>> it spens >> it is appear spens we watch as parents. >> sunday night on c-span's q&a. tonight, some of the state of the state addresses. first the governor of soke and then the governor of new york and nebraska governor. followed by the inauguration ceremony for the second-term colorado governor. [applause] >> is the south carolina governor talks about the gas tax

and building up the state. her address comes courtesy of south carolina etv. [applause] >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen of the joint assembly an honored guest. i am proud to present you have to the honorable governor of south carolina. [applause]

>> thank you very much. thank you. >> mr. speaker, mr. president, ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly, constitutional officers and my fellow south carolinians: tonight, we have come together to discuss the state of south carolina - the success we have enjoyed and the challenges we face. but we must first acknowledge, as we do every year, that without the selfless sacrifice of our men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms, this night would not be possible. so now, please join me as we pay tribute to those who gave the last full measure of devotion in the service of their state and country:

capt. james e. chaffin iii, west columbia staff sgt. irard “jerry” gass, jr.huger deputy sheriff joseph “joe” matuskovic, summerville investigator holmes n.smith, jr., sumter patrolman 1st class robert blajszczak, summerville laurent “larry” britton, charleston lt. john m. burns, myrtle beach firefighter paramedic kellen a. fleming, chesnee on behalf of all south carolinians, to their families, know we will never forget. [applause]

>> many of you enjoyed the festivities of last week. we want to thank you for making it a special time for our family and the state. we are thankful that michael has been home from deployment for over a year now. he continues to be very involved with youth challenge, advocating for adoptive children, and managing the mansion grounds, all while keeping a smile on his face. please help me thank the coolest first gentleman ever, michael haley. [applause] and what would haley family fun night be without two really fun kids.

michael and i realized recently that four years from now, they will have spent half of their childhood in public life. rena and nalin continue to take it in stride and make us both proud. they are 16 and 13 years old now. rena is starting to tour college campuses and nalin continues to tour basketball courts. please help me welcome two little ones that make me proud to be their mom, rena and nalin. [applause] >> one of my favorite parts of giving this speech each year is being able to recognize some of the people who have helped make south carolina the special place that it is.

when we started our administration four years ago, we thought it was very important to highlight people in our state that make us smile. we will always have challenges in government. but for all of those challenges we have selfless people who, in the name of service and out of love for our great state, give south carolina a good name. i know there's been a lot of chatter about who charleston's next mayor will be, but before we get too far down that road, we should take a moment, stop, and appreciate what we have. here tonight is a man who has built a legacy of service in the lowcountry and across south carolina. he has served as the mayor of charleston for nearly 40 years and he has helped transform that city into the most popular destination in america, a crown jewel of not just our state, but of our nation. he has decided to step down as

mayor, but he will forever be remembered as one of south carolina's great gentlemen and devoted public servants. i ask that you join me in welcoming mayor joe riley, and thanking him for his lifetime of service to south carolina. [applause] >> just a few short weeks ago, we lost a great south carolinian with the passing of gov. james edwards. as governor, as secretary of energy, and later as the president of musc, he spent a huge part of his life serving others and cemented a place in our state's history as a man we

can all look up to. but as we all know, it is nearly impossible to be as strong and significant as he was without the support of a loving family. tonight, i have the great privilege of introducing to you his incredible wife, mrs. ann edwards. mrs. edwards asked that i thank you, the members of the general assembly, as well as the people of south carolina, for the tremendous support you gave gov. edwards during his full life and that you've given her since his passing. mrs. edwards, thank you for your service and for sharing your wonderful husband with us. you and your family will forever be appreciated by the citizens of south carolina. [applause] >> nobody has represented us with more dignity than lance cpl.

kyle carpenter. we were able to have his parents join us for this speech in 2012 when he was recovering from his injuries, but we are thankful to have him here today, safe and healthy. last year, michael and i were so proud to attend the ceremony where kyle was awarded the medal of honor for his acts of valor during his deployment in afghanistan. i would like to take a moment to read a passage from the official citation recognizing his heroic actions. "lance corporal carpenter and a fellow marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of patrol base dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, lance corporal carpenter moved toward the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow marine from the deadly blast. when the grenade detonated, his

body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him, but saving the life of his fellow marine. it is rare that you are able to be in the presence of a true american hero, but that is exactly what we have with us today in kyle carpenter. please stand and join me in showing our deepest gratitude for his service to our country and his bravery that has made us all so proud. [applause] [applause] [applause]

>> south carolina continues to be a major success story when it comes to recruiting jobs to our state. we make it very clear to the companies that choose to invest here that they are joining our south carolina family. the businesses we are honoring tonight could have invested and moved anywhere in the country, and they chose to join team south carolina. we should never take that for granted. tonight, representatives of a few of those success stories, from all across the world, are here with us. as i introduce them, please hold your applause until the end - and then join me in giving them a warm south carolina welcome. please stand when i call your

name, and remain standing. representing 151 jobs in fairfield county, from enor corp., mr. steven udwin representing 1,700 jobs in chester county, from giti tire, dr. enki tan representing 270 jobs in lancaster county, from haile gold mine, ms. diane garrett representing 175 jobs in clarendon county, from kent international, mr. scott kamler representing 40 jobs in chesterfield county, from nestle waters north america, mr. lance tully representing 70 jobs in greenwood county, from portucel, mr. diogo da silveira representing 500 jobs in

florence county from ruiz food products, ms. kim ruiz beck representing 300 jobs in dorchester county, from scout boats, mrs. sherrie ferguson representing 2,400 jobs in york county, from the lash group, ms. tracy foster representing 65 jobs in richland county, from the ritedose corp., dr. umesh dalvi representing 615 jobs in aiken county, from medac, mr. bijon memar representing 500 jobs in spartanburg county, from toray carbon fibers america, mr. toshiyuki kondo thank you for making south carolina your home. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the state of our state is inspiring. over the last four years i have had the great privilege of traveling far and wide representing our state and her people. what i've learned is that we're not the only ones who love south carolina. whether i'm in california or connecticut, montreal or minnesota, the story of south carolina's success is front and center. everywhere we go there is excitement - and frankly, not a small amount of envy - over who we are and what we've been able to accomplish. it's a beautiful thing. but last year i got to experience just how far that word is spreading. in november, as many of you know, we traveled to india on a trade mission. india, of course, is the country of my parents' birth. i hadn't been there since i was

2 years old, so the trip was a special one for me - there are few things more impactful than seeing firsthand, for the first time, your own history. but what was even more amazing to me was the connections i found between south carolina and that far-off land. i visited a workforce training center at rayat-bahra university in mohali. hundreds of students turned out for a talk i gave, and they had so many questions about south carolina. but they didn't just know about south carolina because we have an indian-american governor. the skill development center at their university is modeled after icar in greenville. their school has signed an agreement with clemson university to expand cooperation and allow their students to share in our educational opportunities, and vice-versa.

everywhere i went in india - from students to business leaders to government officials - they knew what was going on in south carolina. our state is getting noticed across the country and the world, and we're getting noticed for our triumphs, not our controversies. i couldn't be more excited. or more proud. together we have built an environment where businesses can and will and want to grow. it is an environment that has enabled michelin, bridgestone, continental and now giti to manufacture tires in our state, with our workers. it has led international giants like ge and bmw and toray to say yes, we want to call south carolina home. it has created a better life for our people, a brighter future for our children. we've worked hard to build a world-class, world-renowned business climate. and we must fight to keep it.

any truly objective review of south carolina's business landscape notes the benefit we get from the minimal role unions play in our state. in 2013 we had the third lowest percentage of union workers in america, with just 3.7 percent of south carolina workers choosing to join a union. i cannot express to you the extent to which this is a game-changer when we are trying to bring new businesses to our state. we have a reputation - internationally - for being a state that doesn't want unions because we don't need unions. and it is a reputation that matters. now, that reputation, and even more importantly, a south carolina company, are under attack. and they are under attack by an organization that has proven it cares nothing for south carolina or our workers. boeing's story - how they came here, their magnificent progress in charleston since 2009, their commitment to their workers and to our communities - is one that certainly need not be told here.

we all know it. we're all proud of it. but in light of the fact that the international association of machinists and aerospace workers, one of the largest labor unions in the world, is gearing up to try and unionize the charleston plant, their south carolina story bears repeating. in stark contrast to boeing, which has invested billions of dollars and the future of what may be their most important project in the people of south carolina, the iam has never believed in us. first, they flatly, publicly stated that south carolina workers do not have the necessary skills to build airplanes. our workers have proven them wrong, but no matter what the iam says today or tomorrow, we should never forget what they really think about our state.

and then they sued us. they tried to shut us down. so every time you hear a seattle-union boss carry on about how he has the best interests of the boeing workers in charleston at heart, remember this: if it was up to that same union boss, there would be no boeing workers in charleston. the truth is the iam cares about one thing and one thing only - its own power. and the successes of boeing in south carolina, and more so, the successes of the non-union workers who populate its ranks, are a threat to the iam. like bullies do, the union bosses will try to cover-up those truths and crush those threats. but we have beaten back the iam before, and with the support of those of us in this room, and the good people all across south carolina, i have every confidence that the boeing workers in charleston will see this play for exactly what it is

and reject this union power grab. [applause] >> while boeing and the 787 dreamliners rolling off the charleston assembly line are an example of what real workforce training success can look like, we don't have those same stories everywhere in south carolina. i have challenged my entire cabinet to get creative about how we put people back to work. whether placing employment offices in our prisons, as we did in manning last year, so that offenders come out from behind the fence with a job, or moving families from welfare-to-work - we are about workforce programs that meet the real needs of real people. think about the single mom struggling to make ends meet

that can't afford to pay for the training she needs. think about the young man who just graduated college in liberal arts and can't seem to find a job. think about the father of four whose ability to move up in his company is capped out. they all need opportunities. they all deserve a better life. we are going to help them get there through a new initiative called succeed south carolina. we have always offered training programs through readysc to train people who want to work in places like bmw, boeing, and continental. it's been tremendously successful, but we're going to expand it. we will now begin working with other companies, companies of different sizes and in different industries, companies already in south carolina, to create programs that will lead to a job. the best part? if that single mom wants to get started, we'll pay for her training. and when she gets the job we've

trained her for, which she will, she'll pay us back and pay it forward. this new initiative will not only help those citizens who want to be retrained but also assist our smaller companies, those that represent 97 percent of our employers, by helping them get the workers they need to keep moving, and keep growing. the economic gains we have made since the end of the great recession are no secret to anyone in this room, but it is not enough for us to simply celebrate them. we must keep driving on. the tens of thousands of new jobs announced in south carolina don't mean anything if it's not our people who are filling them. the massive drop in our unemployment rate over the last five years is amazing, but we must recognize there are still thousands out of work. we can address these issues. we can make sure that, as a state, we are serving the single mom, the twenty-two year old

graduate, the capped-out father - and that we are serving them well. we can make sure that any business - small, medium, or large - has a willing and well-trained stable of south carolinians ready to fill all the jobs they can create. and we can make sure that south carolina is a state not just of tremendous growth, but of real, true opportunity, for each and every one of our citizens. [applause] >> the journey to that place of opportunity doesn't start with any of the three people just mentioned. no, like most things, it starts with their children. it starts with how we educate all our children. last year, i stood at this podium and asked a very simple question: are we willing to look south carolina's children in the eye and tell them that their

future will be largely determined by the circumstances of their birth and not the endeavors of their life. and by your actions, you answered, resoundingly, “no. ” i thank you for that. and, more importantly, years from now, the children of south carolina will thank you for it. for the changes we made are real. we invested in teachers. we invested in technology. we invested in reading. and, for the first time in our history, we acknowledged that it costs more to teach those children mired in poverty than those born into a secure economic situation. we changed the face of south carolina. but as we said last year, this was not a silver bullet. the investment we made must be ongoing, it must continue, and it must touch every school district. so in our budget we have doubled down on our investment in technology.

we have expanded our commitment to reading coaches. we have devoted more to professional development, so our teachers are better equipped to teach in today's world. and we've proposed a new initiative that will help our rural schools get, and keep, the kind of highly qualified teachers their students deserve. first, if a student graduating high school is willing to spend eight years teaching in their under-served home district after college, we will pay for up to four years of tuition at a state school. second, if a teacher who has graduated from college and is burdened by student loans commits to teach in a rural district, we will contribute to their student loan repayment. third, if a teacher has less than five years' experience and begins teaching in an eligible district, he or she will receive a pay bump, advancing his or her salary to the level of a teacher five years further down the road.

finally, if a teacher wants to attend graduate school at a state college or university, we will cover the cost of that education, again in exchange for a commitment to teach in a rural or under-served district. and all of this will be done without spending a single new tax dollar. [applause] >> these options aren't just available to new teachers. they are available to all teachers. we want that shining star teaching in lexington to decide it's time to take on a new challenge and teach in denmark. because nothing can ignite a child's desire to learn quite like a great teacher. we need those great teachers going to our rural schools, touching our most at risk students, and we need them staying there.

now, we've given them an added incentive to do just that. last session you joined our call for reform, recognizing that the education of our children transcended the normal, sometimes foolish, constraints of politics and partisanship. i ask that you do the same this year, that you continue to raise the ceiling of opportunity for every child in south carolina. the spirit of cooperation, the commitment to moving our state forward that defined our shared efforts on education sadly did not extend to the reform of our ethics laws that south carolina so desperately needs. many words have been spoken on this issue and much time wasted in these chambers with no result. i believe i have said all i need to. you all know exactly where i stand. reform our ethics laws, restore the public's faith in our government. let's do it right, and let's do it now. we have also seen our challenges

[applause] challenges over the last four years, in many cases due to the long-term neglect of some of our agencies. and so we went after that neglect. we strengthened our mental health and drug abuse services. we focused not on dollars spent but services given to our most vulnerable, like those with disabilities. and we strengthened agencies that had been heavily burdened by changing and increasing populations. in every case, we have focused on results for those in greatest need. one agency has been more challenging than most, the department of social services. there is no question there were changes that needed to be made, and to understand just what

those changes should look like, we went right to the source: our caseworkers. they told us how painful, how difficult it can be to protect children from their own parents. their frustrations became my frustrations, and their passion for children fueled our efforts to improve dss. we have since added caseworkers, changed processes, added second shifts, improved technology, forged partnerships with law enforcement, created new career paths for caseworkers, and so much more. we have changed dss for the better. it is in a far different place than it was a year ago, but there is also still work to do. we have found the person to lead that charge. susan alford was recently quoted as saying “it's always challenging but we have to do it with openness, with integrity, with humility, and with a lot of determination.

” i couldn't have said it better. i have no doubt that for the department of social services, its dedicated employees, and most importantly, the children they serve, there are brighter days ahead. there is an important economic convergence going on in south carolina today. on one side, we have a growing economy, with more of our people working than ever before, with unemployment down to rates we haven't seen in many years, with people moving from welfare-to-work by the tens of thousands, and with new companies moving in or starting up all the time. it is indeed a great day in south carolina. [applause] >> how did we get here? there are several factors, including our business-friendly regulatory approach, our right-to-work

laws, and our strong economic development and recruitment efforts. but there's also no question that our tax system plays an important part in our economy too. our economic competitiveness as a state is in really good shape, but the nature of competition is that just when you think you're doing well, your competitors are gaining on you. in order to continue our state's remarkable progress, we must take further steps to improve our standing. we are competing for jobs internationally, nationally, and regionally. where we stand compared to our neighboring states matters. some southeastern and southwestern states - tennessee, florida, and texas - have no income tax at all. georgia's tax is a full percent lower than ours, and just last year north carolina cut theirs by two full points, to below even that. in that competitive environment,

our state's 7 percent income tax rate stands out and puts us at a disadvantage. in order to keep the ball rolling in our economy, we must bring down our income tax. at the same time, it is widely [applause] recognized that we have major infrastructure needs in our state. we have a very real problem with the way our transportation dollars are spent. our system screams out for reform and restructuring. the condition of our roads and bridges is a statewide concern and yet our dollars are being spent with zero statewide perspective. the current system, with commissioners representing congressional districts and selected by local delegations, is the ultimate exercise in

parochialism. instead of fighting for the needs of south carolina at large, they fight for the needs of their districts, which means they fight each other. i don't necessarily blame them - until we make wholesale changes to the system, doing so is in their best interests. the problem is it is not in south carolina's best interest. so i will not support more revenue for our roads and bridges until we restructure the department of transportation. simply shipping more money into the current bureaucracy would be like blasting water through a leaky hose. some of it would reach the right destination, but too much of it would end up in a mess on the ground. i won't do it. that said, deficient roads and highways are an economic issue. that's why we supported $1 billion in new road funds last year, which was the biggest

infrastructure investment in a generation. it's why we proposed in our executive budget dedicating an additional $61 million in auto sales tax funds entirely to roads. but we know that's not enough. we still have very substantial infrastructure revenue needs that have to be addressed. we have studied every option. some have advocated raising the state gas tax. yes, we do have the third-lowest gas tax in america. gas prices are now down to their lowest level since 2009. non-south carolinians who visit our state would pay a portion of the tax. and we would boost the revenue stream that is dedicated to improving our roads and highways. but there are also major problems with it. we have not gotten to where we are as a state, with our strengthening and growing economy, by raising taxes. quite the opposite. if all we do is increase taxes,

whether it's the gas tax, or some other tax, we will hurt our citizens, we will discourage job creators, and we will dampen our economy. as i've said many times, i will veto any straight-up increase in the gas tax. that's just not going to happen while i'm governor. it's the wrong thing for south carolina. so here's the deal. let's do three things at once that will be a win-win-win for south carolina. let's cut our state income tax rate from 7 percent to 5 percent over the next decade. that's a nearly 30 percent reduction in state income taxes. nationally, it will take us from 38th in income tax competitiveness to 13th. regionally, it will put our rate back below those of north carolina and georgia. it will be a massive draw for jobs and investment to come to our state. and it will put more money in

the pockets of every south carolinian, letting them keep more of what they earn. it will reward work, savings, and investment - all the things we need to do to make our state stronger and our people more prosperous. next, let's change the way we spend our infrastructure dollars and get rid of the legislatively elected transportation commission so the condition of south carolina's roads is no longer driven by short-sighted regionalism and political horse trading, and we stop wasting our tax money. finally, let's increase the gas tax by 10 cents over the next three years, and let's dedicate that money entirely toward improving our roads. that will keep our gas tax below both georgia and north carolina, and we can do it without harming our economy because when coupled with the 30 percent income tax cut, it still represents one of

the largest tax cuts in south carolina history. now, i hope everyone listened carefully to what i said. this is a three-part package deal. in order to get my signature on any gas tax increase, we need to restructure the dot, and we need to cut our state income tax by 2 percent. if we do all of those things, we will have better roads and a stronger economic engine for our people. that's a win-win. [applause] >> i'd like to personally say thank you to speaker jay lucas for his leadership and his commitment to working with us on this and many other issues going forward. and i'd like to thank (house ways and means) chairman brian white, rep. gary simrill and the other

dedicated members of the house transportation committee, who have worked for months to find a solution to our crumbling road system. i appreciate the house taking a formative, thorough lead on this issue. we can all agree that our state's department of transportation must be reformed in order to bring more jobs to south carolina, and i look forward to working with both the house and senate to solve this very real problem this year. between august of 2013 and this past november, i spent my days and nights traveling south carolina and talking with her people. campaigns are a lot of things, but above all they are an opportunity. an opportunity to hear from our citizens, who act as our state's conscience. an opportunity to look backwards, at where we were and what we've accomplished. and an opportunity to share a vision for where we want to go. i have heard it said that the election results have given me a mandate. i have thought long and hard about what that might mean.

webster's dictionary defines the word mandate as “a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative. ” the way the word has been used since november suggests to me that many think i have been given the authorization to act, effectively given permission to push through the agenda i desire. that is not how i see it. i never saw the election as a referendum on me, but on all of us, on the direction we have taken south carolina over the last four years. likewise, i don't view the results as anything but a command, a command by the people of our state to continue along the path we have traveled together since i first took the oath of office as their governor. that path has been one of complete commitment to the economic future of our state,

where every action we take is one that makes it easier for our companies to do business, expand, and hire our people. it has been one where we jump at every opportunity to restructure our archaic government so as to better serve our citizens. it has been one where we opened our borders to new businesses and kept them shut to job-killing unions. it has been one where we fight, every day, to give south carolinians the honest, open government they deserve. it has been one where bickering for bickering's sake between branches of government became a thing of the past. it has been one where we placed the education of our children above our parochial and political self-interests. and it has been one where we put south carolina back on the map - for all the right reasons. that is the path i believe in.

it is the path the people of south carolina overwhelmingly embraced 10 weeks ago. and it is the path i will continue to follow, for if we do, there is no telling the heights to which we can take the state we all love. thank you, god bless you, and may he continue to bless the state of south carolina. [applause]

>> we will tour the house that was head quarters of the american red cross and learn about the life of the founder claire barton. let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us or e-mail us. or you can send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter.

next andrew cuomo delivers the state of the state address. the state majority leader says democrats will pick a new speaker without impact from the governor. from albany. this is an hour and a half. [applause] [applause] --- >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. happy new year to all of you and to stacey miller who is a master teacher, which identifies, literally the best teachers across the state of new york. she is doing extraordinary work.

let's give her a round of [applause] applause. let's give a big welcome to our new lieutenant governor, kathy hochul who is doing a great job already. [applause] >> to the new assembly members, we welcome you. to the new senate members, we welcome them. [applause] >> we are joined by comptroller tom dinapoli, a pleasure to be with you comptroller. let's give him a round of applause. >> attorney general eric schneiderman. [applause] >> it's a pleasure to be with you. senate republican conference leader dean skelos, to a good year dean. [applause] >> assembly speaker sheldon silver, it's a pleasure to be

with you mr. speaker. to the independent democratic conference leader jeff klein. it's a pleasure jeff, thanks for being here. to senate minority leader andrea stewart-cousins, it is a pleasure to be with you andrea. to assembly minority leader brian kolb. thank you brian. [applause] >> we have the members of our fine court of appeals. it's an honor to be with you. thank you judge. [applause] >> to our host mayor kathy sheehan, thank you very much. to the very tired mayor of the [applause] city of new york who went to paris and back in one day, a pleasure to be with you mayor. [applause] >> to all the elected officials who are here today, my colleagues, to our friends thank you all very much for being here today. [applause] >> let me begin by thanking the senate and assembly leaders for their accommodation for my father's passing.

the state of the state address was moved back to accommodate the ceremony around my father's passing. i truly appreciate their consideration in doing that. i also appreciate all the members of senate and all the members of the assembly who came down to pay their respects to my father. it would have meant a lot to him, he had tremendous respect for this body, and tremendous respect for the process and for the legislature. your attendance was overwhelming. many of you came from different parts of the state and i want you to know heartfelt on behalf of the cuomo family, we thank you very much for taking the time to come. and to all new yorkers - there has been an outpouring of notes, letters, and phone calls. i can't even begin to explain

it. so on behalf again of my father and my brother and my sisters we want to thank all new yorkers for the respect that they have shown to my father. now, if my father knew we delayed the state of the state on his account, he wouldn't be happy. slowing the function of government is not something that would have been okay with him. so what we have actually done is accelerated it. the budget, by moving the budget up five days and this is going to be the first joint, state of the state and budget presentation. it will be five days ahead of schedule, which would have made my father happy. now, the good news is since it is a joint presentation, budget and state of the state, you'll only have to sit through one presentation. that is the good news. but the bad news is that it is a three hour presentation.

so i will do my best to move along, but there is a lot of good work that we have done and a lot of good work that we want to do that we are going to talk about today. what is the state of the state? new york state is back and new york state is leading the way forward. and none of this would have happened without the work of the people in this room. look how far we've come in a short period of time. 2010, we had an 8.9% unemployment; today it is 5.9 %. we had chronically low credit ratings; today the highest credit ratings in 40 years by all three credit rating agencies. upstate was in a state of decay [applause]

decay and decline and alienation and upstate is rebuilding everywhere you go today. [applause] >> taxes and spending were going up, up, and up and today we have cut the tax rate to the lowest in 50 years. [applause] >> property taxes that were going up at about 6% a year are now capped at 2% and then frozen at that rate. [applause] it was a period of historic progress. >> when you look at, yes you should applaud that, it was a period of historic progress and it has made our state a better state. it has made life for people in our state better and that is what this is all about at the end of the day. making life better for people and that is what we have actually been doing. now, i won't say it was an easy four years. it was a hard four years. it has taken a toll, some greater tolls on some of us than others. but look where we were when we

started. look at how good dean skelos looked just four years ago. and look at shelly; four years ago he was looking good. we were like saturday night fever dudes just four years ago. and four years later - it's really sad, pictures don't lie, it's true, it really is true. but we believe and i am sure i speak for dean and shelly, it was worth it and we would do it all over again, wouldn't we? [applause] >> new york is now a state of opportunity once again and our goal today is to reach even higher. that is what our 2015 opportunity agenda is all about; economic opportunity, education public safety, government reform

and fairness for all. we start with the economy, because business is the engine that pulls the train. it's all about jobs, jobs, jobs. it was about four years ago and it is today and it is about keeping the growing and to keep the economy growing we have to keep doing what we have been doing that got the economy running in the first place. in two simple words it is maintaining the fiscal discipline that we have established. remember where we were four years ago. the state of new york was spending more money than the people in the state were earning - think about that concept for a moment. the increase in state spending was going up at a faster rate than new yorkers were actually earning income. and that wasn't one or two years. that was for 50 years, the rate of spending increased, higher than the amount of income.

we have reversed that trend and actually turned it the other way. the state now spends, over the past four years 1.3%, that compares to 6.8% over the past 50 years. it's not a complicated formula, [applause] formula, because we spend less, we can tax less and we have made historic progress in that regard. last year we have the lowest middle class tax rate since 1953, lowest corporate income tax rate since 1968, and lowest manufacturing tax rate since 1917. so by controlling spending at 2% we can continue to keep taxes down, if we continue to keep taxes down, we will keep businesses coming our way. that is exactly what our goal for this year should be,

starting with small businesses. small businesses are 98% of all the businesses in new york. small business is where the jobs are being created. that is the life blood, anything we can do to generate small business is what we want to do. we want to have a tax cut for small business that is dramatic. that would take the small business tax from 6.5% down to 2.5%, the lowest rate in 100 years and send a real positive signal. that will show that new york is continuing to be a pro-job, pro-growth state. the next taxes we have to attack are the property taxes. now here is a quote: “the public is at last coming to realize that the increase in real estate taxes is due wholly to the

increase in the cost of local and not state government. these taxes on real estate are too high. local government has in many communities been guilty of great waste and duplication. ” who said that quote? i'll give you a hint. me, secretary hillary clinton, fdr, ronald reagan, or stephen acquario. it is not ronald reagan, it is not hillary clinton, it is not me. it is down to stephen acquario and fdr. if it is stephen acquario, he is fired, so it is fdr. but that shows how long this problem has actually been going on. it has been new york's chronic

problem and when people complain about high taxes in new york, they're talking about the property tax. just remember this; the number one business tax is the property tax. the highest tax we collect in the state of new york is the property tax, $50 billion dollars total, compared to $40 billion dollars for everything else. we attacked it over the past four years. 2011 we capped it, 2014 we froze it, 2015 we are going to cut it and really respond to the needs of homeowners all across this state. let's pass a $1.7 billion dollar [applause] dollar property tax relief for 1.3 million homeowners who will save an average of nearly $1,000 dollars per year and $1,000 dollars in savings can make a difference in people's lives.

we would also extent relief to over 1 million renters in this state. when you put the two together, 2.3 million households, just under a million upstate, 800,000 in new york city, 340,000 in long island and 139,000. this is real, meaningful significant tax relief that will make a difference in people's lives. and send a very strong signal that the new york we brought you for the past four years is the new york that we're going to continue. >> mr. speaker, mr. president, >> we neat need to invest in the infrastructure and started a program downitate with john f. kennedy and stewart and republican airports planning our

regional airports as one unit. we want to make republic and stewart, republic is on long island and stewart in mid-hudson, we want them to be tax-free zones so we can bring businesses to republic and stewart and take some of the traffic from the other airports and move it out to the long island and stewart airport. we also want to build four metro north stations in the bronx to open up that side of the bronx. [applause] >> i have a name for one of the stations. diaz station is what we will call it. ruben diaz station. we will invest $150 million to construct vertical parking structure at strategic locations in long island and west chester

to assist commuters coming in on the li-rr. we were pose using $1.2 billion of the settlement funds to protect through-way toll pairs payers for a year. so there is no increase in the through way toll. we are working with partners in washington to secure public funding for transportation over the bridge. congress woman took the lead in this and peter king and they have been very helpful. infrastructure today is less about roads and bridges in my opinion and it is more about broadband. a state that doesn't have broadband isn't going to be economically successful going forward. we have 500,000 homes and 4,000

businesses who have no access to broadband. it tends to be in upstate new york and poorer communities in new york city. the last place we should have the absence is where we have if. we want to invest $500 million, leverage $500 million and let's get new york state fully wired so every business every home can compete, and let's start doing that now. [applause] there is a new way of thinking about growing jobs in new york state. jobs are coming out of our higher education system. you look anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world as a matter of fact where you see regional job growth and it's always linked to the higher education institutions.

we're in the process of taking our suny and puny system and turning them into commercialization and job generators. you look at stanford university and silicon valley. that was an academic exercise that was actually commercialized extraordinarily well and started an entire revolution in the economy. that can happen here in new york. but we have to make the investment. we have to invest in suny 2020 and puny 2020 so we know we have the best higher education itns tt pr higher education and to jumpstart the economy. we have been doing it and want to continue doing it with another $50 million investment this year. we we want to couple that -- [applause]

we want to couple that with the new york state venture fund of $100 million for new york state and invest in many of those young entrepreneurs and many of those startup companies and keep them here in new york rather than finding equity in california or texas florida. let's invest in our homegrown companies and keep the jobs here now. [applause] we also have significant reforms for community college system that in many cases is charging students exorbitant tuition running up debt, giving them training and education for jobs that don't exist. the person graduates the community college system has the debt but cannot find a job.

more and more the community college system is turning into a training program, almost an apprentice program for a specific industry. part of the training is they decide they need the skills they need. you go to the college, get the degree, come out for graduate, go right into that company, and that is what we have to be doing with our community colleges. we want to make them regionally with the employers in that region identify specific jobs that are available and then educate and train for those jobs to make the community college system more rewarding. [applause] 's the past four years we have focused on upstate new york and economic development like never before.

i would venture to say that there has never been a more concerted effort in developing upstate new york than what we have done over the past four years. andgçcuti u(state was in a terrible cycle of decline. it was losing economic power through no fault of its own, changing the economy. businesses were moving away, but when you start to lose people who start to lose political power because loss of population literally relates to loss of political power which results in loss of government attention, and now you are in a downward cycle. that is where where upstate new york was for many, many years and it was not getting the care and attention it deserved. we reversed that cycle made

upstate new york a priority invested political power population, and now you see the reverse. just the way that the negative synergy, i believe there is a positive synergy. if you go to a lot of the cities you feel a a totally different energy than you felt four years ago that is the turnaround we are talking about. look at where the unemployment good dropped. historically the unemployment rate would drop in new york city and would stay static upstate new york you look at these unemployment numbers and see how balanced our economy is. the is. the days were downstage flourishes and upstate suffers are over and this is a very balanced picture and a very balanced economy. [applause]

the regional economic development councils are working extraordinarily well. a new ideas ideas certainly would organize region by region across the state because there is no one economy. there are regional economies. put everyone at one table and all the politicians business people, academics come up with one regional strategy and everyone works. that is exactly what we have done. it's the former lieut. governor lieutenant governor served as chairman of the regional economic development council. in your shoulders attended hundreds and hundreds all around the state and inspired this process. let's give him a big round of applause and a moment of recognition. [applause]

>> this is the best. we also embarked on a truly ambitious enterprise the turnaround western new york. the single greatest economic problem in the state of new york. york. western new york, buffalo america cherry and pockets of property down south in the bronx. western new york and buffalo had been down for so long that they did not even believe that they could come back. i remember when i 1st started speaking to groups and buffalo four years ago. i would give them my best economic development pitch and not a single muscle in a single phase with move.

