investment than building arrowhead and kaufman stadium's combined. ford will produce a product in america for the first time and it will be built with pride right here in the show me state. no more outsourcing folks, we are bringing jobs back to missouri. yes, we are. now in addition to the transit, they are producing more f-150 pickups this will bring 600 more jobs on top of the 3,000 jobs. and gm announced they would

invest $380 million to build two more vehicles that is another 16,060 jobs right here in missouri. you know, i wish all of you could have been with me when we made those announcements. after all those workers been through. to see the look in those worker's eyes. to know they can put food on the table and clothes on their kids' back. to know they can pay the mortgage and the electric bill. to know that when the collection

plate comes past on sunday they could put something in it, folks, what we to here really matters. really matters. we do the people's work and it really matters. and we are certainly not going to stop now. last week, i was back again in detroit. sitting face to face with senior executives from ford, gm and some of the world's largest auto suppliers. i was there for one reason to get more auto parts suppliers to invest in the show me state. whether they are making seats or steering wheels, axles or air bags we want suppliers to bring more of those jobs to missouri. the legislature ssouri work to stand up with me to fight for the auto industry. we need to help auto suppliers create new jobs across missouri.

make no mistake, just like before, competition is going to be stiff. but on the missouri taxpayers, let me say this, we won with ford, we won with gm. we are going to win with the auto suppliers and concrete even more jobs. let's done. now the next component of missouri works is to sell more missouri-made overseas to great more jobs here at home. it's clear that the world wants what missouri has got. cotton, chemicals semiconductors f-15s. when i talk about selling

missouri-made goods overseas, i don't mean just the established fortune 500. it's important to compete globally for family farms in every part of the state. forest keeling nursery in ellsbury is ahead of the state. they grow more than 250 types of trees and grasses and sells them around the world. they have patents pending in more than 50 countries. last year i had the pleasure of visiting this small hometown business that is winning in the global economy i would ask the owner and his wife join and their daughter to stand and represent what we want to do to

sell to the world. [ applause ] now because of companies like this, missouri eximportaports w in the first quarter of 2011. and that was on top of our 35% growth in 2010. so as part of missouri works we will create a one stop shop to help missouri businesses and farms find new americas in international offices and with new trade offices that we will be opening in many countries we will take that made in missouri brand global. last fall, i led a group of 60 leaders to china where we signed

an agreement to sell $4.6 billion worth of missouri products. because i don't know about you, but i think it's just about time this a the guy in beijing walked into his local store and saw made in america stickers on products he s he is buying fr show me state. absolutely. now another part of our missouri work strategy is worker training. in a global economy with constant evolving technology. training and education can never stop. now we have established new higher education programs like caring for missourians and nurse

training initiative to prepare thousands more missourians for rewarding careers that exist today and last year we also increased missouri's investment in the customized training program by 50%. that record investment allowed us to train nearly 37,000 workers who are on the job right now at 300 missouri businesses. so as part of our missouri work strategy, the budget i present tonight continues our record investment in worker training for a second year. especially in high tech areas that are critical for the industry. now one of the growing companies we helped with worker training is merimak that employees people in crawford county. our cost mi

th they reduced production cost and became competitive in the global market and created 25 new jobs last year. on behalf of all of our innovative small businesses welcome the ceo's, if you would. y now let's talk about military veterans, honoring and employeeiemployee i -- employing our military veterans is important. i talked to soldiers that were about to go on patrol and as they were suiting up i asked one of the soldiers what he was most worried about. his answer really surprised me. he didn't say he was most worried about facing the enemy

that night. no. he looked me straight in the eyes, and he said governor, what i'm worried about is whether there's going to be a job for me when i get home. folks, our job is to make sure the answer to that question is a yes. absolutely. every veteran that needs a job should be able to get one. in 2009, we passed legislation to begin faphasing out taxes on families of military income. that is a signal that we want veterans to move to missouri and make it their hope.

we asked employers to put military veterans in front of the line when hiring. i'm proud to report that our show me heroes program has crossed the marker and now has put more than 1,000 veterans back to work right here in missouri. now the missouri work strategy will expand the mission of show me heroes and will work to create job opportunities for every veteran in our state. t

the next part of missouri works is the areas of science and technology. missouri is already home to some of the brightest minds and innovators in the world. with the passage last year of the missouri science and reinvestment act, we are poised for rapid progress. as part of the missouri works, my budget includes $4 million in seed capitol to attract the best talent in t talent in the world to missouri. we are growing the industries today and creating the high tech jobs of tomorrow. now time finally missouri works create jobs in rural communities. folks want their towns to be places where their kids can grow up safe, get a good education. find a job. raise a family. it was not that long ago, just a generation or two, that folks

made a good living hand sewing baseball uniforms or making shoes on aassembling type writers. we will custom taylor job creation s for small business owners in rural communities because we want every part of missouri to move forward together. now, we are also helping rural missouri compete by expanding access to high speed internet. broad band is a game changer.

mobile broad band is bringing a total investment of $311 million to wire missouri. over in otterville, we hooked up the local school through our partnership with show me technologies. this is significantly expanded web based classes using streaming video. just as the railroads and the interstates changed the face and the fate of missouri communities in decades past, this project will help shape missouri's future from ottererville to new london and every in between. rural communities are a proud part of missouri's past and they are also a vital part of missouri's future. especially as we all know when it comes to agriculture. missouri farmers feed, fuel and clothe the world and with

108,000 farms generating more than $12 million annually, it's the backbone of the missouri economy. kind of makes you hungry just thinking about it. we want to keep missouri agriculture growing and our rural wail of life strong, that is why i'm working on opening new markets and improving energy and making them more competitive. bob and kate are a major source of success. bob's parents raised a few cat tle, but he and kate have turned

that farm into one of the largest in the state. it's a lasting legacy, one that will be handed down for generations. so representing all of our great agriculture community tonight show me one of the show me state's out standing families, thanks for being here. so to compete in a changing global economy, missouri must have world class public schools. our public schools have always been and will always be becons of hope and opportunity and excellence for all. none are turned away.

some children come to school hungry and homeless, but when a child of want and a child of wealth walk through our school house doors they enter as equals. support for public education should not be used as a wedge to divide us, missouri's public education is an enduring value that unites us. some states have opted to balance their budgets to backs of school children.

kansas cut its basic funding formula for k-12 schools by $232 per child. texas triggered massive layoffs and south carolina, arizona, and california have each reduced funding per student by more than 20%. but, you know, all across missouri, i haven't met one parent or one teacher who thinks we should balance our budget by taking money from their kid's classrooms. for the past -- [ applause ] for the past three years even in challenging budget times we have maintained level funding for our k-12 classrooms and this year we will take the next step, the budget i present will provide record funding for our classrooms because it's the right thing to do.

now several urgent issues facing public education require action this session. first we have to find a solution to the foundation formula fairly and predictably and we have more work work to do with our urban school districts to make sure had that each child as an opportunity to succeed. look at st. louis, we are seeing how strong leadership, dedicated teachers and committed parents are making a real difference right now. students have shown academic improvement for four years in a row, the district is now operating with a balanced budget and a tttendance rate is now at

93%. from my conversations with teachers and organizations it's clear the st. louis schools are finding their footing and moving in the right direction. now we need to take steps to improve public education in a number of other areas including charter schools. now missouri has some strong charter schools where inspired teachers with fresh ideas are giving children a top notch education. but let's be frank. we also have charter schools where children are languishing in the classrooms that are not up to par in schools that are not well managed and our students pay the price. i call on the legislature to send to my desk a bill that will

now, educating our children is a high calling. and those who answer the call deserve or support and respect. good teachers get results. so we need to entice our best college students to become teachers in those urban and rural public school sdlacts have the greatest needs. once they're on the job, they must be accountable for what the kids are learning.

>> our economy is changing, and education can't stop at high school. because by the next decade, literally two thir-thirds in th united states will require postsecondary education. more missouri kids will need a college degree, but too many families simply can't afford the cost of a college education. so for the past three year ears missouri has tackled this head-on. universities and other states win creasing tuition by double digits, we froze tuition in 2009 and 2010 at all our public colleges and universities. last year i challenged our colleges to continue to hold down tuition and as a results, enrollment in our public colleges has surged. over the past three years we've added 31,000 students. that's a new record each fall. now, that's great news for our students. our schools and the fruuture of

our state. now in another challenging budget year, our top priorities in funding for higher education must continues to be high quality academic programs and student scholarships. so in addition to a record investment in k through 12 classrooms my budget supplies stable funding for college scholarships including bright light, access missouri and a-plus. >> let me talk for a moment about that a-plus program. these scholarships cover tuitio in the state for students willing to work hard, play by the rule, give back to their communities. since i've become your governor we've worked to add 110 new a-plus schools and a number of

xun students in the program has risen 30%. this year, 12,500 students will take advantage of the a-plus scholarships. next year we anticipate closer to 14,000 students will be a-plus scholars. we will continue to expand access to a-plus scholarships to students across our state. now, investing in college affordability is critical for continued economic growth. but we have to balance the budget. and we all know that means we have to cut in other areas. so to balance our budget in a way that protects our scholarships and academic programs i'm calling on colleges and universities to continue to look for more ways to cut overhead and administrative costs and run smarter, more efficient operations. and while leaner, more efficient operations are essential, higher education must continue to adapt for the modern economy. public colleges and universities must change their business

models. let me give you an exciting example of what one college is doing. earlier this month, the university of central missouri unveiled a new model called the innovation campus and it has the potential to transform how we educate students. innovation campus students enroll in college courses while still in high school and then participate in high impact apprenticeships throughout the college curriculum. corporate partners underwrite tuition scholarships and faculty and employees partner to help each student. students gets a running start or college requirements. learn the practical skills necessary for excellent careers. they can earn a degree in three years or less. business partnerless recruit and build their work force for the future at cost for students that are dramatically reduced. so i encourage all of our universities to take the lessons of the innovation campus to

heart and develop similar programs. so when we come together and we take that extra step we are proving that there is no limit to what missourians can accomplish. working together we pass landmark legislation to ensure that children with autism get the therapy they need. for too long insurance companies aren't required to cover the most effective autism therapies. that changed last year and now 1.6 million missouri residents have plans to cover autism participants. >> so this year i call on the general assembly to pass legislation to increase access to care by expanding the number of licensed professionals

working with children with autism in missouri. that's what we can accomplish when we take that extra step. working together our partnership for hope is changing the lives of missourians with developmental disabilities and their families. before this compassionate program was in place some folks waited years for services to help their loved ones live more independently. help with thing likes getting dressed, cooking meals, taking the bus to work. but now our partnership includes 91 missouri countiness the city of st. louis and serves 1,300 people with developmental disabilities. this year we're keep expanding the partnership, improving lives and saving money in the long run. that's what we can accomplish. when we take that extra step.

reauthorizes a program that cut the costs of prescription drugs for 215,000 missouri seniors and peoples with disabilities. when that life line was in jeopardy last year folk ace cross the state came together to protect these vulnerable citizens and my budget continues full budget for that and that's what we can accomplish when we take that extra step. by working together bish, by ta that extra step, we've achieved a lot for our state. shown the partisan gridlock in washington hasn't taken hold in missouri, but we have more work to do. that certainly includes balancing the budget, holding the line on taxes, putting a work strategy in place to keep jobs and economy growing, clind making a record investment in k

through 12 classroom, keeping college affordable and helping all missouri children achieve their dreams and that also includes passing strict campaign contribution limits. i call for contributions every year and going to keep doing it until we get the law changed. when one person with an ax to grind can make an unlimited contribution to advance a narrow agenda when lobbyists for powerful trysts can tip the balance of an election, the very foundations of our democracy are at risk. unlimited contributions are overriding the will of the people, and undermining the principle of free and fair elections. missouri needs strict limits on campaign contributions. this is the year to get that done.

now, growing up, i learned a lot about pub lishg service at the kitchen table. my parents were deeply committed to our community and to public service. dad was the mayor. mom serve and the school board. our town, when folks needed help, they would call the house. usually at supper time. and we didn't have a no-call list back then. whatever the complainer request, i don't ever recall hearing my parents ask, are you a democrat or a republican? did you vote for me? because that's not what public service is about. when you hold public office, you represent everyone. now, we saw the best of public service in access in every corner of missouri last year.