[applause]

[applause] [applause] if. >> governor, welcome. ladies and gentlemen, help me welcome the 57th governor of the state of missouri, michael l.

parson, to the dais. [applause] >> i thought maybe, speaker, you was going to do this. oh, okay, all right. well, first of all, thank you, lieutenant governor, mr. speaker, statewide officials, members of the general assembly, esteemed guests. and it is my honor to welcome for the first time in our state's history, judges of the first ever female majority supreme court of missouri. [applause]

there's another person i want to recognize today that i normally don't do, but i'm going to do it very quickly. it is a gentleman that has been doing this job for 20 years making sure these teleprompters work correctly. todd mayfield is doing his e 20th session here in the state of missouri. todd, thank you. [applause] well, to say the least, it's an honor to be joined by first lady as i welcome, as a a i we kohl. -- welcome to the dais as the final time as the 57th governor

of the gate state of missouri. during our time as a golf, we've accomplished more than any of us probably thought was ever possible. but i wouldn't be standing here today without my support system, my family. and that's where i want to start today. first and foremost, the first lady. teresa has been by my if side every ten of the way -- step of the way. and after 38 years of marriage, i wouldn't be the husband, the father, the gramps or governor i am today without her. thank you for serving in a role you never asked for but doing it each and every day with grace and passion, commitment to best serve the people of missouri. ladies and gentlemen are, the first lady of the tate of missouri. [applause] the state of missouri. [applause]

there's another a group of people with me today, and it's the my family. . and i am one of the most blessed people in the world to have the family i have and for all of them to be here. and it really started with my son and my daughter years ago. they really made me a better person, having those two come into my life, and they're both here today with us. naturally, they're the ones that have all my grandkids, and i just can't say enough how much my children's meant to me in my life and my grandkids. and most of them are here today, but i do have one i want to give a little bit of a shout-out to. it is his first public event at the ripe age of six months, so he is with us here today for the first time. and then also i have another great grandchild on the way that's here.

my brothers are here, i have nieces and nephews and cousins, brothers, all my family from here. but i tell ya, there's two things i know in life that are important. that's god almighty and my family. i love all you guys. that are here today. would you please recognize my family and show them your appreciation. please rise. [applause] like the legislators in this room and and missourians across this state, my faith, family and the next generations are the driving force behind the change we have made in missouri.

and last year when i stood before you, i highlighted many of our historic achievements we've accomplished together. as we laid out bold and historic proposals, i declared that this governor, this dad, this gramps is not done yet, and i tell you, we are not done yet. and while that's still true, i'm here to tell ya we're getting close. after serving six sessions in the house, six sessions in the senate, two sessions as lieutenant governor and now my sixth and final session as your 57th governor, i am expected to say this is a bittersweet moment. but while the view from this dais facing all of you is a fine sight to see, it is no comparison to the view of that

polk county farm behind the windshield of my john deere tractor. [laughter] [applause] but look, i promise i will think of all of you occasionally. [laughter] but in all seriousness, i'll be leaving here with my head held high. because like many of you who came here for the right reasons, we never wavered from those wise words on our capitol and inscribed in our state seal. let the good of the people be the supreme law. in every decision we make, we must look to the effects on the next generations and the ability for them to achieve their american dream. in every decision we must put

people first. easy said but hard to do. it's a simple idea that has been our guiding principle since the very beginning. and that's our final commitment to you. until our final day, we will continue to put people first. [applause] when i became governor, missouri was tired of the turmoil. political in-fighting and self-involved personalities. they were tired of quitters. and when i first stepped into the governor's office amidst the thousands of camera clicks, hundreds of shouted questions and countless state, local and national media, we closed the chapter on scandal and began a

new direction because there was no turning back. we declared a fresh start and the return of stability. we committed to insuring the next generations have their opportunity at the american dream. we promised the return of integrity to state government. and above all, we promised to return people first mentality. and today i firmly believe we have done just that. [applause] every year we have approved conservative and balanced budgets. we have maintained our a a a a d we've always left funds on the bottom line. actually, with the budget we outlined today, we will leave

office with over $1.5 billion on the bottom line which has never been done before in our tate's history. state's history. [applause] we are also pleased to report that we have paid down missouri's debt by over $600 million, leaving the state with 53% less debt than when we started. that is quite the contrast compared to what we are seeing happening in washington d.c. in missouri we don't leave future generations to pick up the tab. we a pay our bills and we put people first. [applause] working with all of you,

