Transcripts For CSPAN State Challenges And The Federal Gover

Always paid a lot of attention to what their customers tell them about how theyre being treated and how theyre satisfied, because if youre a good business, retaining a customer and thabbling relationship is a lot easier than trying to obtain new customers. But some of these institutions are large. They got away from this. Theyre coming back to it because we now create a new pressure on that. You can watch the entire interview today on news makers at 10 00 a. M. And 6 00 p. M. Eastern here on cspan. When you go behind the scenes as a photographer, youre there to see, not hear, not listen, not really, you know, repeat anything that you hear, and its kind of a mutual agreement, because we are let into meetings that are sensitive. I was there when president obama was at a rally and at the same time, the hurricane had just come up the east coast and was up in the north, and he was on the phone on a secure phone, talking to a directors and trying to organize it. Really unique time to be in there and hear him in a really heated, you know or serious conversation about what was going on on the ground there and how he wanted things to take place and organizing that, and on the other side of the wall, people are banging four more years, four more years. Its really a unique time, any time youre behind the scenes with a president. New york times Staff Photographer doug mills tonight at 8 00 on cspans q a. This weekend on book tv former defense secretary robert gates talks about his management of the wars in afghanistan and iraq and his relationship with the white house and congress. Tonight at 10 00 eastern and monday afternoon at 1 45. And in a few weeks,look for womens history for beginners author bonnie morris. Shell take your questions and comments live february 2 at noon eastern. And online for the rest of january, join our book tv Book Club Discussion on mark levine. Go to booktv. Org and click on book club to enter the chat. Next, oklahoma governor approximate speaking about some of the challenges that states are facing and whats being accomplished by the federal government. The two governors are currently the chair and vice chair of the National Governors association. Their remarks and q a run an hour. Good morning. I want to thank you for coming to our annual state of the state address by the National Governors association. It is my privilege to serve not only as governor of the state of oklahoma, but the National State of governors chair. Joining me today is the governor of colorado, governor John Hickenlooper. Governor, welcome. [applause] as governors, we have to make government work. We do not have the luxury inaction. We have to lead our states while still balancing our budget. We are now midway through the the 113th congress and governors are frustrated. We are doing our part as governors to create jobs and address the challenges facing our states. But we also believe that now its time for our federal partners to do their part and to take action. At the nga, we call this partner said flexible federalism. It is a willingness to give states fox ability to improve programs and policies and to support them in those efforts. For example, governors have outlined what flexible federalism will look like in relation to the issue of deficit reduction. We believe a couple of pretzels one is federal response one is that federal reforms should produce savings not only on the federal side, but also for the states. Deficit reduction should also not be accomplished by shifting the cost to the states. And also through unfunded mandates. States should be given increased flexibility to create efficiencies and to achieve results. Congress should not impose maintenance of effort as a condition of funding to the states to so lets go back and look at one year ago. One year ago last january, i stood before you and we reviewed the challenges that the states faced and we highlighted our challenges for our vision of 2013. Congress had just had and cut a lastminute new years deal to resolve the budget impasse. One year ago. We urged congress to avoid a march 1 sequester by implementing Thoughtful Solutions to reduce the deficit and to promote Economic Growth. In february, the nga joins several other organizations in urging congress to complete a longoverdue reauthorization of the elementary and secondary education act, fixing the flaws in the no child left behind bill. In march, governors provided congress with principles for tax reform. Also offering concrete suggestions consistent and intertwined with the interest of the states and the federal government by working together. In may, governors laid a path forward and released the recommendation for the Water Resources development act. We urged congress to pass the act along with encouraging regular communications with governors and developing strategies that align available Water Resources with infrastructure needs. Again, in may, we called on congress to uphold an existing law and restore the 15 set aside and the cash that is set aside for governors to create jobs, to spur Economic Growth, to grow family incomes, and to help get people back to work. That month, nga also fought for Senate Passage of the marketplace fairness act, which upholds the principles of federalism and levels the Playing Field between main street and e street. In june, governors reiterated the call for the secretary defense and congress to protect our National Guard. We asked them to protect the guard from disproportionate and damaging reductions to ensure the capacities and the quality of our National Guard. I have to stop and tell you that, in oklahoma, we certainly benefited from a Strong National guard during a very tough time for our state in may when we had the moore tornadoes and several other storms that swept through oklahoma. And governor hickenlooper also saw the great value of the National Guard during his devastating floods that struck the state of colorado. We believe it is important to have a Strong National guard for our governors. Moving on to august, at the nga summer meeting, we stressed the need for certainty and a long Term Solution to fund our aging infrastructure. In september, we returned to the budget debate, Warning Congress of the effects on our states of a federal shutdown. And we called on them to resolve the budget issues and the impasse and to put the budget on a sustainable longterm fiscal path. Despite all this, here we stand today with essentially the same todo list sitting before our congress. States have been dealing with shortterm extensions and long term uncertainty. We are quarter of the way through the fiscal year of 2014 and just this week is now anticipated that washington may pass an omnibus bill to fund 2014. However, major reauthorization bills governing key states and federal programs are stacking up. In my state of oklahoma and states across the country, the most liberal democrats and the most conservative republicans cant agree that moving from one crisis to another without any longterm plan or vision is a recipe for trouble. Washingtons shortterm thinking and continued inaction are hurting states economies that are repressing job growth and ultimately they are hurting American Families in every state. So its been left to the states to chart our own path and to pursue their own policies where partisan gridlock has left washington unable to address many of our nations problems. For governors, in action is not an option. Where the federal government will not act, states are actually stepping up and they are stepping in. So our message for 2014 is clear states are leading. We encourage our federal partners to work more closely with us and to take note and to use the policy ideas coming from their state partners. And above all, these do not yet in our way. And above all, please do not get in our way. But the states solve problems and become