they had heard it all before everybody was leaving, the population was shrinking nothing shrinking, nothing was going to help buffalo, nothing was going to turn it around. well, we did. and buffalo today the housing market is way off. you have construction billions and billions of dollars in construction, construction, the private market is flocking to buffalo. they are writing about buffalo internationally as a turnaround phenomenon. that is what happened and buffalo. and it proved to us if you can turnaround buffalo you can turn around anything. anything. we had a great -- [applause] we had a great team that made a difference. i asked

them to stand so that we can recognize them. it's. [applause] propose expanding our green jobs and our environment. the sweet spot for the state of new york creating jobs in the clean energy clean environment area. increase the environmental protection fund to $172 million. we also propose to five. [applause] we also proposed a $50 million farmland preservation fund, 20 million of which we will be dedicated to the hudson valley which is one of the precious assets in the state it is a tourism asset.

growing arab culture industry because they need to preserve there land. this investment in green jobs jobs, want to hold the $20 million clean energy. internationally the best ideas and clean energy companies. we will invest in let's do it for the southern tier. [applause] we also want to expand the upstate economy you have to

be able to move goods in and out. the state fair is symbolically and economically important. the important. the state fair is just that, the state fair. it gives a tremendous number of visitors from all across the state to demonstrate the state development, beauty, resources. the truth is, the state affair makes money for the state, over 130 million a hundred and 30 million but the state fair, in truth, reflects yesterday's new york not tomorrow's new york. let's reimagine the state fair invest in it, be proud of it get a private sector company to come in and

partner with us and invest $50 million turnaround wednesday is turning around 1300 acres. fort drum is the home for the 10th mountain division it's just returned from serving as proudly in afghanistan. [applause] [applause] the picture with the pen in his pocket of both deployed

voice said that affected in 323 soldiers have been lost by the 10th mountain division defending our freedom and what are the site reflects and ask them to stand so that we can honor them. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause]

expanding tourism which continues to be a successful jobs generator. at one time we had a very robust i love new york advertising campaign. over the years it went away. we away. we started to bring it back, got more creative. we we spent over a hundred million in advertising the past four years and our investment has been paying off exponentially. visitor spending is up $8 billion-$62 billion, believe $62 billion, believe it or not. 8 percent higher than the national rate of growth. and that is a very famous

new yorker driving a car on the track. track. the license plate number 56 is a clue. our tourism jobs increased by 83,002 a total of 850,000. the international attention to have state new york. we got around the challenges the fishing challenges of the promotion of our wine industry, which is doing great. it it is reaping dividends. we also want to expand our global market as the next step, set up a global export export import bank of the federal government when i worked with it when i was in the federal government a tremendous impact

$35 million. top economic partners. and mexico. i want but the leaders went to israel last year and we had a great trip and this year were going to be our own version of the three amigos. him him him a trade mission to america's newest economic partner which is cuba. it was like to be one of the 1st states to cuba just from a competitive.of view economically. let us be the

1st one there, open markets, and markets, and let us get opportunities for new york companies. [applause] our economic recovery, new yorker's shoe who are still left division of opportunity. all of the growth in the economy: economy: poverty still exists. poverty still exists. in a state of new york as orange areas are areas where they have poverty greater than 20 percent. like rochester in the box. rochester has the highest child poverty rate in the state and the bronx has the highest overall poverty rate we want to build on our successful efforts. we have a strikeforce in the

bronx that has been working well. we we want to add $70 million to get young people jobs keep them off the street corner, given a positive path to follow. in largest we are creating an anti- poverty task force to live children and their families out of poverty and we are starting at now. if you want peace work for justice and when that is what we're trying to do. and for too many dream of economic mobility has been replaced with the reality of stagnation. many people believe if you are born or you are going to die for and that is the exact opposite of what the american dream promised. it was all about mobility

and wherever you start you can move forward and move up that was the beauty of this country and why people came. it it did not matter if you are rich or poor white or black, you black, you came here and could be whatever you want it to be. you had a chance to do itko. this country will never guarantee success. first, 1st we believe we should raise the matter wage we were raised it once and we believe that gap continues to get worse. we will raise the minimum wage to $10.50 statewide. new york city. [applause]

very simple. we believe if you work full-time you should be able to pay the rent. the basic promise of employment and we not their yet. we still have a harder a harder problem in the state and many communities. expand our emergency food access.q there is no excuse no excuse why any man, woman, or child can go hungry in the state of new york.r i can provide housing and affordable housing. we want to increase our investment by $486 million. let's do the affordable housing we need so that we don't wind up with homeless

people in the 1st place. [applause] the unemployment for minority men we have an urban youth jobs program that provides the employer with a training subsidy if they hire a young person. it works. let's keep it going" funding" jobs. [applause] four years ago the state's procurement goal for minority women-owned businesses was 10% which is about $800 million in state contracts were set aside for women-owned businesses set aside for women-owned businesses and minority owned businesses. we raise that 10 percent.

last year we surpass the 20% 20 percent and went to 25 percent which was $2 billion in state contracts that went to women-owned companies and minority and companies. this year we want to take it even to a knew level national level, set the highest goal in the nation and go to 30 percent for minority and women-owned businesses. many of our new college graduates face high student loan debt as they begin their career and it is a troubling situation because they have high debt and low wages. we want to help them get on their feet for the 1st two years. as they come out of college they have high debt and jobs where they are less than 50,000 per year.

they probably can't afford to pay off her debt. we will pay there debt for the 1st two years so that they can get their feet under them and get on with their lives. [applause] we have a various array of organizations in the state. into the mainstream, and want to develop programs to grow the capacity. community development services. it's going to be led by assemblyman. let's give them a round of applause.