balanced and conservative budgets have always a been the norm, never the exception. we've always been more interested in giving back missourians hard-earned dollars rather than spending them. in turn, that creates jobs, business growth and increased revenues to the tate. to the state. in fact, state revenues have increased 40% since 2018 with a significant growth coming from sales revenue. not income tax, not corporate tax and not fuel taxes, but from revenue created by missourians spending their own money, not government programs. [applause] and one of the huge factors is the three separate tax cuts we approved including the largest in our tate's history -- in our

state's a history. we have decreased missourians' tax burdens by over 20, unleashing a economic powerhouse in the state of missouri. [applause] when i became governor, we were ranked 42nd for gdp growth and last among our mid e west neighbors. today we are ranked 23rd in the nation and top 5 in the midwest for gdp growth. that's a real reckoning here in jeff city. that's not all talk and all a hot air. that is a true reckoning of growth, opportunity that missourians have come to expect from this administration and state government. [applause] that a's our leadership creating a real formula for success. and that's something all of us

should celebrate in this chamber. overall, missouri now has the 3th lowest -- 13th lowest tax burden of any state in the nation. and under our administration, our unemployment rate fell to 2.1%, the lowest rate ever recorded in our state's history. actually, it has been so low that our problem is not creating jobs, but filling jobs. since becoming governor, we have added more than 110,000 jobs to our economy and closed out the year ranked 15th nationally for job creations. and today as a i stand before you for the final time as missouri's 57th governor, i declare that the state of our state is stronger than it has ever been. [applause]

we've done it all a by putting people first x. that a started with state government. nothing we do in this room is possible without the dedicated public servants across the state to implement these ideas. but when i became governor, state government was quickly becoming underappreciated, understaffed and underpaid. that's why we approved three historic pay increases to recruit is and retain -- recruit and retain quality talent across state government. raising team member pay by over 20% since 2018. and let me tell you with, the investment in our state employees have been worth every penny. [applause]

and that's why this year we are proposing an additional 3.2% cost of living increase for all of our state employees. if. [applause] and representing our more than 47,000 state team members here today is my cabinet. through every crisis i turn to my cabinet and their teams. not the federal government. and i have always maintained

that the answers to our problems are in this state and among to our -- among our people. if we just allow ourselves to put egos and self-importance to the side and just listen. and while they may have already been recognized, i want to ask my cabinet to stand with me for one last time. i always say that being a good leader is not about being the best, but it's making those around you better. and today i thank you and your teams for proving that to be true. [applause] putting people first is something we implemented across

state government because we set the example from the governor's office. from the start, we got straight to work. we completed the largest deregulation effort in our state's history, eliminating nearly one out of every five state regulations. and during covid-19 we waived over 600 more regulations. by working with the general assembly, we made many of these changes permanent in statute and improved the regulatory the environment in missouri. because, to be honest with you, many of these rules and laws should have never existed in the first place. [applause]

when i became governor, we also inherited nearly 4,000 pending clemency applications. while i'm a law and order governor, 4,000 people in limbo waiting for an answer is not how we do good business. whether we approved them or we denied, we set out to provide answers. today i am proud to announce that the clemency backlog we inherited has been totally cleared for the first time in decades. [applause] but as a former sheriff, this reform did not mean we were letting people out of prison or forgiving violent criminals. we pardoned people who deserved it, people who had truly turned their lives around.

people like e kenny batson who joins us here today. in his youth, kenny was drinking, getting into fights and found himself on the wrong side of the law. but today kenny has turned his life completely around. kenny is a proud husband and father of three kids. he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree and has been a pastor for more than 20 years including service as a hospice chaplain. kenny and others like him might have made some mistakes when they were young, but he earned a second chance. please join me in recognizing kenny batson. [applause]

another way our office has been able to capitalize on historic opportunity is appointing over 155 missouri judges and 3 supreme court judges, meaning more than 40% of the judiciary has been appointed by our administration. that's more appointments than any governor in our state's history. by focusing on core conservative values, we've truly reshaped judiciary for generations to come and if guaranteed -- and guaranteed a judiciary that upholds the law and not the politics of the moment. [applause]

additionally, in putting the people of missouri first, our office put politics aside and appointed five strong statewide with office holders which has never happened before in our state 's history. lieutenant governor kehoe, attorney general bailey, auditor fitzpatrick, treasurer mallick, and though he's not here today, senator smith. and i thank all of you for stepping up and answering the calls to serve missourians. and i trust to you will never quit on the people of the great state of missouri. [applause] and today i want to highlight another one of our quality appointments in the city of st. louis, circuit attorney gabe gore. we didn't pick mr. gore because

