it has hit very close to home, in westerly and in pawtuckett. And i know there are folks here tonight from westerly and pawtuckett. And were with you. Even one tragedy with an untraceable homemade firearm is one too many and one that could have been avoided. Loopholes that allow extremely dangerous people to get guns need to be closed. And military style assault weapons belong in the military, not in our schools, not in our communities. And they should be banned. [ cheers and applause ] so this year, i will once again propose a comprehensive package of gun reforms. Stand with me. Lets stand together and do the right thing, pass these reforms, and keep rhode island safe. [ applause ] as we tackle these defining, most important issues of our time, we also need reforms that ensure citizens and businesses have confidence in their leaders and in their government. That means its time to pass the lineitem veto. [ applause ] this is something we know and have known for a long time that the vast majority of Rhode Islanders<\/a> support it. Nearly every other state uses lineitem veto to reduce waste and government corruption and to ensure that tax dollars help everybody, not just the wellconnected. Lets restore Rhode Islanders<\/a> confidence in government and lets put it on the ballot and let Rhode Islanders<\/a> have a say. [ applause ] as we sit here tonight, i want you all to imagine yourselves 20 years down the road. Imagine yourselves 20 years down the road. Its a fun thing to do. Youll all still look wonderful. Okay. You have your image . Maybe, maybe your kids have grown up. Maybe your kids have grown up, maybe youve retired. Maybe youve started a new career or bought a house. Maybe youve started your family. You know what i see . I see a rhode island with the opportunity for an excellent Public Education<\/a> from prek through college is guaranteed for everybody. [ applause ] i see a rhode island where Public Schools<\/a> are thriving. I see a rhode island where our economy is booming because we have an educated workforce. I see high speed rail and electric buses making it easy to Community Within<\/a> our state and within our region. I see a rhode island where young couples, unburdened by student loans, are able to afford their furs home and start their lives together. Headlines about gun violence dont fill the news anymore. And everybody has access to high Quality Health<\/a> care. Were on track for that. We are on track to make that vision a reality. Its the path were on. If we continue to invest in what works. If we continue to have the courage to embrace change. So lets do it. Lets find that courage. Lets stay on that path. Lets make that vision a reality. Lets build a rhode island that is strong and resilient and strong for our children for decades to come. That Bright Future<\/a> belongs to us. So lets go build it together. Thank you. God bless, and god bless rhode island. [ cheers and applause ] the tactics were remarkable and powerful. And the Lessons Learned<\/a> from the sufferage movement, i think you can really trace throughout the 20th and 21st century. So the movement, like many movements, broke into different factions. Some were conservative and some were radical and activist. Alice paul and others felt like if it were not then, then when would women be able to finally achieve their right to vote. And they saw this, again, as a long trajectory lasting throughout the 19th century and even into the 18th century. So they took to the streets. They took to the white house, where they were first of all kind of seen as an oddity, imagine the silent sentinel, standing there every day, starting about 1913. And then president Woodrow Wilson<\/a> decided enough was enough, they were getting way too much attention and distracting from the work of the presidency, so as they were impris imprisoned, in a way that worked against wilson in a way to defeat their spirit of advocacy so they became even more famous. These were very educated, brilliant women. And so as more and more were arrested, adding to their ranks, and finally when they were released, they realized that they had both survived prison, which was heroic just in that, but they had a special story to tell. So they went around the nation, making sure everyone knew they had been just released from prison, and really kind of giving it a sense of i think urgency, a huge sense of sacrifice, that they were willing to give literally let themselves, after a while they knew they were going to be arrested, so you can imagine what that took to walk up to the white house knowing they were going to be arrested. This year marks 100 years since the 19th amendment was ratified leading to women getting the right to vote in national elections. And tonight at 8 00 eastern, well take you to the smithsonians American History<\/a> museum for a look at the womens sufferage exhibit there, part of our museum week, weeknights this week here on cspan3 featuring American History<\/a> tv programs normally seen only on weekends. Watch tonight at 8 00 eastern and American History<\/a> tv saturday through monday morning here on cspan3. Missouri governor mike parson gave his state of the state address from the State Capitol<\/a> in jefferson city. He advocated for improving workforce programs, Engaging Community<\/a> leaders, and reforming state government. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you very much. Statewide leaders,","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia902802.us.archive.org\/27\/items\/CSPAN3_20200219_173700_Rhode_Island_State_of_the_State_Address\/CSPAN3_20200219_173700_Rhode_Island_State_of_the_State_Address.thumbs\/CSPAN3_20200219_173700_Rhode_Island_State_of_the_State_Address_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240716T12:35:10+00:00"}