[applause]çó give them the technical skills that they need. the great equalizer. this is the area where we need to do the most reform and, and, frankly where reform is going to be difficult. our education system needs dramatic reform and it has for years and i believe this is the year to do it, the year to roll up our sleeves and take on the dramatic challenge that has eluded us for so many years for so many reasons. we will pursue an ambitious

k-12 agenda. professionalize teaching and increase standards, strength and teacher evaluations from her reward excellent teachers, transport failing schools expeditiously but fairly remove ineffective teachers, expand charter schools, extend way all control. we we want the best features in our classroom. we must start teaching like the profession that it actually is. [applause] in 2013 this legislature put

in place a bar exam an entrance exam for teachers. last year every prospective every perspective teacher had to take a 12 grade math 2,012 grade literacy test. of the teachers that circuit, 32 percent failed. and these are teachers who are about to walk into a classroom. these are teachers who were giving to our children. we need a real set of standards for entering the profession. and we also want to recruit the best and the brightest. i believe you have to incentivize without. we are we are proposing that we we will pay full tuition for the top graduates if they commit to going to teach in new york schools five years. [applause]

and we will create a residency program to give teachers early training just the way we do with doctors. [applause] the key nikita education reform is the teacher evaluation reform. you know where teachers are doing well where they need work, and what teachers are struggling. the teacher evaluation system. new york is talked about for years and years and years. we were supposed to implement the teacher evaluation system five years ago in exchange for receiving federal money. the schools were reluctant to do. last year we served if the school did not complete a teacher evaluation system they would not get state funding.

lo and behold, 100% of the percent of the teachers now have a teacher evaluation system. that's the good news. they have teacher evaluation systems for every school in the system. now, 38 percent of high school students are college ready. 38 percent. 98.7 percent of high school teachers. how can that be, how can 38 percent of the students be ready for 98% of the teachers effective? 31% are proficient in it but english but 99 percent of the teachers are rated effective.

35% of there day traders are proficient in math. 98 percent of the teachers rated effective. we. who are we to think of my friends? the problem is clear. we need real accurate fair teacher evaluations. [applause] education and their ideas, the feedback and we accept the recommendations. we will eliminate local exams and 50 percent of the evaluation of state exams. second, the other other 50 percent of the evaluation should be limited to independent classroom observation. teachers may not be rated effective or highly effective unless they are effective in the test and evaluation.

virtually all teachers being raided by rated by setting scoring pans in the state law. we proposed tenure to be granted with a teacher at choose five consecutive years of effective ratings and once we have a very evaluation system weekend incentivize performance. i believe the teacher evaluation system should be used to incentivize and reward high-performing teachers. and if a teacher is doing well incentivize the teacher is doing well and pay them accordingly. we would pay a teacher who is highly effective a $20,000 bonus on top of the salary that the teacher is getting paid because we want to incentivize high-performance.

in 2013 we created the master teacher program which rewards the highest performing teachers in the system. today we have 552 master teachers. we are the best of the best. these are mentors to colleagues, achieved the highest test scores teachers who go above and beyond and give more to their students than anyone has a right to ask. we are joined by them today. let them stand so that we can honor them and thank them for their contribution. [applause]

for teachers who need support after the evaluation we will offer a teacher improvement plan to give them the help that they need and the unfortunate case we have a chronically ineffective teacher who despite our health does not improve we must protect our students by removing the chronically ineffective teacher from the classroom. she under the current 3020 a system that is so hard to remove an ineffective ineffective teacher that most districts will tell you that they don't even try.

after two ineffective ratings the teacher will be removed unless they can show that the scoring was fraudulent. let's remember the education system and why we do this while the taxpayers give us money to fund education so that we can teach our children. this was never about protecting a a bureaucracy. it was about helping people. it it was not about creating an educational industry that supports ancillary organizations. let's remember the children in this process and then we will wind up doing the right thing. [applause] we must acknowledge that while education should have a great equalizer education

is is what made the american dream or reality of my father to go from behind the grocery store to become governor. joint chiefs of staff. for too many years now the great discriminator. we we have two systems, one for the original for the poor. students will fall behind in virtually every academic category. the state average average for graduation is 76 percent. more than nine out of ten on minority.61 report students. nine out out of ten minority or students. there were 178 failing schools in new york state. for an entire decade of the

last ten years 1,050,000 children went through the failing schools for new york state and did nothing. just think about that and that has to end this year i understand the abuse. i also no what our students need to move forward. we should be ashamed of those numbers. with reform goes bureaucracy. it it does not improve performance. student based. failing district for many years. state spent $16,000.

don't call me if we only had more money and will change. we have been putting more money into the system every year for decades and it has not changed. 250,000 children were condemned. let's end of this year. we'll take another recommendation that the massachusetts model in new york. when a school fills with three years and not-for-profit, another school district, turnaround expert must take over the school and create a plan a plan to dramatically overhaul and improve the entire school. return the school into a community school and develop a management overall plan. the takeover attempt to pull

over all the curriculum, overall agreements and terminate under performing staffs, provide salaries centers early college high schools, wraparound services giving the students the services they need the beer making the changes that we have to make and this makes drivers schools provide a valuable option for many of our students. we propose giving students a preference. [applause] the charter is 460. 159 slots left. only 24 available slots left in new york city. we want to add another 100 to the. to eliminate any artificial limits on where charter schools can help. [applause]

proposing innovative legislation to ensure charters to ensure there share of high needs populations english language, learning disabled and free lunch. we want to pass a $100 million education tax credit was naked area to cover reality.

if we are serious about fixing this problem is it is also part of the solution. their control with the mayor has taken control of the school system. let's give a round of applause. [applause] and let's consider the possibility in other cities where we have chronic long-term problems with the education system and let other mayors step up to the plate and we will work with them in that regard. the earlier students enter classroom the more opportunity for success they have. therefore we have committed 1.5 billion and are excited about that. [applause] another 365 million this year and pre-k for pre- k

for four -year-olds, but we also want to take the next step and start designing programs not for four -year-olds but for three-year-olds. all the studies show the earlier you get them in the better. let new york be ahead of the curve by enrolling three -year-olds. we are now making some of the largest cognitive and behavioral gains. [applause] we know mentoring programs were. we know that their are citizens who want to help and will get involved. new york wants was led the way inventory is an international phenomenon and started really read in the state-of-the-art.

we should once again lead the way inventory, and we we will. set up a mentoring commission commendable bill had pro bono by mrs. matilda cuomo. [applause] now doing it all across the world that has made a great difference. let her help new york because it all starts at home. pro bono you understand.

>> we propose if we pass these reforms and this is an ambitious reform package problems for people on both sides of the aisle and they we will be besieged by lobbyists and i understand the political consequence of what i am asking you to do in making these reforms. donate the donate the taxpayers of new york. let's make the hard choices stand up for the kids, and if we make these reforms i am i am prepared to make a very large investment. i have one which is in the budget the education 1.7 percent.

$377 million. but we took the personal growth formula. so by our existing budget it we will be a $377 million increase him. (a 4.8 percent increase of $1.1 billion investment in education. again, again that is if we actually stand up and pass these reforms.

it's not the beginning of the war and terrorism and not the end. if anyone doubted that club paris was a reminder to all of of us. the terrorist groups are metastasizing à la across the world. it's actually it's actually worse than it was about 11 is. we must do the same. this -- to visit redoubled the police in key areas. areas of potent presence of a worthwhile investment. [applause] the security review the capacity. and then the train stations, port authorities how they are coordinating

homeland security. thank you. investing $15 million to open the nation's 1st emergency preparedness comes in the country. the older satellite campus can literally the 1st in the united states right here in new york. [applause] to coordinate federal and local emergency responses. there again the town of the village accountant can go on the the contract they need. also tracked the cost.

it it was done at the same time. local emergency personnel. everyone is traded on the same emergency proposals from other towns, villages, counties, states everyone knows that the other people are doing. we learned that the hard way and number of times. we propose investing 5,050,000,000 to keep the roads open whatever the reasons we closed roads roads, we can't keep up with the about snowfall. if we if we had a higher number of snowplows they

could actually keep up with a higher rate of snowfall and i think it's a worthwhile investment. emergency vehicles, and we want and want to equip the state of the gps so we no where they are all times. we can do we need to do we come up with a call government. more people trust people trust us with the more capacity we have to do the work and the continued service to the public trust. it is in the process. campaign finance or pass public financing, past the pay commission to reduce the influence of money in our government and increase the amount of trust. [applause] for social justice agenda

has several points. number one: we are proud of the reforms we make to the justice system including closing more prisons that at a time in their history. [applause] but new york is one convicted of a crime. no place for a 16 -year-old.

sixteen or 17 -year-old in state prison. convene the panel to the 17 -year-old out of the adult prison. [applause] the promise of equal justice and it is currently in the midst.

fairness for all and whether the justice system millions colorblind, and that is not just new york. it's a problem problem all across the country than the problem in reality reality and perception and the problem only perception but still real problem. the justice system the respect and trust that. we have to respect that trust and are proposing this seven-point agenda to do just that. first of all new line policing community relations so he can have a dialogue community by community by

community can talk to the police and the police contacted the community in this a situation in a safe setting to work through issues. number two the state should help police forces statewide recruit more minorities and the law enforcement. the more that the police post looks like the community there policing the better the job the police can do. do. third, we believe that we should -- [applause] third, we believe we should provide race and ethnic data on police action statewide. nothing to hide, transparency works. let's give people the actual facts. number four when it did do everything we can do to keep our police said. these are dangerous jobs

body cameras bullet proof glass district attorneys may issue a grand jury report for a letter of fact explaining proceedings if there is no true bill on the police brutality so people no what actually happened in the preceding it we will appoint an independent monitor who we will review where a civilian dies in no true bill is issued an independent monitor can recommend a special prosecutor be appointed. this should have access to grand jury information which we will be protected. this protected. this way the independent monitor can make an

intelligent recommendation because they we will have all the evidence of the facts. teeseven points for the long way toward restoring trust, restoring restoring respect both ways from the police to the community and the community to the police.t'art and let's start now. it's a good start. [applause] that involves the agenda which, as i mentioned mentioned, is a work in progress. women are still not treated equally. we must ask the equality agenda. [applause] new york state now has more schools being investigated for sexual assault that any

state in the nation. eleven colleges being investigated on how they handle sexual assault. this is just wholly unacceptable and is repugnant to our basic belief that women have equal rights and we protect company. teefive let new york take the lead in protecting these are adults and students. last fall su ny chancellor passed a really leading proposal which requires affirmative consent for sexual relations to ensure a woman's access to law enforcement. all too often when no one is victimized in the is the recourse is campus police

and the tendency is to keep it private because it is embarrassing for the university and all too often justice is not done. the statistics show one out for young women will be sexually assaulted while in college. one out of four. and the and the rate of reporting is in the single digits. and to make matters worse the experts believe it is a small number of men who are committing these acts but a high level of recidivism because they are not being reported. that is the tractor. so women need to

affirmatively consent, and then women are assessed of there rights, can go to campus police with the local police or the state police. and they and they can treated as a crime. it is working has been working. want to make it a law a law that covers every college of the state of new york and we want to be the 1st day to do that. [applause] we have more homeless today than ever before in the history of this to new york and that is just simply a disgrace. want to want to increase our homeless budget by $403 million a 20 percent increase in light of the increasing homelessness. on the numbers this is with the agenda looks like, and this is as simple as the budget is. we have discussed it before but it is done right the budget is a fairly simple exercise. the state total of the

budget would go of 1.7 percent total. we have a 2% spending, so we, so we are under the 2 percent spending. state agencies are at .6. that means state agencies are basically flat. parks,. parks, state police department of transportation. they are basically flat. they are flat because we give a 3.6% a 3.6 percent increase to medicaid which is the formula amount and it anticipates that 4.8 percent for education. so the 4.8 percent increase in education and 3.6 on medicaid and steady under 2 percent the rest of the state budget basically has to be zero. and and that is our budget. 0 percent increase for the agencies of 4.8 for

education, 3.6 from medicaid and it comes out to 1.7. 1.7. the new initiatives that are within the state budget which we went through and how they are funded through a property tax act as relief is 350 million, affordable housing hundred and 50 start of new york, not-for-profit. the initiatives that we just went through. they are funded from the normal state budget. this year we have a settlement funds of 5.4 billion. these are funds that were basically a gift from above. they were settlements with law enforcement agencies where the state received the penalty. it comes out out to

5.4 billion. our proposal is as follows: 850 million money that we held the federal government for a discrepancy in past billing, which we have been working toward for years, but years, but it we will come out to about $850 million. we would spend 1.5 billion xq i jz upstate revitalization. the $3,500,000,000 revitalization grants to three regions, upstate new york, and in 3 billion on infrastructure and other investments. the other investments are, as you see here, a stabilization fund that protects the toll for one year and invests in the high-speed broadband upstate hospitals which are in terrible need of repair and reconstruction for

metro-north station's for the for the bronx the parking garages for long island and westchester for the long island railroad from a government efficiency grants, emergency response upstate ports, state fair and the 7th year from an initiative which comes out to the $3 billion command that is resolved. that is the budget in a a nutshell and the state of the state. one last point, if i i might hold of my colleagues and assemblyman we were talking about this outline of these issues the other day. he said, this is going to be hard because these issues are not new york issues. issues. these problems are all national problems. 210 ms. that is true. failure of schools are a national problem.

struggling older cities is a national problem. questioning of our justice system is a national problem. so he's right, they are national problems but he's wrong if he thinks that we can't solve them. because, my friends, that is precise ly precisely what we do here together as new yorkers and that's what new york has always done. new york is the state that leads and it always has. we were the first state to stand up for freedom of religion. this state passed an emancipa before abraham lincoln was even born. we passed the first housing reform to guarantee living conditions