our partner. States are also leading the charge forward in providing solutions to improve the nations future workforce. We know that the best way for American Workers to find good paying jobs is to boost their educational attainment. Similarly, in the best way to help american businesses is to improve our workforce. States are leading the way by improving education and using our educational systems to build a highly Skilled Workforce for the coming decades. And it is a critical ingredient in the recipe for higher wage jobs and also to increase americas competitiveness and improve our standard and that standard of living for all our families. That is why as nga chair i chose as my Initiative America works education and training for tomorrows jobs to focus on our workforce and our nation and art jobs and making america more competitive. It is about making significant improvements to our Education Systems and workforce Training Programs and to align them with the needs of our businesses and the labor markets to benefit our citizens and also to benefit our state economies. Now heres why the status quo wont work for todays workers. When you are navigating a pathway to prosperity, as an american citizen, it is much more challenging than it was when our parents are growing up. We know that a High School Diploma is no longer a guarantee to a good job or a middleclass life. We know that the new minimum for economic success is either a twoyear or a fouryear degree or some type of relevant workforce certificate. And without some kind of post secondary education, our children and adults will find it hard to achieve the American Dream and just gain access to a middleclass life. If we dont respond to this new reality, our nation will lose its Competitive Edge when it comes to a Global Economic climate. Just as troubling, we will fail to arm the next generation of americans, both men and women and their children, with the tools they need to enter and remain in the middle class or even to achieve better. Preparing americas 21st century workforce calls for National Attention and gubernatorial leadership. And my fellow governors are responding. Staying competitive as a nation starts with our schools. Which is why governors are committed to providing a world class education for all of our students. We know the responsibility of educating the next generation has always been the responsibility of state and local governments. And for this reason, governors are focused on raising academic standards for all students, to ensure their success in college or a career with a Career Training program. Our commitment to education is why we came together years ago to raise academic standards and to increase classroom rigor and to ensure our students could compete on their own in our states. That not only that, but to compete with students around the world. Those Higher Standards are called common core state standards. They outline what students need to know to be college or career ready. However, it is left strictly to individual states, to districts and schools and educators to evaluate the quality of their student education to meet these rigorous and relevant standards. So i want to be really clear. Common core is not a federal government program. It is driven and implemented by states that choose to participate. It is also not a federal curriculum. In fact, it is not a curriculum at all. Local educators and School Districts will design the best lesson plans or choose appropriate textbooks and will drive the classroom learning. They will provide them with Critical Thinking skills and tools that they need to succeed in Higher Education or to enter into the workforce. In addition to pursuing Higher Standards, governors along with other states and local elected officials are also calling on congress to fix the longoverdue elementary and secondary education act, better known as no child left behind. While the laws original intent was good, changes must be made to make it work. Today, there are 41 states that are operating with waivers. That is frankly no way to run a program. While esea waivers will work for some states, it wont work for all states. Moreover, waivers remain a shortterm fix to a longterm problem. Congress should pursue changes that emphasize both flexibility and local control for the states wishing to pursue innovative policies that meet their own unique needs. Only after making these fixes should congress be reauthorize esea. However, governors realize that education is not education, excuse me, does not stop at the schoolhouse door. In our highly mobile and technologicallydriven Society Workers of all ages must continue to learn and hone in their skills. And that is why, as governors, we are working greatly with Business Leaders and educators to ensure those citizens have the skills they need and the knowledge required for the 21st century workforce. States are also working on supporting and cultivating Economic Growth and creating high wage jobs. Where high wage jobs are concerned, governors understand that manufacturing plays an important role. Jobs are generated not only in the factories, but also in research and development. New products and new services that support manufacturing. The nga has worked with a demonstration project with california, colorado connecticut, illinois, and pennsylvania that have recently developed strategies emphasizing advancement fracturing. They are creating Publicprivate Partnerships with industries and Advisory Councils to guide state policy regarding manufacturing for working to reconnect manufacturers with research and development, workforce talent and supply chains. Large and Small Businesses must be competitive in this global economy. Small or mediumsized businesses in the United States total nearly 30 million and employ about half of the private sector workforce and also the payrolls. Yes, when you look at those businesses come only 10 of them export their goods. Governors are promoting growth in part by leading efforts in the exports of goods and services and attracting international investment. In todays world, our economies are global in our efforts to support growth and identify opportunities for businesses must be global. As we move on to the federal side, Congress Needs to reauthorize the workforce investment act and provide safe states with flexibility that we need to be able to offer the most relevant workforce Training Programs to our citizens. There are differences between the house and the senate and their approaches. But governors do agree that in streamlining the funding and restoring the governors 15 set aside to our state workforce will help us create innovative programs. Governors access to flexible federal funds to innovate and produce results is exactly the type of flushable federalism weve been talking about and is needed for helping states federal partnerships. But the workforce investment act is not the only way that congress can help put people back to work. Reauthorization of state trade and export Promotion Grant Program beyond 2014 will ensure growth in the nations global competitiveness. It will also help us maintain the programs operations and outlays. And most importantly, create jobs. It is moving our country from scarcity to abundance, from dependency to selfsufficiency and Energy Policy is another area where governors have been leading the charge despite the absence of a company has of National Energy plan. For some of us, that is just fine because we are moving ahead here and many governors have created their own Innovative Energy plans that are helping state support Homegrown Energy production and meet the Energy Efficiency needs. This is helping to advance economic development, lower cost, improve reliability and resiliency. In the process, generating state revenue. State efforts can go a long way. Federal policies must complement the efforts to improve our Nations Energy security and