i would argue, i think it's going to be hard to get out of the box and can't just be about h1b visas for your company. i was really surprised honestly someone who has been working in d.c. for the last 14 years, is that most notable thing about the forward.u.s. was that one of the firsting it das was take out ad buys on environmental issues. d.c. really is -- aid kind of like a city that is a junior high. and there's -- a high school. there's the jobs the homecoming queens, the in other -- the nerds, the geeks. problem solving folks come

together and it's not going to look like these old models of lobbying, and i tell you what that looks like inside congress is this tendency to use a campaign technology for governing and what it's doing is making governing look like campaigning. i think people who look at congress can see this. it can't be petition sites and can't be -- like the correspondence management system of congress sorts sentiment, not substance. unless we figure out a way to privilege certain kinds of information that match institutional functions, like the subcommittee institutionally responsible for? that is the information it needs at the right time for authentic high reputation sources. so it's this kind of -- like my dream is that we're going to move toward a future where this community that has largely commercial interests in the space, reserves or helps create some new rules because i feel like every single time it's these process rules that are just missing and they really

don't exist right now for civic social norms. >> joel and then adam. >> so, just one response to what she was saying. i think in -- adam is a great person to talk about this. he at facebook six or seven years ago started pioneering the effort to educate members of congress about how to use at least our platform to communicate with their constituented and hear back from their con state -- constituents in new ways. one thing i want to point out is while these -- i think all of these observations about ways we can educate and change institutions, make a lot of sense. we also as companies and as organizations need to operate in the world in which we live today, and that's a big difference between silicon valley's approach to the world and washington's approach to the world. silicon valley companies they want to -- they see systems and want to go around them. or change them or disrupt them.

unfortunately for at least for now, congress still operates as a democratic body with members who go home to their districts and while they may care a lot about what people in sill son -- silicon valley think in alabama, some congressional district they care a lot more about what the members of their district think so. as you think about how to get policy changes -- this is what forward was struggling with and made a valiant northwest trying to get comprehensive immigration reform done -- you still have to change the minds of the people at home before their members of congress are going to be responsive to them. so what the strategy you mentioned of the ad, just that was one ad as part of a broader effort and a strategy to figure out how to build the support in the districts to give members of congress the fortitude to take what might be a popular vote in silicon valley but a difficult vote in their home district.

and it's this mix that we're still going to have to do for a while when it comes to politics somebody new stuff and try to change and it also have to try to convince people in some old fashioned ways, although maybe using new tools. >> just i think to talk about the -- seems -- i mean no disrespect -- confused slightly. i used to work in congress and i love institution. i think many of the things you suggested are good things. also has to be an institution that wants to save itself and that not always evident in congress. they seen continue-year contracts and don't break them. the cut staff and continue to cut staff. the don't always want to make the hard choices. it is incumbent on to us provide some help but you can't save somebody that doesn't want to be saved. that's a critical component. when you talk about comprehensive solutions, when i look around the table, the folks that represent policy shops in

washington many have deep connections in washington. but when you look at some of these issues you can see here, we need be more involved in immigration and governance and security issues. frankly, that's why we have governments. this is not the google job or facebook's job to solve a refugee crisis in lattin america. if they have to do that now as part of a broader thing they're certainly willing to play a role as many companies are but that's the role of government, and i think to kind of put solely the burden on us when we're trying to simultaneously save institutions we think are broken, there has to be willingness here and the benefit is there are good people in government, and in the chambers and at the local levels but that's -- you kind of want both things here. we have to save the institution that might not want to be saved and replace it and make it feel better. it feels like a confusing argue. >> i am definitely confused.

>> michael? >> just going to make the point that one of the innovations a number of these companies represent is reputational networks and there's a great example of that happening in executive branch where there's a recent article how ten thousand federal executive branch employees are using get hub, a platform to share code and also a way to share ideas and have dialogue. so you have ten thousand federal employees from folks in the white house down into regulatory agencies, who are collaborating and you have these reputational mechanisms helping them sort that kind of input from the public and from other federal agencies and so forth. on the -- how we make policy, yes, a lot does happen from congress, but also a lot happens from regulatory agencies, and what i'm really excited to see is the modernization of regulatory agency in the coming

decade. just as one small example, the platforms that power the regulatory agencies are developing a open read/write api. not you just have to go to the web site of that regulatory agency to put a comment in but that advocacy platforms, grass arrests, everyone can on their own platforms contribute and there can be -- we can use technology to sort and weigh and all of those things in the rulemaking process which is a big part of kind of how we govern. >> michael. >> i'd like to add on the topic of immigration reform certainly an area that affects our entire economy, and probably every single industry in this country, and when you look at internet companies, as a whole they're all relatively new companies young, in their development and certainly new to politics and policy and i would argue that when it comes to immigration reform, our companies have done more and certainly more than their share, to push this debate

forward, and have it be a constructive conversation and move the ball down the court to get reform done and it's not something that happens in one congress or one year. it's been many years since the last reform was in the '80s, and i think that internet companies deserve a lot of credit for not just picking up the plan tell on what matters most to their intense interests they picked up in up the mantle for what is best for broader reform matters to the general economy, and this general topic why internet policy matters to startups and also to companies still startups as heart, and there are a lot of issues and as new entrants come in, policymakers have to make a decision, are we going to be protectionist and try to protect industries that have been around like last night, mentioned her father was manufacturing railroad ties and then when the next generation came out he had to figure out what to do expert of to the great thing about our economy and our country we're coming i up with new and better

ways and it's improving our society and our economy as a whole and we want to see that happen. enter northwest it a great catalyst for that. another issue we haven't raided which is important to startups and internet companies is the issue of patent reform. we have seen a surge in entity known at patent trolls that have gone after the larger internet companies and also startups where year trying to create a business and instead you're having to deal with court cases case something policymakers need to look at and probably people have thoughts on that issue as well. >> we have around the table people from industry academics, public servants, and we have a moment here where we can -- we should really have a discussion about what is missing, what do we not know giving broader

context to the policy issues we're looking atment what are some in your minds important areas for research, for discussion to really dig in here, as we look forward over the next couple of years, what are areas that really need loot more attention so we can make good policies, that we make good decisions. >> i think some of that has to start with education and engagement, and so i think that's one of the reasons why you're saying internet companies come together and start groups like the internet association, i think it's why you're saying the sharing economy companies come forward and start tone game with go, but for government to make good policy, and to be thoughtful about it and how these companies will evolve in the future and write policy that works in the long one i think now is the time for a lot of engamement and a lot of

education and a lot of conversations so that the groundwork is there for smart policy to be written versus sort of where we have -- where i have seen we have been for the last few years, which is sort of reactionary policy that it nothings based on an understanding of the industry or issues or where the industry is evolving. that's sort of a joint responsibility for both government and our industries to really start that and continue that conversation that dialogue, and start building those bridges. >> we can articulate or pock policy goals around say, livery service or rental housing, but it's very hard for us to get good dat owie publictive loire ineffectively these systems

being built by some of the more innovative companies actually do or development achieve those of goals so consequently a lot of the decisionmaking is done in the realm of anecdote, i heard about there is time when this thing happened. of course the companies in the space have a vested interest in releasing data that tells a story. it's an area for people interested in public policy research to look at to say what is the overall impact of say, a livery service alternative to the sharing based livey service alternative to the transportation availability, to costs, to supply in areas that are undersupplied, things like that to actually give us some hard data we can look at to see how well these services do or don't support the policy objectives we have. >> i think -- is a really important mention of the data possibilities, and there are lot

of claims particularly in the sharing economy, about the footprint lowering aspect of these activities and at the moment we don't really know much about how true those claims are. air bers b just did a study. so, i think we are going to be doing more and more carbon accounting in coming decades and i think this is an area where the whole industry could get out in front in theory it should be a good, happy story to tell. and also to be a model for the kind of putting these accounting systems into place and being kind of pro-active about it. i think would be really fantastic. >> it's interesting i've never encountered a politician who isoptin know vacation, and

very -- anti-innovation and very few are anti-internet and yet innovation as we know has affects, has consequences. we talked about a lot of them. it can be disruptive. it can cause a shift in the work force. and the difficulty that a lot of us are engaged in public policy are engaged in, is that often times there's a quick reaction from policymakers oh, we were for innovation until we started seeing these disruptive effects. now we need put the brakes on that. i think that these are all valid questions. look we have a structure of labor laws of child safety laws and private laws north just in this country or elsewhere. so though we might not agree on the structure and specifics to the laws the laws generally reflect a past consensus that those things important to us. the formats the laws take in the future may be very different from the past. i'm not sure that protecting

taxi medallan system is the best way to ensure we have a vibrant middle class. i don't know

that govern society can keep up with. i know that because i've been first-row seat. so i walk away a little concerned about how we're actually going to fix these institutions. i think at the local level when

you see people like joshua going in and they're a flub of folks doing this that makes me really optimistic but when we look at congress i don't know the path for that. i applaud lorelei working on this but i don't think you figured it out either. one thing i would ask all of you to keep in mind we definitefully d.c. feel an attitude at times of well government's broken let's just avoid them. but just ask yourself to the earlier mid-rater's point, where are we in 2030 if you keep that attitude and what are the choices you can make to help improve our institutions because you're forcing a lot of changes in society that have impacts far beyond who gets a taxi. it's who is driving the taxi and do they have health care and what happens to people out of work? the environment, all of these things and our institutions can't keep up with that rate of change. >> a positive note to end on.

>> hmm. before we wrap up -- i know people have some flights to catch, but we did have some people at the table who didn't -- haven't had a chance to talk. i want to open up maybe chris or carrie or who else hasn't had a chance. down on this end, you want to add anything to the discussion before we wrap up? >> hi. i'm carrie jorgenson, from transcribe adviser. the lawyer who is in charge of vacation rentals, flipkey.com, check it out. just on a more optimistic note following on what macon said -- there are some of these companies that are disruptive companies starting to take care of their -- they're not technically employees but

contractor. i think that minimum wage of 11.20 an hour and they're trying to treat their taskers well by directing them to -- getting good deals on health insurance and cell phones and so on and tools they might use in their tasks, and i think with companies that are sort of working through this, i -- i know uber faced protests in seattle recently by their drivers because they didn't think their pay is high enough. i think there will be -- i'm optimistic there will be a good outcome. people -- i wouldn't want 0 get into an uber if i feel like the uber driver is losing money on this ride and is unhappy.

my uber driving this morning -- i asked who she was she said, we're alive, it's wonderful. but anyway -- >> good job. >> i think that the companies -- flipkey and businesses aren't really dealing with labor so mach as really renting out property, so this isn't really directly impacting -- what's that? >> appreciate your bringing it up however. >> but i think that there will be -- every uber driver i have has had been general lynn winly happy. i worked at zip car before so i'm interested in mobile and their happiness. so i think -- i'm optimistic these new companies will be able to find an outcome that is good fork worees good for consumers good for the economy. >> leonard or matthew chris?