of his politics. matter of fact, we never even asked. it was because he clearly cared for the people of st. louis. he valued strong communities. fighting crime, returning law and order and putting people first. the level of professionalism between the circuit attorney's office, the metro police, the courts, the attorney general's office and our office is greater than i have ever experienced. please join me in recognizing st. louis circuit attorney gabe gore. [applause]

when the history books tell the story of missouri's 57th governor, i hope it's our work force development infrastructure accomplishments that stand out. and this year, as we propose our final priorities as governor, there is no turning back. we know that that guaranteeing missouri's strong foundation starts with a quality education in our children. this year we will once again fully fund the k-12 foundation formula with an additional $120 million over last year's level, and we also full -- we will also fully fund transportation across the state of missouri. [applause]

in total, our administration has increased funding for k-12 education by $700 million since 2018. and i'll note that's all state funding, not the federal government. and at the same time, our administration and this general assembly took the first step toward school choice for more missouri families through our education savings account program. and when it's public, private, charter or christian, we don't care where missourians are getting a quality education as long as they get one. [applause] this year to do our part on

teacher pay we're including funding to increase teacher pay baseline, increase teacher baseline pay to $40,000 per year. this represents a $15,000 increase for teacher pay during our administration. [applause] we are also recommending $6 million for career ladder. together, these programs have benefited tens of thousands of teachers in every corner across our state. we have also a made historic investments in missouri's higher education. we've increased higher education core funding by 24% and invested

$1.2 billion in state of the art capital improvements and upgrades on our college campuses. and this year's budget we included another 3% core increase for our 4-year institutions and community colleges and $54 million for work force training program on our college campuses. ms. -- [applause] when i graduated high school, i went straight into the work force and joined the united states army. and for me, there was no turning back. my path is similar to many missourians'. as nearly 60% of our work force don't have college degrees. and that's okay, because we all

know it doesn't take a college education to be successful. since 2018 we have helped establish, upgrade and transform 57 career and technical education institutions across our state. more of our going people are earning a quality skill, a certificate or credential that that will help secure them a bit a college degree. [applause] we are also upscaling our current work force and helping them secure the skills they need to succeed. since its upgrade in 2019, missouri one start has a helped train more than 1734,000 -- 173,000 workers.

officially -- additionally since its creation, our fast track the program has benefited over 1,700 students with more than 55% going into health care. and, ladies, i want you to listen up, and person to-thirds of that being women -- two-thirds of that a being women. [applause] .. benefited from our historic support. in the upper gallery we have isaac lowell from fort river's career center. an apprenticeship in the army reservist in springfield. at a trucking apprenticeship from pleasant hill.

with hard work, determination, and a skill of some kind anyway anyonecan achieve the american m and the individuals are proving it. please join me and recognizing these hard-working folks and others like them across the state. [applause] [applause] this group, represents just a sample of the more than 57000 new apprenticeships we have added since becoming governor. under our administration nearly apprenticeship activity in missouri has grown by one 100%. that is why this year we are including another 3 million-dollar investment to support even more apprenticeship

opportunities. as you can see the target investments truly make a difference in the lives of missourians. and thanks to our past efforts i am proud to report that missouri is ranked second in the united states of america for apprenticeship and that is something we should all be proud of. [applause] [applause] like any child in this state we rise to it. we do not hide from it. this year we are investing another $10 million for advanced semi conductor research. development and skills or oftraining as well as nearly $7 million to support critical mineral development in missouri.

missouri ranks fourth in the nation for manufacturing when it comes to semi conductors and critical minerals. we can lead and we will lead to ensure we never have to rely on nations like china again. [applause] [applause] another focus in the workforce development arena that the first lady and i are especially proud of his jagged, missouri. jack includes students that may be struggling academically, who may have found themselves in some trouble. or are at high risk. when we first began back in our lieutenant governor days, jagged was supporting just six programs

and serving 225 students. today jagged, missouri supports more than 112 programs and serves more than 4000 missouri students with a high school graduation rates of 98%. [applause] [applause] and that is thanks in large part to the first lady for taking this program under her wing. in the upper gallery we have current and former jagged students joining us today. these students are well on their way. whether that is college, the military or straight to the workforce. and with your help we can

support this life-changing program with an investment of $3.8 million. but if you choose not to stand behind the students in the upper gallery in the thousands like them across the state, it will not be me you have to answer too. but the first lady herself. would you please join me in giving these jagged students and specialists here with us today a round of applause? [applause] [applause] when it comes to preparing missourians for the workforce we know we are on solid ground. the biggest thing is we can continue. but today our state is in critical need of quality early learning programs.