support the diverse range of Domestic Energy resources. In my home state of oklahoma, we have called for a 20 decrease in energy use and you will find similar bipartisan programs through the nation in states like new york, alabama, iowa colorado. Another great examples of leading the way in innovative Public Policy is the multistate memorandum of understanding in which my vice chairman and i have initiated to set the stage for states to affordably convert the fleet to cng. Theyre now using combined purchasing power to save taxpayer money and also encourage a clean source of energy to encourage the development of technology and infrastructure enhancements and frankly to take advantage of an abundant lowcost Natural Gas Resource being developed by dozens of states. Shell Staff Photographer<\/a> doug mills tonight at 8 00 on cspans q a. This weekend on book tv former defense secretary robert gates talks about his management of the wars in afghanistan and iraq and his relationship with the white house and congress. Tonight at 10 00 eastern and monday afternoon at 1 45. And in a few weeks,look for womens history for beginners author bonnie morris. Shell take your questions and comments live february 2 at noon eastern. And online for the rest of january, join our book tv Book Club Discussion<\/a> on mark levine. Go to booktv. Org and click on book club to enter the chat. Next, oklahoma governor approximate speaking about some of the challenges that states are facing and whats being accomplished by the federal government. The two governors are currently the chair and vice chair of the National Governors<\/a> association. Their remarks and q a run an hour. Good morning. I want to thank you for coming to our annual state of the state address by the National Governors<\/a> association. It is my privilege to serve not only as governor of the state of oklahoma, but the National State<\/a> of governors chair. Joining me today is the governor of colorado, governor John Hickenlooper<\/a>. Governor, welcome. [applause] as governors, we have to make government work. We do not have the luxury inaction. We have to lead our states while still balancing our budget. We are now midway through the the 113th congress and governors are frustrated. We are doing our part as governors to create jobs and address the challenges facing our states. But we also believe that now its time for our federal partners to do their part and to take action. At the nga, we call this partner said flexible federalism. It is a willingness to give states fox ability to improve programs and policies and to support them in those efforts. For example, governors have outlined what flexible federalism will look like in relation to the issue of deficit reduction. We believe a couple of pretzels one is federal response one is that federal reforms should produce savings not only on the federal side, but also for the states. Deficit reduction should also not be accomplished by shifting the cost to the states. And also through unfunded mandates. States should be given increased flexibility to create efficiencies and to achieve results. Congress should not impose maintenance of effort as a condition of funding to the states to so lets go back and look at one year ago. One year ago last january, i stood before you and we reviewed the challenges that the states faced and we highlighted our challenges for our vision of 2013. Congress had just had and cut a lastminute new years deal to resolve the budget impasse. One year ago. We urged congress to avoid a march 1 sequester by implementing Thoughtful Solutions<\/a> to reduce the deficit and to promote Economic Growth<\/a>. In february, the nga joins several other organizations in urging congress to complete a longoverdue reauthorization of the elementary and secondary education act, fixing the flaws in the no child left behind bill. In march, governors provided congress with principles for tax reform. Also offering concrete suggestions consistent and intertwined with the interest of the states and the federal government by working together. In may, governors laid a path forward and released the recommendation for the Water Resources<\/a> development act. We urged congress to pass the act along with encouraging regular communications with governors and developing strategies that align available Water Resources<\/a> with infrastructure needs. Again, in may, we called on congress to uphold an existing law and restore the 15 set aside and the cash that is set aside for governors to create jobs, to spur Economic Growth<\/a>, to grow family incomes, and to help get people back to work. That month, nga also fought for Senate Passage<\/a> of the marketplace fairness act, which upholds the principles of federalism and levels the Playing Field<\/a> between main street and e street. In june, governors reiterated the call for the secretary defense and congress to protect our National Guard<\/a>. We asked them to protect the guard from disproportionate and damaging reductions to ensure the capacities and the quality of our National Guard<\/a>. I have to stop and tell you that, in oklahoma, we certainly benefited from a Strong National<\/a> guard during a very tough time for our state in may when we had the moore tornadoes and several other storms that swept through oklahoma. And governor hickenlooper also saw the great value of the National Guard<\/a> during his devastating floods that struck the state of colorado. We believe it is important to have a Strong National<\/a> guard for our governors. Moving on to august, at the nga summer meeting, we stressed the need for certainty and a long Term Solution<\/a> to fund our aging infrastructure. In september, we returned to the budget debate, Warning Congress<\/a> of the effects on our states of a federal shutdown. And we called on them to resolve the budget issues and the impasse and to put the budget on a sustainable longterm fiscal path. Despite all this, here we stand today with essentially the same todo list sitting before our congress. States have been dealing with shortterm extensions and long term uncertainty. We are quarter of the way through the fiscal year of 2014 and just this week is now anticipated that washington may pass an omnibus bill to fund 2014. However, major reauthorization bills governing key states and federal programs are stacking up. In my state of oklahoma and states across the country, the most liberal democrats and the most conservative republicans cant agree that moving from one crisis to another without any longterm plan or vision is a recipe for trouble. Washingtons shortterm thinking and continued inaction are hurting states economies that are repressing job growth and ultimately they are hurting American Families<\/a> in every state. So its been left to the states to chart our own path and to pursue their own policies where partisan gridlock has left washington unable to address many of our nations problems. For governors, in action is not an option. Where the federal government will not act, states are actually stepping up and they are stepping in. So our message for 2014 is clear states are leading. We encourage our federal partners to work more closely with us and to take note and to use the policy ideas coming from their state partners. And above all, these do not yet in our way. And above all, please do not get in our way. But the states solve problems and become our partner. States are also leading the charge forward in providing solutions to improve the nations future workforce. We know that the best way for American Workers<\/a> to find good paying jobs is to boost their educational attainment. Similarly, in the best way to help american businesses is to improve our workforce. States are leading the way by improving education and using our educational systems to build a highly Skilled Workforce<\/a> for the coming decades. And it is a critical ingredient in the recipe for higher wage jobs and also to increase americas competitiveness and improve our standard and that standard of living for all our families. That is why as nga chair i chose as my Initiative America<\/a> works education and training for tomorrows jobs to focus on our workforce and our nation and art jobs and making america more competitive. It is about making significant improvements to our Education Systems<\/a> and workforce Training Programs<\/a> and to align them with the needs of our businesses and the labor markets to benefit our citizens and also to benefit our state economies. Now heres why the status quo wont work for todays workers. When you are navigating a pathway to prosperity, as an american citizen, it is much more challenging than it was when our parents are growing up. We know that a High School Diploma<\/a> is no longer a guarantee to a good job or a middleclass life. We know that the new minimum for economic success is either a twoyear or a fouryear degree or some type of relevant workforce certificate. And without some kind of post secondary education, our children and adults will find it hard to achieve the American Dream<\/a> and just gain access to a middleclass life. If we dont respond to this new reality, our nation will lose its Competitive Edge<\/a> when it comes to a Global Economic<\/a> climate. Just as troubling, we will fail to arm the next generation of americans, both men and women and their children, with the tools they need to enter and remain in the middle class or even to achieve better. Preparing americas 21st century workforce calls for National Attention<\/a> and gubernatorial leadership. And my fellow governors are responding. Staying competitive as a nation starts with our schools. Which is why governors are committed to providing a world class education for all of our students. We know the responsibility of educating the next generation has always been the responsibility of state and local governments. And for this reason, governors are focused on raising academic standards for all students, to ensure their success in college or a career with a Career Training<\/a> program. Our commitment to education is why we came together years ago to raise academic standards and to increase classroom rigor and to ensure our students could compete on their own in our states. That not only that, but to compete with students around the world. Those Higher Standards<\/a> are called common core state standards. They outline what students need to know to be college or career ready. However, it is left strictly to individual states, to districts and schools and educators to evaluate the quality of their student education to meet these rigorous and relevant standards. So i want to be really clear. Common core is not a federal government program. It is driven and implemented by states that choose to participate. It is also not a federal curriculum. In fact, it is not a curriculum at all. Local educators and School Districts<\/a> will design the best lesson plans or choose appropriate textbooks and will drive the classroom learning. They will provide them with Critical Thinking<\/a> skills and tools that they need to succeed in Higher Education<\/a> or to enter into the workforce. In addition to pursuing Higher Standards<\/a>, governors along with other states and local elected officials are also calling on congress to fix the longoverdue elementary and secondary education act, better known as no child left behind. While the laws original intent was good, changes must be made to make it work. Today, there are 41 states that are operating with waivers. That is frankly no way to run a program. While esea waivers will work for some states, it wont work for all states. Moreover, waivers remain a shortterm fix to a longterm problem. Congress should pursue changes that emphasize both flexibility and local control for the states wishing to pursue innovative policies that meet their own unique needs. Only after making these fixes should congress be reauthorize esea. However, governors realize that education is not education, excuse me, does not stop at the schoolhouse door. In our highly mobile and technologicallydriven Society Workers<\/a> of all ages must continue to learn and hone in their skills. And that is why, as governors, we are working greatly with Business Leaders<\/a> and educators to ensure those citizens have the skills they need and the knowledge required for the 21st century workforce. States are also working on supporting and cultivating Economic Growth<\/a> and creating high wage jobs. Where high wage jobs are concerned, governors understand that manufacturing plays an important role. Jobs are generated not only in the factories, but also in research and development. New products and new services that support manufacturing. The nga has worked with a demonstration project with california, colorado connecticut, illinois, and pennsylvania that have recently developed strategies emphasizing advancement fracturing. They are creating Publicprivate Partnership<\/a>s with industries and Advisory Councils<\/a> to guide state policy regarding manufacturing for working to reconnect manufacturers with research and development, workforce talent and supply chains. Large and Small Businesses<\/a> must be competitive in this global economy. Small or mediumsized businesses in the United States<\/a> total nearly 30 million and employ about half of the private sector workforce and also the payrolls. Yes, when you look at those businesses come only 10 of them export their goods. Governors are promoting growth in part by leading efforts in the exports of goods and services and attracting international investment. In todays world, our economies are global in our efforts to support growth and identify opportunities for businesses must be global. As we move on to the federal side, Congress Needs<\/a> to reauthorize the workforce investment act and provide safe states with flexibility that we need to be able to offer the most relevant workforce Training Programs<\/a> to our citizens. There are differences between the house and the senate and their approaches. But governors do agree that in streamlining the funding and restoring the governors 15 set aside to our state workforce will help us create innovative programs. Governors access to flexible federal funds to innovate and produce results is exactly the type of flushable federalism weve been talking about and is needed for helping states federal partnerships. But the workforce investment act is not the only way that congress can help put people back to work. Reauthorization of state trade and export Promotion Grant Program<\/a> beyond 2014 will ensure growth in the nations global competitiveness. It will also help us maintain the programs operations and outlays. And most importantly, create jobs. It is moving our country from scarcity to abundance, from dependency to selfsufficiency and Energy Policy<\/a> is another area where governors have been leading the charge despite the absence of a company has of National Energy<\/a> plan. For some of us, that is just fine because we are moving ahead here and many governors have created their own Innovative Energy<\/a> plans that are helping state support Homegrown Energy<\/a> production and meet the Energy Efficiency<\/a> needs. This is helping to advance economic development, lower cost, improve reliability and resiliency. In the process, generating state revenue. State efforts can go a long way. Federal policies must complement the efforts to improve our Nations Energy<\/a> security and support the diverse range of Domestic Energy<\/a> resources. In my home state of oklahoma, we have called for a 20 decrease in energy use and you will find similar bipartisan programs through the nation in states like new york, alabama, iowa colorado. Another great examples of leading the way in innovative Public Policy<\/a> is the multistate memorandum of understanding in which my vice chairman and i have initiated to set the stage for states to affordably convert the fleet to cng. Theyre now using combined purchasing power to save taxpayer money and also encourage a clean source of energy to encourage the development of technology and infrastructure enhancements and frankly to take advantage of an abundant lowcost Natural Gas Resource<\/a> being developed by dozens of states. Shell Gas Development<\/a> is an area where we are leading practices that address the potential Environmental Concerns<\/a> and other impacts but also supporting jobs and Energy Independence<\/a> for our nation. This fall, governor hickenlooper and i led a bipartisan forum on energy in colorado and we brought together other officials from 20 different states and we shared best practices and we learn from each other new approaches to responsible development. Governor, i want to thank you for hosting the shale Gas Development<\/a> forum and for your work on behalf of the National Governors<\/a> association. Its been a great pleasure to work with you. Now i would like to invite up to the podium our vice chair of the National Governors<\/a> Association Governor<\/a> John Hickenlooper<\/a> of colorado. Governor. [applause] i can use her glasses if i need them. Governor fallin, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your friendship. Its great to be your neighbor, Work Together<\/a>, try to solve the problems of our states side by side. Republicans and democrats worked together as governors as i dont think they do in almost any other part of our national life. We saw this firsthand when we had our floods. You are one of the first three states to offer and send National Guard<\/a> support oklahoma, wyoming, utah, all republican governors. Governors dont really worry about party when we are trying to get things done. Thank you for helping organize the shale forum in colorado and joining us there. As governor fallin noted, we are at the center of the shale energy boom or actively pursuing ways to manage responsible development. We have increased our production of natural gas by 30 since 2000 5 and seriously considering the opportunity and the risk associated with these new drilling technologies. We have strong rules in place to add transparency about the mix of agreements to be used in hydraulic fracking and way required groundwater testing free and post drilling. Most recently, we have proposed rules in concert with the Environmental Community<\/a> to reduce the release of volatile organic compounds and methane during production and transport of natural gas using advanced technologies to detect and address leaks. These will help address concerns about local air quality and help stem Greenhouse Gas<\/a> emissions and foster a better sense of trust between industry and the public. Across the nation, governors are leading the effort to make full use of every Energy Resource<\/a> natural gas, oil, wind, solar and to reduce the amount of energy that we use. Our efforts to develop shale gas responsibly along with promoting the full array of Energy Resource<\/a>s and Energy Efficiency<\/a> strengthen this Nations Energy<\/a> independence. In fact, several recent predictions, including those by the interNational Energy<\/a> administrations, have predicted the United States<\/a> will have the potential to become net Energy Efficient<\/a> by 2030. We already to use more energy than we import, the first time in many years. This bodes well for Energy Prices<\/a> and overall Economic Growth<\/a>. Governors are at the forefront of maintaining and protecting our army and National Guard<\/a>. Never before has the National Guard<\/a> been so well trained as they are today. As commanders in chief of army and air National Guard<\/a>, it is an honor and a privilege to stand with our men and women. At home in colorado, alongside our other first responders, the National Guard<\/a> help rescue trapped families. It works 12 hour days to make sure we had everyone of our broken roads open before december 1. The guard is ready, capable, and an experienced fighting force but they are also essential here at home. For this reason, we continue to actively and loudly champion our National Guard<\/a>. As troops come home from abroad we maintain the value of having an active and ready guard. As we transition from war into peace but they should not adversely affect states or, at the expense of last capabilities. Instead, we should be leveraging the experience and cost effect iveness of the army and air National Guard<\/a>. We went to work with our federal partners to make sure that the guard remains ready for state and federal missions. The next outcome is not a field or a town but a Computer Network<\/a> that supports our own critical infrastructure. Resiliency to cyber attacks, the guard should be mobilized to protect networks and be able to respond to incidents. The government seeks to clarify how it will work with the private sector to better secure cyberspace. States are already moving forward to develop and implement new cyber policies to protect economies and ensure public safety. Nga launched the Resource Center<\/a> for state Cyber Security<\/a> by governor Martin Omalley<\/a> and governor rick snyder. State teams met to share best practices and devise ways governors can guide their efforts and make sure that we measure progress. Nga released a call to action released for Cyber Security<\/a> which gives recommendations to consider, develop, and implement a strategy to allocate appropriate resources. It also advances Cyber Security<\/a> efforts in the energy structure. Were pursuing robust approaches to government examining how to leverage the support and in keeping with the theme of governor fallins initiative advancing education and workforce to help meet the growing need for welltrained Cyber Security<\/a> experts. Finally, for our veterans, governors, welcome all of them home. At the state level, governors are leading efforts to improve outreach to veterans and their families in a variety of ways. It calls for the federal departments to break down the access to benefits, services that they have rightly earned defending our country. The federal government must work with states to fill the gaps left by federal programs and to better target services to at risk veterans like our wounded warriors. Often one of the Biggest Challenges<\/a> is finding meaningful employment. Recognizing how critical this is to a transition from military service to civilian life governors are particularly focused on getting our veterans back to work. In partnership with the u. S. Department of labor, nga is working with a number of states to develop best practices and facilitate the transfer of military skills. This will help veterans leverage their military training to gain the necessary civilian credentials to perform jobs in industries such as transportation or healthcare. Our goal in colorado is to have every returning veteran employed taking care of men and women who served their country remains paramount for governors. No list of priorities would be complete without the mention of health care, like education and jobs, it remains one of the core issues facing state. The politics of health care have become divisive, but our goal of improving systems and helping states become healthier is not. The National Governors<\/a> association, health care is not just about the Affordable Care<\/a> act. We should focus on the issue that unites us or the issues that unite us, not those that divide us. Highvalue healthcare that is efficient and costeffective should be the common goal. In 2013, nga hosted more than 52 separate health care meetings with various state officials and these meetings included leadership training, policy academies, and learning Networks Technical<\/a> assistance and webinars. In october, nga joined with the National Institute<\/a> of medicine to hold the first of several in state retreats designed to help think through different ways to transform their Health Systems<\/a>. The first was held in wisconsin with Governor Scott<\/a> walker private sector leaders, and national leaders. We hope to do several more of these across the country. Today we are holding a National Convening<\/a> of state leaders interested in transforming Health Systems<\/a> and the focus is to share state level innovation as we were collectively to reduce costs and at the same time improve quality for health care and all of our states. This is also a way to stem the growing epidemic of Prescription Drug<\/a> abuse. I have the pleasure of cochairing an initiative to help states fight this growing problem. States are implementing strategies that will hopefully lower the number of deaths in emergency room visits for Prescription Drug<\/a> overdoses while still giving access to necessary medication. Finally, governors came together to identify and share best practices as part of a healthcare Sustainability Task<\/a> force led by governor John Kitzhaber<\/a> and the governor from tennessee to strengthen the statefederal partnership and improve the quality of healthcare while at the same time again reducing costs. That task force and its finding will be discussed at the february meeting in washington. Governors are taking a variety of different leads on this issue. Vermont dedicated his entire state of the state address to the issue of drug abuse including the abuse of Prescription Drug<\/a>s and how it leads to more serious concerns about heroin addiction. If you have not read his state of the state address, i would advise you to do so. Its remarkable. In addition, this nations infrastructure provides the skeletal structure that connects us to one another. When we talk about infrastructure, we generally think about highways, transit systems that connect people and places. Infrastructure is more than surface transportation. It includes utility systems that connects us to power and water schools, public buildings that connect us to opportunity and participation. As states emerge from the economic downturn, its critical that we work with our partners to rebuild and invest in roads rail, bridges, airports, waterways, and energy infrastructure. We face a steep funding gap estimated to be as high as 1. 6 trillion by 2020, factoring in the 2. 6 trillion projected to keep the infrastructure system safe and reliable minus current revenue. For surface transportation alone, the federal Highway Trust Fund<\/a> faces another perilous fiscal cliff later this year. Projected receipts including general Fund Transfers<\/a> will be less. Infrastructure is about the future. Economic prosperity and innovation relies on a robust and sustainable infrastructure as the foundation. At the state level, governors are leading the way by creating new approaches to fixing funding, financing infrastructure to help meet the needs of the 21st century. Those efforts include carefully managing costs, identifying opportunities for new Revenue Sources<\/a> using advanced technologies to improve performance, lower lifecycle expenditures, and using Public Private<\/a> partnerships to speed up project delivery and lower overall cost. Several governors including those from illinois, north carolina, colorado were participating in a new effort to help states examine how they can deploy a financing strategies to deliver infrastructure. We have seen success already with that approach in colorado. We have a new Commuter Rail<\/a> line expansion in are suing another Publicprivate Partnership<\/a> to improve the roads between denver and boulder. They have long called for legislation that says longterm stability can allow states to invest in a longterm surface transportation with consistent and reliable federal partner. Yesterday, governor fallin testified about the need for longterm reauthorization of these critical programs. The message was uncertainty forces states to act to fill in the void. Governors agree state action is not about devolution. It requires an intragovernmental partnership. Its about more than just roads. Congress is working hard to reauthorize a water resource and development fact, key legislation to help accelerate investing in the Water Infrastructure<\/a> systems. We applaud the house and senate for passing bipartisan bills to reauthorize wrda and call on congress to complete and send a bill for a signature to the president. A Strong Partnership<\/a> is even more crucial within the state budget. Governors were both hearts and dismayed when the government deal was reached. There was hope that washington and the state could Work Together<\/a> to address the fiscal problem facing the country and today was supposed to be another critical deadline that the federal government would again close its doors this the president and congress could not agree. The state of the state and of the federal government are inextricably linked. The politics of fiscal responsibility can no longer be centered around crises and deadlines. We applaud the budget agreement reached by congress but now we have to have success. The budget deal raises important questions for the country. Which Services Government<\/a> should provide and at what level, how we should pay for them, and which reforms are necessary for a modern economy. In the area tax reform governors recognize the need to simplify and improve the federal tax code. Last year, we created a Tax Reform Task<\/a> force to make recommendations on those areas where it intersects state policy. Two strong recommendations emerged from that group. One, maintain the exclusion of income for interest earned on Municipal Bonds<\/a>. For more than a century, Municipal Bonds<\/a> have been used to build this country. Roads, schools, hospitals, and airports have all been built thanks to the unique status of Municipal Bonds<\/a>. Federal laws and regulations should not increase issuance costs to states directly or indirectly nor diminished market demand for the bonds issued by state and local government. If infrastructure is a priority for the nation, the tax exempt status of Municipal Bonds<\/a> must be preserved. Likewise, the deductibility of state and local taxes for federal income taxes part of the federal tax code since its inception more than 100 years ago. Eliminating federal deductibility would reverse the historic separation of federal state, and local taxing authority. It would be forcing double taxation among taxpayers. One thing congress can and must do is partner with states to pass the marketplace fairness act. This past holiday season, new records were set with consumers paying for more than 500 billion worth of online goods. While the main Street Stores<\/a> support our communities and decorate our street and select local sales tax, the internet competitors do not. Marketplace fairness is just common sense. It is legislation that upholds the principles of federalism and is fair, simple, good for business. Its not like the internet still needs a lift. It encourages competition and preserves main street jobs closing this unfair loophole, an issue on which congress can and should come together. The Senate Overwhelmingly<\/a> passed legislation this year and now we hope it is the houses turn. As you can tell, we have a lot to do. Governors are innovating and we want to continue to push our federal partners to Craft Solutions<\/a> to support innovation at the federal level as well. We all want to return one year from now moving our nation forward by putting people back to work, by supporting growth, by educating our children, by improving our security. Thank you all for being here in this lovely, wonderful place. Governor fallin, thank you so much for being such a remarkable leader, not just for oklahoma but for all of us governors. Thank you. [applause] i appreciate your comments. We would be glad to take a few statements from the press. Herb jackson from the bergen record in new jersey. Can you tell me if you would want Chris Christie<\/a> campaigning for you and if you think this would be a problem for you looking forward to november . [laughter] its unfortunate what has happened in new jersey and i think the facts are so till undetermined as far as all of the details. No governor ever wishes that upon another to have to go through that type of circumstance and we will have to wait and see what the details are. In the meantime, any time Public Policy<\/a> hurts the public itself which it appears that it did do that, thats not right. We still dont know the details as it relates to governor christie. Hes been a strong leader. We saw his leadership during Hurricane Sandy<\/a> when he helped the state get back on its feet. Hes a man that speaks his mind and sometimes but also ruffles feathers. We will have to wait and see. Fox news channel. Can you tell us a little bit about the healthcare state exchanges and how its working in both of your states, some of the problems across the country for the different states in the exchanges . As governor hickenlooper stated, all want to improve healthcare and we are all concerned about medicaid costs Rising Health<\/a> care costs. We all want to make sure that not only individuals that businesses have access to quality care and we have seen as the rollout of the Affordable Care<\/a> act that its not been smooth and that is both for republican and democratic governors alike. Certainly, each governor has chosen their own path whether it relates to forming their own state exchange or moving into a federal exchange. We appreciate the fact that all governors have different economies, different budgets different political situations to deal with and different preferences on how the Healthcare System<\/a> is administered. In my state of oklahoma, just speaking for me, i did choose not to expand the federal medicaid system because im concerned about the cost and concerned about Congress Meeting<\/a> its promises on funding. I also did not choose to form my own state exchange. We went with the federal exchange. Our citizens voted overwhelmingly not to support the Affordable Health<\/a> care act in our state. We passed a constitutional amendment in oklahoma. What happens in oklahoma is different from colorado. In general, the nga respects other governors and their different budget situations but we do have an agreement on needing to lower medicare costs, improve Health Care Costs<\/a> and also improving the health of our citizens. It has obviously been difficult. Our local exchange was smoother than the national rollout. I think we are close to 150,000 signing up through expanded medicaid or those who did not have insurance for other reasons. One thing that gets lost in the discussion frequently, five years ago before obama care was even fully expressed, 90 of the doctors in the United States<\/a> of america used paper for not just the prescriptions but medical records. We forget that. Big part of this Affordable Care<\/a> act was the significant federal expenditures to incentivize and push modernization of how we do medicine. Obviously we are coming out of recession but we have come out of others before. If you go back over the last 50 years, the cost for health care is rising but over the last three years, rising at a slower rate than they have over the last 50. It is clearly a disruptive difficult time. Change is hard. Each governor, republican and democrat, we share that goal of improving quality. Nothing stays the same, so if you are not improving health care, it will only get worse. At the same time, we try to figure out how to lower costs. When you are expanding the number of people who have the opportunity to get health care this is the perfect time to begin using scale and technology to lower the costs and figure out better ways and systems of doing this. The states are the right place where that laboratory of innovation and democracy really is at stake here and i dont know a single governor right now that is not spending a significant amount of time trying to figure out how to do this better. [inaudible] no. Obviously, we want more. There are somewhere near 800,000 uninsured so we have a ways to go. Are we content with . We are not. We need more. Quite candidly, we dont have as many young, Healthy People<\/a> signing up. In massachusetts, we saw today few years. Theres a process by which young people become aware and how we communicate were certainly not satisfied. I am with the bond buyer. You met with president obama yesterday and i wanted to know if he talked at all about his upcoming budget requests and she if he was planning on continuing to propose a 28 cap on muni bond interest. I dont remember him mentioning anything about on the interest and caps. We did talk about infrastructure. As governor hickenlooper mentioned, i had the opportunity to go in front of the transportation and Infrastructure Committee<\/a> to testify on behalf of the governors. As a former member of that committee to talk about the importance of reauthorization of the surface transportation bill and how the states need certainty when it comes to funding our nations infrastructure, whatever form of infrastructure that might be. We did talk to the president about infrastructure. We talked to the president about job creation, education, workforce needs. Those were some of the key issues that we visited with him about and we expressed that, has governors, as we have outlined in talking about various issues that there are Solutions Coming<\/a> from the states that we believe can be models for the rest of the nation. That we do believe there needs to be more collaboration, more cooperation between the states and the federal government and that is where you see the National Governors<\/a> association both last year and this year doing Something Different<\/a> that weve never done and that is having a state of the states address to the National Media<\/a> some of the key groups in and to some of the key groups in washington to talk about some of the challenges that the state s face, challenges that we need washington to address, frankly our frustration at times that washington does not address those things. We need a seat at the table. We do not have the luxury of an action Like Congress<\/a> on many key pieces of legislation. We have to act. We have to balance our budgets. We have to find those solutions. We believe its important for governors to sit down with the president , Vice President<\/a> but also the congress, u. S. House and u. S. Senate to talk about what were doing in our states. Governor hickenlooper and i gave several examples. One is the states came together to hold 52 different meetings related to healthcare costs, Healthcare System<\/a>s, lowering medicaid costs, better quality of care. We have also talked about Substance Abuse<\/a> in issues that the governors have taken. Governor hickenlooper and i have worked with other states talking about Energy Policy<\/a> and how we do believe that america has great resources that we can have Energy Independence<\/a> and more Economic Security<\/a> for our nation. We have led an effort and encourage our fellow governors to look at cng vehicles to save taxpayer money and utilize Financial Resources<\/a> are abundant. It safe to support every priority in the nga im kidding. [laughter] i do think its fair to say that the president and Vice President<\/a> we were there for over an hour but they listened hard. They asked a lot of questions about our points. The governor of arkansas and the governor of utah talked about some of the waivers on Health Care Policy<\/a> and why they had to be so hard and long. In both cases, or many cases when the talk about waivers for health care, theyre trying to streamline the process for infrastructure process. The president was literally saying, let me give you my cell phone number. If the federal bureaucracy is blocking the governors from getting stuff done, let us know and we will get on it. I think we all heard that with gratitude. Both Vice President<\/a> biden and president obama were clear. Lets get past the divisive stuff and lets try to get things done. They recognize that governors are in a unique relationship with each other. Governor fallin and i went to detroit 18 months ago to talk to Senior Executives<\/a> at general motors, chrysler, ford. Again and again they said, arent you a republican . Arent you a republican . Argument democrat . What youre doing here . Were trying to move forward and have you make vehicles that burns compressed natural gas that makes cleaner air and is cheaper. Now gm is putting an impala off the Assembly Line<\/a> able to burn compressed natural gas. Ive got to get my oklahoma guy here. Chris . Ive got to get my oklahoma guy here. The oklahoman. You mentioned the state of the state address by the vermont governor, and people make the same argument about marijuana being a gateway drug. I was wondering how you make a distinction. Governor fallin, would you ever see any advantage in the state legalizing marijuana. [laughter] first, i thought his courage to really direct almost entirely his speech to this epidemic, a crisis of drug addiction, a lot of people are very concerned when we started using vicodin and prescribing opiates as pain relief that there could be significant unintended consequences. He points out that we are seeing dramatic increases in people going from these Prescription Drug<\/a>s and going right into heroine. The number of young people, the lives, the accidental deaths the suicide, it is jumping dramatically and is not just in vermont. We see it in colorado. As we worked on the Prescription Drug<\/a> abuse task force, we see this all over the United States<\/a>. The point is relevant and i think something every governor is looking at. In terms of marijuana, i opposed it. I think almost every elected official in colorado opposed it. Not that we dont recognize the war on drugs was an abject failure. It did not do what it was intended to do and had many negative consequences. Even though we opposed the legalization of marijuana, it is now in our state constitution. We take it that this is the will of the people. As a be one of the great social experiments of the century and we take being first a serious sense of responsibility and obligation that we will regulate the living daylights out of it. I spent 15 years in the restaurant business. When you are making alcohol, the government is relentless and how they inspect your premise, how they tax you. If your restaurant sells liquor to a minor, they will suspend your license for a couple of days. On a second or third offense you will lose your license completely. We would be no less relentless with marijuana and we passed the standard. If youre driving while high, we will lock you up. Our focus is to keep corruption out. A number of top neuroscientists are concerned the highest thc content, with people whose minds are growing, kids under the age of 25 that within one week several exposures to the high thc marijuana has the potential to diminish longterm memory permanently. Kids dont understand this. They think because it is legalized that there is no inherent danger and thats not true. It will be passed at 25 plus local sales tax and we were use that money to create in ring a framework to protect minors in and we do not have people driving high or other places where he put the public at risk. We did not choose to support it but now its here we will take it very seriously. As long as im governor and oklahoma, i will do everything i can to prevent the legalization of marijuana. I am from politico. It comes increasingly clear that tax reform will not be coming, what can states due to shore up Revenue Streams<\/a> . What do you think tax competition will play Going Forward<\/a> . It does not look like we will see tax reform in congress this year, but you do see tax reform being done among the various states. It varies statebystate, party by party. States are very competitive and governors are very competitive. In my state of oklahoma, ive been working on lowering the tax rate in the state of oklahoma, prioritizing spending needs on important Different Services<\/a> like education, healthcare corrections, transportation, also creating efficiencies in state government. We combined 75 Different Agency<\/a> boards to put that money back towards tax cuts and prioritizing different government services. Each state is doing their own thing. But we also compete. We we go out to talk to other companies about why they should move to a certain state we sell the different features. We have lower taxes, reformed pensions, increasing academic rigor and a classroom, great infrastructure, whatever the issue might be, states are very competitive. I personally believe tax rates do matter in keeping businesses small and the governor of oklahoma it is important to me. Its a healthy competition and states always brag. If you look at all the taxes put together, oklahoma, texas, and colorado are the three lowest in. We talk about it all the time. It is not just to attract companies. States talk about that a lot but the real attraction is trying to create an environment that will attract entrepreneurs in the next generation of job creators because that is what drives your economy. One of our top competitors, the governor of utah, we compete day in and day out with utah. They have a higher income taxed at the other taxes that are lower. Were often competing for the same type of company, the same demographic. We compete with oklahoma as well. We try to keep it above board, friendly. There are a few exceptions to this. [laughter] not in the room. Not in the room and not among most of the states we directly compete with. That focus when you get an advantage, you want to talk about it. Even though we want to have the lowest taxes, we want to have the best Public School<\/a> system because that is what young entrepreneurs and people care about that will create the next generation of the workforce. You want to make sure your Health Care System<\/a> works better than the other guys we have an we have an unfair advantage because people want to move and climate mountains. We have more 25 to 34yearolds moving. We are not the Healthiest State<\/a>. We have Prescription Drug<\/a> abuse, low birth rate, low percentage of vaccinations. By most objective measures, we are not the Healthiest State<\/a> but we are working to get there and that is what a better country. Oklahoma is competing with colorado to beat healthiest. If we compete to have the best Education System<\/a> using the common core, objective measures. At least we will hold ourselves accountable and the whole standard of performance of the country rises. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time today. [captions Copyright National<\/a> cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] in a few minutes, washington journal. Coming up next on washington journal, lee drutman talks about a new report that studies legislation during be 113th congress and what it might indicate to productivity. After that, the hills erik wasson talks with the 2014 federal spending bill. In a conversation with Michael Singh<\/a> about the next thats in Irans Nuclear<\/a> deal with the international community. Host good morning, the president will be spending this week in washington to commemorate the holiday with a Community Service<\/a> project. On thursday he will meet with a number of the nations mayors in town this week. That meeting will take place at the white house. Congress is in recess for the mlk holiday. The auto show will be at the Washington Convention<\/a> center on saturday. Welcome to the sunday edition of washington journal. 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