>> i am with the harvard innovation lab. this has been a great discussion listening to your points. i want to just make a comment on -- come of combine 'seth's and davids opinions. session you talk about infrastructure within the government, and david the dichotomy between those making the decisions and the people -- the consumers. what i see as a pattern here, how to decrease the social dips between the decisionmakers and those where those policies impact. you look at the city of san francisco has introduced a platform similar to open -- where they crowd source people living in the city to help solve problems and decide what to use either repurposed land or -- and so i see great opportunity for tech companies to help these

decisionmakers decrease that social distance to it has a more -- impact on society. >> i am chris from reditt. i'm interested in what was said, just the disconnect between congress and these companies and how quickly we're moving and users expecting things instantly. i think adam said that you used to have to look into the basement of the municipal building for a record but now you can get it immediately. so in 2030, what are -- what are people expecting of congress in the time it takes to make decisions? that's something i'm really interested in. i don't know the answer either but i think with the instant gratification we all have and uber -- there was a mistake within 20 mints they refunded my money and that's amazing. how can congress adapt to making that change? >> just a few things i've

learned kind of working -- i was confused by -- there's a big difference between policy deliberation and delivery of citizen services and when people think about technology and government, they kind of lump them together and so when you look ator should seeing glass on the sidewalk, takes a picture and it's fixed, that speaks exactly to the greek exec state people should be able to do anything anywhere at any time. having a deliberative body that rapid is a bad idea. it would be different because you're making choices and doing things which is perhaps preferrable to the current situation, but you need better deliberation. this does bring up one of the scariest thing about the internet on policy, is this notion that you have a lot of companies that deliver information to users base white think their users want and as we seive it develop year after year you start to see things like the filter bubble and

behaviors where people sect with people who share their world view and you're seeing a similar thing happen in politics, as people race to more extreme positions, literally move to new geographies, and i think it's affecting our political debate. i wonder how we stop that. because if the model for internet company is we want to deliver what your users want and make our robots work to deliver that information instantly, that doesn't actually force them to think differently about stuff. reinforces their world view and -- i don't know how that stops but really reminds me that what is best for our years isn't necessary live what is best for our citizens and we have to make sure that we're cognizant of that. >> leonard. >> sure. leonard carden from monster.com. want to circle back to the startupsups and what they should be thinking about. if they're entering a regulated industry, going back to my days as a civil servant, the

risk/reward ratio for a civil servant is entirely different than for an entrepreneur. the first time that there's a fatal accident due to a ride-sharing service, everybody is going look to government official that let that service operate, and the risk is extreme but there's no reward. whereas you're starting up that service, your reward is potential millions or billion dollar enterprise. you have a lot of motivation to get there quickly and get it done quickly, whereas the civil servant i going to be thinking do no harm. don't take the risk do no harm until i'm certain i witness work out. so you just need to keep that in mind. there's really no good way around that except the cooperative efforts we have heard about and educating the government officials about why your service will not do any harm, and i think i'm very encouraged by what people said before about the collaborative efforts occurring but sometimes the ontremendous nears go

charming into the room and don't realize the person they're meeting with the government initial -- there's not just protecting vest evidence interests. they're also -- they are risk avoidance for a reason, probably because there's so little reward for them and probably because they're thinking, do no harm. >> well, this is a really stimulating, interesting discussion, covered a very wide range of ground, beginning with our initial discussion of use of the first amendment around data online and ending with some of the -- in between talking about some of the challenges facing both government and startups and navigating unfamiliar terrain, the challenges of these institutions all in the midst of different kinds of change, and i think maybe on that note i will let our cohost michael give us some closing thoughts.

>> yes, just wanted to first that maggie williams and the hard record iop and the staff for making this symposium happen and thank our moderators and participants. these are important issues and as the policy landscape changes and companies evolve probably next year if we have the same conversation there will be new companies and flu topics and that's exciting. i think this conversation helps move the ball forward on these important issues. i thank you all very much. [applause]

we live in a a pretty good life here. take what you got the opportunity to do and do something right and quit playing games with what you think you're going to value in life that you have to give away one day. >> my question to the 114th congress that is going to do nothing for the american people. i can to understand how is it that congressman become good people until they get elected. when they go to washington

allies the propaganda, it just seems disturbing to me that it seems like everything president obama does is wrong and i am a pastor and i heard these people come on, your colleague said he was a christian. jesus said that if you do this to the least of them you have also done it to me. >> let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. 202-626-3400. e-mail us at comments@c-span.org or send us a tweet at c-span hash tag comments. >> after being sworn in for a second term connecticut governor daniel malloy at addressed a joint session of the state legislature to deliver a state of the state address. his remarks focused on the importance of transportation

infrastructure to connecticut's economy. this is 15 minutes. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. congratulations to all of you for being sworn in today. thank you. thank you. we have got work to do. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. mr. president, mr. speaker, lieutenant governor and but, state officials, ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly, honored members of the judiciary, members of the clergy and citizens of our great state thank you for the honor of inviting me to the people's house once again. let me offer my sincere congratulations to those of you

taking on new and important roles, specifically senate president marty looney congratulations. [applause] >> senate majority leader bob dove, congratulations to you. [applause] >> senate minority leader verrazzano, congratulations to you. [applause] >> and house minority leader dennis cloris. [applause] >> congratulations as well to the freshmen members of the general assembly who were sworn in earlier today. i look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead. as always let me think the connecticut connecticut brave men and women who serve carnation and its armed services. thank you also as i said to the

best lieutenant governor in the united states, nancy wyman. thank you, nancy. [applause] >> finally, thank you to my wife at the end my three below is, thank you for your love and support. four years ago i joined you in this chamber for the first time as governor. i spoke about how connecticut has always been a leader. how for generations we shake and changed our nation and the world. connecticut and drafted north america's first constitution. we founded the nation's first insurance company. our inventions gave the world many things including the can opener the bicycle and the artificial heart. connecticut has always been a birthplace of innovation and over the past four years we have continued to lead and lead

nationally on the biggest issues of our time. we increased the minimum wage, the first in the nation to commit to $10.10 per hour. [applause] >> we passed paid sick leave, first in the nation to do that as well. [applause] >> working with democrats and republicans we created the strongest gun violence prevention law in the nation and today crime in connecticut is at a 4 year low. [applause] >> thanks to nancy y.man we cut the uninsured connecticut citizens in half and became a national model for a new kind of

health care systems. [applause] >> we build better schools, raise test scores, made college more portable and put connecticut on a path to universal prekindergarten. we did that together. [applause] >> we added $500 million to a rainy day fund and responsibly cut long-term debt by $12 billion. [applause] >> finally because of the decisions we made together over the last four years our economy is gaining traction. together we helped private employers create 75,000 new jobs. none of these things would have happened if we avoided tough decisions for failed to face our problems. we led connecticut down a stronger half because we didn't take the easy way out.

what is next? how do we honor our remarkable history and tradition, how do we fulfil our promise for a brighter tomorrow, how do we decide what kind of connecticut we are going to leave our children? we do it with courage. having the tough but necessary debate about long-term prosperity. we do it by pushing ahead even if it isn't easy. especially when it isn't easy. we do it by building a connecticut that is prepared not just for the next fiscal year but the next half century. in that spirit i want to talk to you about one of the largest challenges we face. something that has held us back decades would hamper our economy for decades to come. i want to talk to you about how for two generations connecticut fell short on transportation. we know that transportation and

economic growth are bound together. states that make long-term investments in their infrastructure can have vibrant economies regeneration is. states that don't will struggle. it is that simple. transportation connects as literally a community to community, state to state and nation to nation. it connects us to economic opportunity and connects us to one another. first the good news. thanks to the efforts of so many in this chamber, we have increased support for transportation dramatically. funding is up 65% during the last four years. during this period, more revenue to the transportation fund than ever before. $4.2 billion. and it goes towards supporting transportation. we have long overdue products like waterbury, or placing the

walk bridge, and adding new tracks and signals systems between newhaven and hartford. we invested more on transportation than at any time dating back to governor o'neill. it was more progress than connecticut has made in decades. here is lebron. it is still not enough. we have so much more to do traffic ingestion caused the average person and action 42 hours away from your family each and every year. it is equivalent to $70 million in lost time. speech and every day. all told, all told roads and bridges that are deficient or overly congested, cost connecticut drivers $4.2 billion annually. it is harming us and the health of our children with additional air pollution and smog. simply put our investments have

not kept pace with our needs. they are already paying that price. is an acceptable. we need a new approach. to be competitive regionally and internationally we need a transportation for our roads, and bridges, rails and ports, walkways and bikeways. and the way we get around cities and towns. it is time for connecticut to establish a collective vision for the next 30 years, a vision for of best in class transportation system. we have an open and honest discussion of what needs to happen to transform infrastructure and challenges and demands, we can do this to make this session. to make us more business

friendly, to attract new companies and new jobs, improve our quality of life and make our state and even better place to raise our family we can change connecticut's those that 30 years from now here is what we will leave to our children. the safest highways railways, buses and pedestrians systems in new england. [applause] >> estate where people can move back and forth to their jobs in a reasonable and predictable amount of time so they can spend less time in traffic and more time with their family. [applause] >> a state where we can attract new businesses because highways and rail networks delivers foods he efficiently without delay and a state where our children want

to stand raise new generations because they have a choice to live and work with or without a call. [applause] >> deep water ports, exporting more and more goods in connecticut and they stay with an international airport that served as a hub for transportation across america and around the globe. a state whose bus and rail system interconnect all of connecticut linking us to cities up and down the east coast, a state that is crisscrossed by bicycle and pedestrian trails to make our communities more sustainable and our town's more walkable and cities more livable. these are lofty goals. they might seem unattainable to some. they say it can't be done or it is not even worth trying. ac we can't do it while also working to balance our budget.

i say we can't afford not to do it. [applause] >> together we should refuse to give in to the cynics and naysayers. this is the connecticut we must strive for. over the coming weeks i will begin a dialogue how best to face these challengess head on. i will come back to you next month with more details but in the meantime want to offer two ideas as a good place to start. first we should ensure that our efforts are comprehensive in size, scope and geography. that means writing i 95 statewide and fixing entrance and exit ramps. [applause] >> it means building new rail

stations and agreeing branch lines to provide real commuter rail service. [applause] >> it means creating a statewide 21st century bus service with real-time updates. [applause] >> the bottom line is we need to improve transportation of all times in towns of all sizes across all of our states. we must make sure every penny we raise for transportation goes toward our vision to transform connecticut. today i am proposing that conn create secure transportation lockbox that will ensure every single dollar raise transportation is the bench on transportation now and in the

future. [applause] >> no gimmicks and no diversions and we should include a covenant with bondholders and all the people of connecticut to make sure money set aside on transportation projects is only used for that purpose. send me a bill to accomplish these goals and i will sign it immediately. [applause] >> and gillette is passed and signed, to levy additional sources, rent new revenue for

transport asian. and transportation future, a dialogue in new projects. traffic congestion is getting worse. more efficient cars means our gas taxes will fail to cover current investments let alone new ones we need to make. the budget i present the next month will include first steps towards funding long-term transportation division. subsequent steps need to be taken in the years beyond that. we must tie hands behind future generations. we must be specific which future revenues we will set aside. that start a conversation with a real working lock box. [applause] my friends, we accomplished many big things to

get. ultimately, the success of the economy over the next 10 20 or 30 years will be determined by one thing. transportation infrastructure. we need only to look to connecticut's don't history to know that this is true. after all transportation is why we led since our founding. from native american trails that help the young colony develop to our seaports that brought commerce from across the globe and made our state maritime center to the turnpikes and parkways that allowed our state to develop into an industrial power to the railroads that connected each city and town across connecticut to one another and boston and new york and beyond. today we can open a new chapter in our state's pride history, where we can begin rebuilding conn figuratively and literally. let it be a chapter of smart investment and long-term thinking. let it be a down payment on a kind of state we want to leave

for future generations. let it be a promise that connecticut's 88 food governor and 2015 general assembly were planning ahead. planning for our children and our children's children so that it was their interests that him first in our mind and first in our hearts. thank you all. may god bless you and may god bless the great state of connecticut. [applause] [applause]

>> here are some of our featured programs for this weekend on the c-span network. on c-span2 tonight at 10:00 on booktv's afterwards, the pitfalls of group decisionmaking and what to do to avoid them and sunday afternoon at 1:00 on the college series we talk about recently published professors at johns hopkins university on the influence of hip-hop on politics and government's efforts to cure malaria during world war ii. on american history tv on c-span3 tonight at 8:00 p.m. on lectures in history anderson university professor brian burke uses abraham lincoln's life to understand the views of white americans are raised and slavery before and during the civil war and sunday afternoon at 4:30 discussion on birth control advocate margaret sanger her legacy and the impact race social class and politics had on the birth control movement. find the complete television

schedule at c-span.org and let us know what you think of the programs you're watching. call 202-626-34008 e-mail us at comments@c-span.org or send us a tweet at c-span hash tag comments. like us on facebook follow us on twitter. these the annual state of the state address jack dalrymple, talked about lower oil prices and the state's economy. north dakota has had the lowest unemployment rate largely due job growth in the energy sector. the governor talked about spending on infrastructure affordable housing and public safety. from the state capitols in bismarck, this is 30 minutes. >> thank you thank you very much. thank you.

before we begin today i would ask you to jo lin king me in a moment of silence for the victims of the tragic school bus accident that occurred yesterday afternoon. they and their families need our prayers today. thank you. lieutenant governor wrigley, thank you for helping me find my seat. our distinguished legislators,

justices of the supreme court, elected officials, tribal leaders, cabinet members, first lady betsy kathleen wrigley and fellow citizens of north dakota, a welcome and thank you for joining me here today. it is an honor and privilege to address this joint session of the 64th legislative assembly including your new speaker from district 22. [applause] >> we came into the house together in 1984. hardly aged a bit. i want to say i only made it 16

years in the house. was is 30 years in the house and still going. and as always, i find him looking over my shoulder making sure i am doing my work the right way. hy look forward to the session together and i look forward to continuing our work together with all of the members of the legislature. here in north dakota, people come first. and i am confident that we will continue to demonstrate what great things can be achieved when we work together. many governors which they could offer an address like the one i will share with you today. ladies and gentlemen, two years

ago, i stood before you and reported that the state of the state was strong. today i am pleased to tell you we made great progress since then and north dakota is stronger than ever. [applause] >> but first, let's remember where we come from. gerald miller stopped by my office a while ago to share with me a usa today news article published on february 24th, 2004. he wanted to remind us how far north dakota has come. i couldn't agree more. and illustration of progress, i want to share with all of you today. usa today reported that north

dakota was doing all the right things to energize its economy, the national newspaper reported our economic development strategies were gaining traction, the state economy was showing signs of growth. our early progress however didn't convince all of our college graduates and other job seekers that north dakota offered a promising future. many of our young and well-educated were still leading in droves. north dakota was growing older and was the only state to lose population from 2000 to 2003. big cities lured away north dakota youth. other national publications and around this time or even less balanced with more on the new york times going so far as to revive the ridiculous notion

that the best economic option for the great plains would be to turn the entire region into a vast nature park, or buffalo commons. we always knew better. the entire nation knows better as well. this graphic published by governing magazine in april shows how the people of every county in the nation have fair in terms of personal income between 2007 and 2012. the county's in dark brown show the greatest gain in personal income. and gains and personal income, and north dakota's per-capita personal income continues to be among the nation's highest.

in fact north dakota, since 2004, from 13% below the national average to 19% above the national average. [applause] >> our economic progress has not been confined. north dakota's growth and personal income is fuelled by our state's robust economy. over the past ten years ago was dakota's economy has averaged an annual growth rate of 10.3% near the three times that of the nation's economy. week continues have the nation's lowest unemployment rate at just 2.4% and growing commercial activity has created a 106,000

new jobs. and population decline, a population is growing with the nation's fastest-growing revelations throughout the state. two years ago the census bureau reported north dakota has reached a new record population of new rayburn house office building 40,000 residents. north dakota is also getting younger. a major shift in the long term demographics and a sign of the state's bright future, bright prospects for the future. our growth is allowing north dakota to stake close to home. it is attracting new presidents from across the country. kobe lynn told me he was astonished at what he saw when he traveled from new york city

to north dakota in 2007 to visit a friend. and a few isolated towns, and the metro areas, he said he found fargo and bismarck, vibrant communities with more growth potential than new york. he left quite an impression, kobe his wife jo jo, and lead to kids called bismarck home. the lynns are welcome addition to the community where they own and operate two restaurants oahu and kobe's japanese steakhouse and sushi bar. kobe told us he is proud and fortunate to call bismarck home he is grateful for the community at strong support at his restaurants which by the way

employ 35 people. kobe and joe joe, we're glad you came to north dakota. thank you for contributing to our economy, creating jobs and thanks for the great sushi. please stand and be recognized. [applause] >> stories all across north dakota hard work investment optimism that convinced me we are on the right track. in august, gallup, the national research and polling company released the results of a comprehensive survey of all 50 states. this independent poll based on interviews with 600 residents in

each state details how north dakota feels about this economy, state government, education system and many quality of life measures. for the first time ever, gallup asked the same 42 questions in every state. when asked if their state's economic conditions were good or excellent, north dakota and sirius more often than any other state. is it a good time to find a quality job? north dakota ranked number one in positive responses. is there state a good place to start a new business, north dakota is first in the nation. the economic conditions in your city or area getting better? north dakota ranked number one in the nation.

in government we rely on a wide range of economic data to help us understand the dynamics of our state's economy and its impact on our citizens. statistics are helpful but the most valuable information i received comes from the people i talk with all across the state. the gallup poll bears out what i hear all the time. is gratifying to know that our progress is making a real difference in people's lives. our economic growth is creating many benefits across north dakota. we remain committed to meeting our challenges head on. in every region of the state we continue to invest in public infrastructure projects that will pay dividends for decades to come. never before in our state's

history have we undertaken such an ambitious campaign to improve our roads and highways expand water supply systems advanced flood control projects and develop affordable housing. these projects enhance the quality of our lives and support our growing economy. we remain committed to permanent flood protection in the fargo area and in the my not area. we are investing in flood control projects in devil's lake williston and the cheyenne river. we are also working to bring quality water supplies to more and more people. continued development of affordable housing is another important focus. in the past four years the state leveraged $90 million in tax credits and senate funds to support the development of 2,500

housing units reserved for presidents. housing incentive fund has worked extremely well, and $50 million, during the upcoming biennium. our pace program has also supported the building of thousands of homes and apartments. we focused our housing programs on western north dakota these development tools, making a difference in on armed communities across the state. the oil production region has significant infrastructure needs, we impacted the state's financial support. the state can invest $2.7 million in our oil and gas

producing counties. i recommended increasing the state's support during upcoming biennium by another $1 billion. [applause] >> bypass routes are providing great relief for presidents in williston, alexander and newtown. highway 85 and upgrade our state highways in high traffic areas throughout the region. investing hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the region's busy airports and improve city streets like county and township. andean oil counties, there's a

heavy responsibility for local leaders. we owe a debt of gratitude. for all the region's mayors city and county commissioners, education leaders and many other people who support their community in so many ways. board poser served as mayor of williston for 20 years before retiring last summer. he was selected mayor in 1994 when the city's population and commercial activity were in decline. those days make a stark contrast to the last four years in office. when it was rapidly expanding it became the fastest-growing metropolitan area in america. through it all, ward provided exceptional leadership. he was a strong advocate for his community and williston is a

better place today because of him. ward and his wife are here today. would you please stand and be recognized for your many years of outstanding service? [applause] >> the best leaders shine in times of change and challenge. ward provided a steady hand in the lean times and he met the challenge when williston became the epicenter of the nation's energy resurgence. fargo mayor dennis walker also distinguished himself as a dedicated leader. he will always be remembered for holding back the flooding red river and leaving his city into

an era of unprecedented growth and opportunity. there are many strong leaders in our oil and gas region and throughout north dakota. thanks to all of you who are leaders for our state. i look forward to continuing our work together as we move forward. our commitment to meeting the challenges of gross extends well beyond infrastructure, especially in the state's oil and gas region, providing additional funding for schools with rapid enrollment growth expanded western north dakota's court system. we provide additional resources for the region's local law enforcement agencies. we should all be proud of the vital role our state is playing to help america strengthen its energy independence. we have become the nation's

second-largest oil producer. as our energy production has increased so has our responsibility. for that reason we have taken major steps to strengthen the state's oversight of the oil and gas industry. the state has adopted new oil conditioning standards to improve the safety of oil for transport. we have required major reductions in the flaring of natural gas and we revised more than 60 sections of the regulatory code to strengthen our oversight and environmental protections. indy 2011 and 2013 legislative sessions we significantly expanded regulatory staff within the oil and gas division and the department of health to ensure that we enforce our health and

environmental rules. i have recommended funding additional positions during this legislative session. we recommended the public service commission augment the work of the federal pipeline and hazardous materials safety administration to monitor our rail safety and pipeline integrity. we also remain firmly committed to keeping north dakota one of the safest states in the country. since 2011 we steadily expanded the capabilities of our highway patrol. the state bureau of criminal investigation. judicial system and the department of corrections barrel and probation services. this next slide shows each person's level of confidence in their government to meet the challenges like public safety

and air quality. when gallup asked residents of every state if they trust their government to handle state problems north dakota and did yes morning often than residents of any other state. are you satisfied with your standard of living? do you have confidence in your judicial system? are you satisfied with your air quality? in answering these and other questions about governance north dakota's are more satisfied residents of other states. for local law enforcement officers in western north dakota, the region's rapid growth created even greater challenges. these local police and sheriff's deputies will be supported by state grant funds and the addition of 22 new highway patrol troopers since 2011. in addition to a new fbi office

in western north dakota, national drug and sex traffickers are finding north dakota wrong place to do business. trooper grand loski of the north dakota highway patrol exemplifies our dedication to professional law enforcement and public safety. stationed in lakota grant responded on november 5th to and emergency call for assistance after the region received its first snowfall and area roads had become extremely iec. that afternoon, parity drove from her rural home to attend a church meeting when her car went into a spin, slipped off of highway 281 just a few miles north of church's ferry and

plunged down a steep embankment. marty, who was 81 years old country herself from the car as the eyes cold water rushed in. she used it to call for help. grant) when her phone lost power. he spotted where her carclosed in when her phone lost power. he spotted where her car had left the highway. he waited through the icy water opened the driver's side door, unbuckled her and carried her to safety. an ambulance crew arrives and transported her for treatment of hypothermia at mercy hospital in

devil's lake. she and her son, roger, are very grateful that grant was able to find her is that day and they credit grant with saving her life. grant is here today with his wife, joanna. grant, please stand so the week and thank you for all you do. [applause] [applause] >> by the way, grant is a member of the north dakota national guard.

the opportunities we have in our state today are only possible because of people like grant who serve in our nation's military, past and present. they keep our nation safe and we are forever in their debt. whether responding to natural disasters here at home or defending our nation in overseas or stateside missions. members of the north dakota national guard continue to demonstrate their expertise and competence diaz the trained and ready for us. since the september 11th attacks on america our guard has mobilized 7,000 soldiers and airmen in support of the global war on terrorism. and impressive contribution to our nation's military might, even more impressive, 70% of all members serving today have

vigilant since 9/11. for every 10,000 citizens of north dakota, 65 serve in the north dakota guard a rate more than four times the national average. there is no doubt that our guardsmen and military members and veterans are truly the best in the nation. [applause] >> service members here today, please stand and be recognized. please stand veterans and servicemen. [applause]

>> throughout north dakota we are making major investments to meet the needs of our growing population. some may ask if spending is getting out of control. it is a fair question especially in light of recent drops in oil prices and potential impact on state revenues. it is important for the people of north tacoma to know the we are committed to a structurally balanced budget. where on going spending never exceeds our available ongoing revenues. there are risks associated with any economy that relies on the value of commodities and those risks must always be carefully considered. we guard against these risks in several ways including directing the vast majority of our oil and gas revenues, about 96% to

special reserve funds that are not used for ongoing operations. our statewide infrastructure upgrades and other capital projects require one time funding that doesn't have to be repeated should there be a significant downturn in state revenues. in the end i expect our legislature will find that we can continue to fund our priorities, maintain healthy reserves and provide even more tax relief. with opec's recent decision not to curb its oil production and declines in the price of oil, there is a lot of discussion about what this means to north dakota's oil industry and state revenues. i believe we will see a correction a rebalancing in worldwide production in north

dakota, production may concentrate in core areas where production is especially high and operating costs per barrel are below. in the end energy independence in the united states is a game changer. [applause] >> no longer can opec and other foreign oil producers hold our country hostage to their control of oil supplies. [applause] >> in this end, moving forward, we will rely on moody's analytics to provide us with an updated revenue forecast this winter that includes the impacts of the lower price of oil. if adjustments to our spending

plan are needed and i am confident our legislature will make prudent decisions based on the best available projections. in the end our growth may be slowed but it will not stop. one of the best ways we can share our prosperity with all of our citizens is by keeping their tax bills as low as possible. other states contemplate tax hikes to offset budget shortfalls, we can provide additional tax relief during this legislative session. since 2009 we have reduced taxes by $4.3 billion in north dakota and i have recommended reducing state taxes by another far and no-$408 million in the upcoming biennial. a great deal of work has been done to reform our overall

system of property taxes. this year the legislature will have an opportunity to pass a property tax reform bill that provides for more spending discipline and makes it easier for taxpayers to understand how their tax dollars are used in comparison to other political subdivisions. education is the foundation upon which we continue to build our future and working together, we have steadily improved moist dakota's k-12 education system. we have put to rest the challenging each use of funding equity and adequacy and we have significantly reduced the local cost of education by increasing the state funding commitment. we have an opportunity during this legislative session to build on our accomplishments by

maintaining strong funding for k-12 schools, by investing in early childhood education and by addressing the extraordinary needs of schools challenge by rapid enrollment crowfoot. since 2010, enrollment in k-12 schools has grown by 10,500 students and in the last year our schools have been rolled and additional 2,600 students. the state is providing grants to help schools manage their growth and we recommend expanding the program to make it even more schools eligible for the assistance. we also recommend adding $300 million to the school loan program. during the current biennium 22 school districts have access to the loan program to build

expand or improve school facilities. our strong revenues also allow us to continue making strategic investments in higher education system even when most other states are having to reduce funding. during the last legislative system we worked together to develop a better method of funding colleges and universities and supported an unprecedented $414 million in capital improvement projects and repairs for out our university system. critical infrastructure needs remain, we should also focus on making college more affordable. our colleges and universities do an outstanding job of enriching student school lives and preparing them for a lifetime of success. our universities also play a

critical role in north dakota's economic growth providing essential research and development and support of farmers and ranchers and many other business factors. gallup presidents in every state, about their education system as well. and north dakota overwhelmingly came out on top again. asks if they would rate k-12 education as excellent or good presidents in north dakota and said yes more often than any other state. do schools prepare students for good job? no. just -- north dakota scored best of all 50 states. i use satisfied with your education system or schools? north dakota and dan and figure s morgan any other state. we have worked hard to and

develop an environment where small business and industry can thrive. our proven strategies for economic development include focus on a low-tech as, sensible regulatory environment and an efficient state government that is responsive to the needs of its presidents and businesses but our end bolt has never been to simply grow our economy or to stand out in national rankings. a strong diversified economy offers to the lives of our people. in addition to outstanding career and business opportunities we make investments in public infrastructure and many priorities to support continued progress and greatly enhance our quality of life. all of the priorities we

continue to advance share one common goal, to enhance the life of every north the coin. we are recommending a $30 million enhancement to fund major improvements throughout our state park system that will increase opportunities for people to enjoy our great outdoors. by asking a series of simple but telling questions gallup found north dakota ranked the state's quality of life among the nation's best. do you experience enjoyment a lot of the day? are you treated with respect? is your day largely free of worry? north dakota said yes more often than any other state in responding to these social measures. north dakota ranked within the top four states when residents across america were asked if

they had others vacant count on for help. if their state is a good place for children to learn and grow and if their state is a good place for people with disabilities. these poll results are encouraging. the quality of life standards we strive to achieve should be our own and they should always be set high. among many responsibilities none are more important than caring for our people. we have always provided for the needs of our seniors our veterans and our most vulnerable citizens and i am confident we will continue to provide strong financial support to nursing home send other service providers. melanie bailey lives by the values we hold dear in north dakota.

said devil's leg high school senior knows what it meansthe devil's leg high school senior knows what it means to put others first. during the championships she came across an injured runner who was on the ground in obvious pain. rather than pushing on with her own race, melanie stopped to help and carried danielle on her back to the finish line. melanie's compassion drew national attention including an appearance on the ellen degeneres show. melanie, please stand so we can thank you for demonstrating so well the true spirit of north dakota. [applause]

[applause] >> here in north dakota we continue to drive an agenda for progress and a quality of life that is second to none. we know that progress comes with it so unchallengeds and there is much work ahead. but we have every reason to be optimistic about our state. the increasing number of opportunities it provides. i want to saying all the members of our legislature. the progress we have made in the last decade and especially since the last session is a testament to your good work for the people

of north dakota. today, i have outlined the challenges and priorities that will help guide this session's discussion. let us commit now to a partnership and a shared vision so that two years from now rican again say look how far we have come. thank you, god bless all of you and god bless the great state of north dakota. thank you. [applause] >> this sunday on newsmakers congressman chris van all of the house budget committee held discuss the democrat's congressional agenda, a coming fight over the federal budget and possible tax reform. it is live sunday at 10:00 eastern time on c-span. >> c-span2 providing live coverage of the u.s. senate

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