business leaders estimate the lack of early learning programs is costing our state over $1 billion annually. and over 85% of missourians believe early childhood learning supports a child success, apparent success and a business success. but today we only have the capacity to serve just 39% of missouri's children in licensed facilities. it is time for change. this year along with senator arthur and representative representativeshields we are agg three new child tax care credit programs these programs to help improve access and affordability for families seeking childcare across the state of missouri. additionally we are continuing funding with the expansion of prekindergarten programs. these are commonsense measures

that are good for business, are great for families and best for our missouri children. joining us today at catherine cd her child theo who utilize child care subsidies. yet catherine still finds it difficult to find quality childcare. cap it is a full-time nursing student that uses colleges early learning program. without help she is not sure she could afford or find care for theo. catherine only wants the best possible education for theo. something i think we can all agree on. but that should be the minimum for every child in missouri. that is why this year we are proposing a 52 million-dollar investment in missouri's childcare subsidy program to make sure infants, toddlers and children like theo can receive a

quality care they need and deserve. please join me and welcoming catherine, theo, program director jennifer. [applause] [applause] another issue affecting missouri children is a fentanyl crisis. drugs pouring into our country through the southern border is devastating missouri families. last year dozens of missouri children weren't lost due to fentanyl exposure but i want to say that one more time they were lost to fentanyl exposure. they didn't use it, they didn't do anything they were exposed to

it and lost their minds. this year alongside sedrick thompson and representative parker we are proposing legislation stricter punishments for exposing children and minors to fentanyl's the fentanyl crisis is here hysteric families apart. children died from fentanyl is one 100% preventable. while president biden of the federal government failed to do their jobs by securing our southern border, missouri will act. [applause] are also protecting missouri

children and our note most vulnerable attorney general's plan to prosecute and punish human traffickers in the state of missouri. together these initiatives are not only pro- children and pro- family but pro-life as well. [applause] [applause] speaking of pro-life, i want to take this opportunity to highlight this historic success in missouri's fight for life. when i came to jefferson city nearly 8000 collected abortions were performed annually in missouri. and as i stand before you today,

i am proud to report that number is zero. [applause] what mark. [applause] [applause] [applause] now, another priority for this administration roads, bridges and missouri's infrastructure. while road and bridge repair

might not be the most exciting topic it is the one that impacts all missourians the most. infrastructure was one of the first major initiatives we took on. five and half years ago, working with all the view we set out to repair and replace 250 missouri's bridges for the first time understates history we leverage general revenue and bonding authority to fund our focus. the way we created this program allowed us to pull down additional funds to not only repair 250 overlooked and crumbling missouri bridges but it freed up additional resources for major projects like the bridge, the eye 270 north, and the new bridge. many doubted it would ever happen. but as i stand before you today,

i say mission accomplished. focus on bridges is complete. finished on by this time next year we fully expect to be completed as promised. [applause] [applause] we truly believe our focus on the bridge program will be our model moving forward. although focus was in the name does not mean everything else stopped. in total under our administration we have repaired or replaced over 1000 bridges across our state two. we have repaired nearly 17000 miles of missouri roadway in five short years is about 50%

of all of missouri's entire highway system has been replaced or repaired. i will remind you we have the seventh largest system in the nation. and as for rural missouri with an unprecedented funding of $200 million nearly 2000 miles have been completed. [applause] [applause] when i became governor, our statewide transit rotation across the entire state but it $2.5 billion. today we are funded at nearly $14 billion. joining us today in the upper

gallery are the men and women making it all happen. each of these eight men and women represent 130 years of experience the more than 4600 employees under our administration we have cap this group busy. so pleased to join me and recognizing their contributions to our state. [applause] [applause] the expansion of i-70 has been that talked about in this building for decades. decades of hot air. decades of passing the buck. under our administration in this general assembly on the

leadership decades of an action has turned into action. the summer construction on i-70 is set to begin and columbia and from there it was to say there is no turning back. [applause] [applause] it is the strategic way we chose to fund i-70 that i bring up the project today. with the smart use of our resources efficient and effective work we are projecting i-70 completion not only on time but with savings two. in two days ago we received a more great news congressman graves.

we will be receiving over $90 million in additional funds to put towards projects on i-70. [applause] [applause] with those of savings in these additional funds today we are seeing our recommendation to establish the eye 44 improvement fund. this fund will build on the nearly one or $50 million already included. yes that is right we are not just laying the foundation to expand and improve one interstate across our state but to interstates. [applause] [applause]

that all sounds good that i have more. today we are also ranked second in the united states for capitol and bridge projects ninth for improving rural roads on 11th for the cost-effectiveness and conditions of our roadways. another important piece of infrastructure is broadband. working with you our administration has invested over $400 million towards broadband expansion. making tens of thousands of home, business, farm connections across the state. thanks to these efforts now another $1.7 billion is coming to our state to federal funds that former senator blunt helped

to secure. we believe the next five years the digital divide of missouri will be closed once and for all. [applause] less than six years we have accomplished more than most governors have an eight years. i will remind you we did all with challenges on the most unprecedented events in our state's history. whether it is a duck boat crisis, plugs, droughts, tornadoes, civil unrest, train derailments, or in 2021 a global pandemic came knocking at our doors a crisis that came with no roadmap or playbook.

we never backed down or passed the buck. they're been critics? sure but critics are a dime a dozen. one thing i have learned in life you will never be criticized for someone doing more than you would always person during the last makes the most noise. [applause] through all of the criticism whenever stubborn for the people of missouri. and for all of my like-minded colleagues who stood with me, along beside me and who came here to be good public servants and put people first. i want you to listen closely to what i say next. because these are your winds at

two. together we have reshaped our supreme court and judiciary as a whole you protected the second amendment rights, focus on law and order and safeguarded missouri landmark. we have fought the fight and reduce the number of abortions in our state from 8000 annually to zero but we have streamlined state agencies, supported our team members reduce the size of state governments. we built over 1000 bridges, 50% of our entire highway system and crafted lasting partnerships. we cut through nearly 20% of regulations on the books and made state government more efficient and effective while unleashing an economic development. we maintain our corporal aaa credit rating achieve the lowest unemployment ever recorded in our state's history. we paid our bills we have left

the state of missouri with 50% less debt then we started. we left $1.5 billion on the bottom line. we have created over 100 10,000 jobs and brought $14.5 billion in new business investments. we have cut taxes three times reduce income tax burdens by over 20% with the largest income tax cut in our state's history. no one, i mean no one has gone to bat for the people of missouri like in this administration and you. today we have one. [applause] [applause] as i begin to wrap up here.

i want to recognize of the group of special people who helped us make it all happen. these individuals are truly the best of the best. i could not have asked for better people to serve within the office of governor. and with 6 million missourians across our state they are often overlooked and overworked. but their impact on the state is beyond measure. we have taken on challenges no one could ever imagine. we never complain, never gave up, and above all they believed. they believed in the mission. they believed in our people and they believe in extraordinary capabilities of missourians to achieve a better tomorrow. i am filled with pride that we

have public servants of such caliber serving our great state. as the sun begins to set up my public service career i know their talents will continue benefiting missourians today, tomorrow, and years to come. to the most loyal and hard-working people i have ever had the honor of working alongside. from the bottom of my heart on behalf of this entire state i say thank you with the members of my staff both past and present please stand to be recognized. [applause] [applause]

>> is a final message to this body i'm reminded of an old saying. society grows great when old men and women plant trees. the shade of which they know it will never sit in. summarized this all about putting people first. ladies and gentlemen that has been the focus of this administration. we have planted the seeds today for better missouri tomorrow. the first lady and i may never be able to fully realize the work we have done alongside all of you. that was never the purpose and the first place. the point is that all of our kids and our grandkids across the state will. with faith, family and freedom at the forefront. honoring the constitution and leading with the ideas of the declaration of independence.

putting people first is what leadership has been to us. in missouri our economy is strong. our democracy is strong. our people are strong and we can keep it that way if we continue to put people first. [applause] missourians took a chance on me and place their confidence in me. my team but the people of the state first. you gave me and the largest victory margin in the republican's ever had in modern history and i will forever be grateful. what i got the call to become governor my "big brother" told me little brother, you come back home the same way you are leaving here today with your

head held high. while i will be keeping that promise, the first lady at night will return to the farm with our heads held high. and if we are honored enough to be considered by missourians as a pretty good governor, a decent guy, for someone who never forgot where he came from, then it will all be worth it. words cannot express the sincere appreciation i have for this state and our people. so, for one final time before this chamber today i simply say to the more than 6 million missourians that i have had the absolute privilege of serving, it has truly been the honor of my life to be your 57 the governor of the great state of missouri. god bless you.

god bless missouri and god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause]