again, just for folks understanding, we spent six and half hours talking with folks about just the oversight mechanisms in place and were unable to get through that entire conversation. so i apologize if you have said this before or today. the collection methods, procedures that you use with respect to about, those procedures, are the approved by the fisa court? >> yes. >> are those transparent to congress? >> yes. >> i think we haven't necessarily started to allude to this but can you talk a little bit about how, your impression of how the intel committee in particular view their obligations with respect to oversight of your programs and whether you have found that to be pro forma or in any way

lacking? >> and let the record reflect, not quite i roll but i think the response was no, they have not found this to be pro forma in anyway. >> i've been on this job now getting on towards five years, and i have done nothing about my interaction or our institutional interaction with the intelligence committees to be pro forma. they have fairly substantial staffs which have a lot of experience. some of them come from the community. they know that they dig very deeply into what we do. the dni occasionally using the term wire brushing, the interaction we have with the committee. so it's not a pro forma interaction in anyway. >> on programs like 702 that we're talking about today, for example, we all lived through the reauthorization of section 702 in 2012. that process was not simply in

connection with intelligence committees, but i can remember briefings where we would go up, for all member briefings being held in communities, committees would host before the congress. i don't want to leave the impression that it's only with this committee. particularly for program like 702 that needs be voted on by all members of congress on the basis of the contact clause. >> i want to make sure my colleagues have time for their last round of questions so i will save time. >> going back to the minimization question, and specifically, the incidental collection question, am i right that the rule is that whether the information is inadvertently collected, that is, you were

tasking other wrong selector or some mistake was made, you got something that you didn't intend to get, that's inadvertent, or you were critically targeting the right account and you collected communications to or from a u.s. person, that's incidental. the procedures say minimization rules say that if you never discovered that it was inadvertent and never discovered that it was incidental, you never realize it was a u.s. person collection, it's deleted after five years. the basic rule is you keep it for five years, you give everything for five years. two years on upstream, five years on prism and then gets deleted. that's the basic rule, right? bright? >> correct. >> and then top of that the rule

is that you discover through analysis, through reviewing it, that it was inadvertent or incidental collection on a u.s. person, you must immediately purge dashing bob is shaking his head no. >> there's a difference in the way, as you're using those terms, are very different concepts. inadvertent refers to a collection that was not authorized by law. that is purged your incidental -- >> purged unless -- >> and less -- rajesh mentioned there are certain exceptions to absorb and not able to recite them but they do exist. they are fairly narrow. incidental is collection that is authorized by law. and at that point the rules relating to u.s. persons kick in, and if you determine that it has no foreign intelligence value, or -- you purge it.

>> i mean, what's your response to the argument, well, fine, that just means that if you think it's valuable you keep it, if you don't think it's valuable, then you purge it. i mean, it's like -- >> that it's lawfully collected. >> fair enough. but you do, if it is of interest to you, you to keep it? >> if it's a potential foreign intelligence value -- if it can be useful to providing the intelligence that policymakers need or to protecting the nation against threat, then yes, we keep it for the required period. >> to make a more concrete, if it's a terrorist overseas, he's going to number in the united states that unlocks the u.s. person, we want to get the information to its incidental in fact we're getting the u.s. persons number, but he is calling minneapolis at we want to keep that, that communication. it is of high interest to us.

spent one point i would add is just the minimization refers to steps in the process. everything from collection to review the dissemination. and so i think we're talking about one element, retention. so they're different stages of process. to disseminate that information with a certain threshold would have to be met. >> i wish there were some way, i know it's embedded both in law and guideline and practice, but minimization means different things. and minimization means keep it for five years and then delete it. minimization means don't disseminate, identifying information. minimization means delete it unless its intelligence information. those are very different spent they all fall and the statutory definition of minimization essentially. i'll mangle it a little bit but it's procedures that are designed to minimize the acquisition, retention, and dissemination of information

about unconsenting united states persons, consistent with the need to produce foreign intelligence information. and so you're going to have different minimization rules based on the particular missions of the agency. you're going to different minimization rules depending on the nature of the activity. you will have different minimization rules depending upon the nature of the information, but minimization is that an entire category of rules spent but it is a little bit of a circular definition. which means different things in different context but sometimes it means -- >> i was it means different things in different content. >> it's a balance. >> if i could real quick emphasized, as bob was alluding to, the fbi does have its own standard minimization procedures with respect to the type of activity. i assume you have had access to those. anyway, there's a lot on the table we just talked about with respect to minimization but i would direct you to those in terms of understanding the fbi's

role. >> judge wald? >> when u.s. person information that's been quote incidentally acquired, kept for legitimate reasons or whatever in the base, is disseminated to foreign governments as permitted under certain circumstances, it's said that it's usually massed. i think would be useful for public consumption to no what the masking process entails and in what circumstances it isn't masked and whether or not the different agencies can use different criteria for masking or it's all centralized by the injustice or the attorney general's supervision? >> well, i can speak just for masking and general at nsa. abstracting from the second part issue for a moment is substituting a generic phrase like u.s. person for the name of the u.s. person that is collected. that is a legal term.

that is an individual or use company or firm. i don't think there's a centralized process. that's how we do it at nsa. i think that's the other agencies do it as well. >> different agencies decide how to interpret? >> again, -- >> asked what should be massed and what shouldn't? >> in the 70 to context is part of the minimization procedures. >> so what does that tell me? >> specifically as to whether or not and what circumstances it's not massed, that's up to each agency or not? >> it's done on an agency by agency bases. >> generally speaking i think the minimization rules of each agency generally would not permit you to disseminate u.s. person information where that is not a to foreign intelligence or necessary to understand that foreign intelligence. so in other words, or evidence of a crime for fbi, so in other

words, if it's joe smith and his name is necessary, if i'm passing it to the foreign government and its key vendors and that it is joe smith because that's relevant to understanding what the threat is or what information is complexities a cyber hacker or whatever and this kid is information than you might attach his name. if it was not, if antidote it was in the communicate but it is not pertinent to the information are trying to convey, then that would be deleted and which is a u.s. person. it would be blocked out. it which is the u.s. persons. that's essentially how it works more or less in all the agencies. isn't that a fair description? >> the basic parameter is articulate in the statute that his message to understand for intelligence or evidence of a crime and that is effectuated through the procedures. that's a 12333 collection. >> with the last subpart, with

those, just take this as an example, with those masked criterium also include foreigners, non-u.s. persons information? i mean, suppose the government of romania asks some question which might require a romanian nontargeted person that is in your prism basis. with the masking procedures, et cetera, apply there, too, or are they just for u.s. persons? >> in today's world masking procedures are for u.s. persons because they are derivatives of the constitutional requirements, the minimization procedures they need to conform with the constitutional requirements. >> so it would be up to the agency decide whether they thought it was right or wrong to give that information to foreign governments? >> two points to mention. one, know a fresh would be disseminate unless it had foreign intelligence value. >> but having made that decision

spent if i may continue to the second point is i think what the president directed us to examine is what protection could be extended to non-u.s. persons and that's the study. >> and that's what you're working on? >> that's the issue. >> one quick comment if i'm not mistaken, if you look at title one of fisa but i think also applies to section 702, it says you don't think it restricts it with respect to u.s. person or non-u.s. person, that no federal officer or employee can disclose continued or disclose information at all except for a lawful purpose pics of information could only only be disclosed for a lawful purpose. and i believe that cuts across the board. >> i don't have anything further. >> i wanted to make sure i understood judge wald's question and response. i understood her to be asking what, under what circumstances this omission could be made to a foreign government. are there separate agreements

and procedures might govern in that instance, or our analysts able to so we decided they would like to provide foreign intelligence information to foreign governments? >> at least our procedures are publicly available procedures have provisions that address sharing with second party partners. i don't have the details but i can sort we get back to you on that but they are now public and articulate the circumstances under which information can be shared with second party partners. those are proved by the fisc. >> i think the critical point is that these are part of the minimization procedures that have to be approved by the fisa court. to the extent we're talking again about section 702. >> the minimization procedures are only for u.s. persons, aren't they? >> yes, that's right. >> i was talking -- >> but there are general rules about what you can share vice information.

>> -- fisa information. >> i want to thank the panel for spending a fair amount of time for us today. we appreciate it, it will take a short break and resume at 11:00 with our second panel. thank you. [inaudible conversations] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] but kentucky senator rand paul gave a speech at berkeley. you can want all of his remarks from berkeley tomorrow night here on c-span. here is a quick preview. week, we learn something new. your senator -- >> last week, we learn something new. your senator is in the middle of

this. we learned that the cia is secretly searching the computers of the senate intelligence community. they are the one supposed to be overseeing the cia. i don't know about you, but that worries me. if the cia is spying on congress, who exactly can or will stop them? i look into the eyes of senators, and i think i see real fear. ,aybe it is just my imagination but i think i perceive fear of an intelligence community that is drunk with power, unrepentant, and on inclined to really push power. i'm honestly worried and concerned about who is truly in charge of our government. most of you have read the dystopian nightmares, the dystopian novels. and maybe you are like me and say, well, that could never happen in america. and yet, if you have a cell phone, you are under surveillance. lastly, a new revelation came out. the nsa uses an automated system called turbine.

it hacked into millions of computers. the nsa has even posed as a fake facebook server. you may have seen zuckerberg complaining to the president about this. if you have a computer, you may well be under surveillance. who knows? they won't tell you. your government collects information from every one of your phone calls. that is what they are maintaining. remember the war and that snowden revealed? phone call for verizon was on the list. your government stores your e-mail so it can access it without a warrant. claims the right to look at your every purchase online. the government actually claims that none of your digital records are protected by the fourth amendment. listen very carefully to that. they say they will protect them, but they say none of the records are protected by the fourth amended. this is something we will fight in court. if you own a cell phone, you are under surveillance.

i believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their dam business. [applause] >> you can watch all of senator paul's remarks tomorrow night at 9:35 p.m. eastern time here on c-span. wisconsin's lieutenant governor's talked recently -- lieutenant governor talk recently about her efforts to revive the economy in the state and encourage job creation. her remarks lasted just over an hour. >> good afternoon. welcome to the heritage foundation. we of course welcome those who join us on all these occasions on our heritage.org website as well as those joining us today via c-span. we would like to remind everyone to make sure their cell phones have been turned off as a

courtesy as we begin. and of course, we will post the program on the heritage homepage for everyone's future reference. we will remind our internet viewers that questions can be submitted anytime by simply e-mailing us at speaker at heritage.org. mrs. dunlop overseas heritage's strategic outreach and communication, both nationally and internationally, to conservative public policy institutions, other leadership organizations, and policy activists. joining heritage, she served as secretary for natural resources for the commonwealth of virginia and in the cabinet , as aernor george allen senior official in the reagan administration, serving as the white house deputy assistant to the president for presidential personnel. and she was special assistant to the president and director of his cabinet office. she became the senior special assistant to attorney general ed meese, and then went to the

department of interior, serving as deputy undersecretary as well as assistance that -- assistant secretary. she currently serves as a board member for numerous organizations and other active associations. please join me in welcoming becky norton dunlop to the podium. [applause] >> thank you very much. i don't know how any of your badgers or cheeseheads. we find that we have many that come to us and refined the airplane speakers and winners. we are happy to welcome our guests in wisconsin today. preparing for the

honorable rebecca cleavage, i was thinking of one of those that i admire more than most in the world, and that is, margaret thatcher. i went to the website and i pulled out some of margaret thatcher's quotes. why would i think of margaret kleifisch?nd rebecca cleavag beyond the obvious, they are both women, and they are both successful leaders. rebecca klee fish is a little bit younger than margaret was leading. she but you do the job that you're called to do and you do it with great success and excellence and then you're called to do other jobs. as i was looking at some of margaret thatcher's quotations, it made me think of you, rebecca. for instance, economics are the

methods. the object is to change the soul. rebecca is helping to change the way people think in wisconsin. this may be a bit controversial, and politics -- in politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. if you want anything done, ask a woman. she will talk to us about some of the things she has done as a leader in wisconsin. and then "i've got a woman's ability to stick with the job and get on with it when everyone else walks away." part of being successful is getting to a task and sticking with it. why we are so pleased and honored to have the lieutenant governor with us today. our title for today's program is advancing sound policy reforms. as you know, that is what the heritage foundation is all about, advancing sound policy reforms. wisconsin has a success story.

wouldn't it be wonderful if washington, d c had a success story echo but wisconsin does have one and there are lessons to be learned from our several states across the country, and in particular today in wisconsin. over the last few years, we have seen transformation in wisconsin. prudenttough but structural rib -- structural policy reforms, state has balanced its budget without raising taxes, reduced government debt, increased job opportunities, -- whoa, that is novel, isn't it? [laughter] begun a revival of its education systems, and provided tax relief to its citizens. policymakers at all levels, and i might say particularly here in ournational capital, country can learn much from the wisconsin example. we are here today to hear from

someone who is a partner with the governor of that great state and was asked by the governor of that great state to lead some of these key policy reforms. without further ado, i would like to welcome to the heritage foundation podium, the lieutenant governor of the great .tate of wisconsin [applause] >> thank you. thank you for having me here today. i was wondering if you are going to go there with that second one. my husband just got back from boar hunting and he brought me out beautiful little platter from florida with that quote. he brought my daughters 14. think it is, that is not what he brought for me. -- he brought my daughters boar teeth. thank goodness that is not what he brought for me.

the conservative from wisconsin, probably know.u and you probably also know our terrific governor, scott walker. today, you meet the rest of the family. i know that lieutenant governors tend to be the lesser known of the partnerships in the executive branch. i'm actually here in washington dc for the national lieutenant governors association meeting. this is something we talk about. however, i have the fortune of having that one day a couple of peoplego when 800,000 knew who i was. a petition tod recall me from office. i am pretty sure it is the first time in wisconsin history that 800,000 people knew who the lieutenant governor was. [laughter] but you all know why that happened. the governor and i were elected to office and were facing

problems from wisconsin past. but we were also facing problems of sustainability coming at us from wisconsin future. i have two little girls. there are sons and daughters who we are accountable to across wisconsin every single day. we knew we had to address all of those problems. the previous administration had left us with a $3.6 billion budget deficit. the governor and i had just spent an entire campaign listening to people who had said, you cannot raise taxes on us in the middle of the recovery of this very deep recession. we understood that. we made a smart choice. but at the time, it was a very controversial one. we did not want our taxpayers, many of whom worked into -- worked in the private sector, thehave-nots, working for

benefit of those who had turned into the haves, the government employees. we asked our government employees to start paying 12.6% to their health care, about half the national average. and 5.8% to their own retirement. that is about the national average. and we made some changes to collective bargaining. for us, in wisconsin, collective bargaining was the process by which a madison, wisconsin bus trevor was making $100,000 a year. collective bargaining was the process by which a wausau volunteer crossing school guard, a retiree, was relieved of the position because they wanted a paid union employee to do it. collective bargaining was the process by which taxpayers and moms and dads like me were not getting the best deal for their school district employees for health care, because they were not allowed to shop around for the best deal.

there was already a health insurance company associated with the union that would do it. changes,ed for some some reasonable changes that we now identify as act 10. act 10 was what all -- brought all of those protesters to madison, wisconsin and all of us on to your not being tv -- nightly tv screens. but act 10 is also the proposal, and now the law, that has saved between state and local governments wisconsin more than 2.7 billion dollars. that is extraordinary reform. and it seriously addressed the problems we are facing both in the past and in the future. because we know we want wisconsin's sons and daughters to have an incredibly bright and prosperous future. and we also know that they need something to depend on. year,ut this time last the wall street journal published an article that has become one of my most quoted and

favorites because i think the title is spectacular. "uncertainty is the enemy of recovery," it said. said that there are currently $261 billion in unspent investments in the american economy because of the uncertainty coming out of washington, d.c. for a second, at least in the upper midwest, the type of uncertainty that folks were facing, the incredible anxiety of a recession coupled with the difficulty of politicians just not getting along. -- theist ration sequestration, the fiscal cliff, the government shutdown. one of our commerce and even invented a milk cliff. cliff isl for a milk really pretty creepy in wisconsin. we think americans were looking for stability.

what we do in wisconsin, what we urge other states to enforce -- to import is some certainty, stability, predict ability. that is what we are doing in our state. progresshe good reforms we have instituted in the last several years had led to really good numbers in our economy. we instituted a manufacturers and agriculture tax credit, something that will take tax liability for our twin drivers of our economy down to nearly nothing, allowing them to hire more people in what are the industries not only of wisconsin history, but also the industries of wisconsin's future. we changed our traditional commerce department into a public-private partnership we now call the wisconsin economic development corporation. it allows us to be more nimble, work smarter, faster, better, be more creative when it comes to job retention, but also encouraging the types of

investments and organic job growth that will continue our recovery from this recession. and that good progress tax reform has been able to continue because we have seen our personal income growth go up as well. over the last several years, we seem good strategies implemented by a good governor who likes good creative problem-solving. in the last year, good policy allowed wisconsin to post a 759 million dollars surplus. the governor knew where that money should go. it should go back to the taxpayers who earned it. and so we did big property tax cuts and big income tax cuts. important things when you consider that when people keep more of their own money, they can infuse it into the economy in the way they choose, something powerful, and something that will eventually lead revenue back to government and produce another surplus this

year. , welast year in our budget invested in workforce development as well, which was tremendously important. addresslion in order to the wisconsin skills gap, to stay ahead of the curve so we could continue to be globally competitive. on top of that, we had tax adjustments. we had five income tax rates. we dropped them into four and lowered every single one of those income tax rates. and when we realized more money was coming in than the government ever budgeted for, we did $100 million in property tax cut last october. after 10 years of property taxes , it was welcome relief for the people of wisconsin. thisyou consider that year, 2014, property taxes are actually going to be lawyer -- lower than the year in which we took office, that is significant. but unfortunately, it is still

not enough. we know we need to continue to implement good progress tax --orm, which we know pro-growth tax reform, which we know -- i went to the chair of the committee and the cbo said you must score as revenue positive. we have known that in wisconsin for a good long time. that is why will we have a $911.9 million surplus this year, we are doing the same thing, giving that relief back to taxpayers. goinge to equate it to into a grocery store. if you pay for $15 worth of food with a $20 bill, you don't let the cashier hold on to the five dollars and choose who to redistribute your five dollars to. you ask for your change back, reich echo governor scott walker gets that. -- you ask for your change back, right? governor scott walker gets that.

$131 in property tax relief for each taxpayer in what we call the blueprint prosperity. homeis a median value about 100 $50,000. yes, virginia, there are homes worth $150,000. aren't in your home state, just so you know. [laughter] relief,age income tax $58. couple that with 3.22 million dollars in withholding change, the amounts the government sweeps off the top of your check in order to give itself a short-term loan. that is changing. starting in april, the average family in wisconsin will see about $57.90 back into their own paychecks, their own money that they can count on. tarting next month. april through december, add that all up. you add everything up and you

see an average wisconsin family owning about $681 of their that they can start budgeting for. it is their money. that 680 one dollars to spend in the way they choose, on 189 gallons of gas. it would have been more last week. coffeesd buy 227 fancy with $681. you could buy one night in a washington, d.c. hotel room that is not a super eight. [laughter] 681 dollars is a significant chunk of change. it is real tax relief. and it is the path that wisconsin is now on. said that every single year that we are in office, he is committed to lowering the overall tax burden. and he is so committed to that that he asked me to travel the

state and engage our small business owners and our veterans and are working moms and dads, even our students and some of a conversationn about long-term pro-growth tax reform. we sit around these roundtables and ironically call them roundtables. we talk about tax reform and we've gotten a lot of really terrific ideas. but we need these good ideas, and we need them to come from the citizens of wisconsin. because right now, we are the top 10 of a bad list. wisconsin is the 10th worst taxed state in the entire country. we don't want to be there. are looking to our people to give us advice. the sound counsel we want and we need in order to be more economically competitive. though we have chipped away at the tax burden, the governor has now signed one point $5 billion in tax relief into law.

as soon as he signs the blueprint for prosperity it will be $2 billion in tax relief into law. we know we need to continue to chip away at that number year after year after year. around thesee tables are fascinated by some really interested -- interesting statistics coming out of wisconsin. number 10 in the nation in property tax, a full 26% above the national average. we are number 12 in our income tax, 28% above. .ut we are 35 in our sales tax as you might imagine, there have been quite a few people who have organically suggested that in order to lower the overall tax we turn up the dial on sales tax and turn down the dial on property or income tax. we have others, particularly our who suggest that wisconsin switch to a flat tax system. we are a birthplace of the progressive income tax. hear thescinating to

next generation of wisconsinites talk about a very big change. that twois something of our neighbors, both illinois and michigan, already have. a constitutional flat tax. we are looking for the thought leaders, the wave makers when it comes to tax reform. because progrowth tax policy is what is going to keep wisconsin and america globally competitive. globalget competitiveness, because we have more manufacturers per capita than anyone else in the country. we need to keep our export rates up. and the way we do that is by assuring that folks are globally competitive. we do that with good tax policy. are going to continue to travel the state of wisconsin to get people's good ideas on tax reform. in the meantime, we are also spring some good news, because exports actually are up five

percent year-over-year. in by nine percent in growth agricultural exports, led by 41% in derry alone. but you all probably figured on that. alone.in dairy but you all probably figured on that. analysts want to see the charts. it'll want moral victories. they don't want moral victories. they want to see the arrows going in the right direction. in wisconsin, our arrows are going in the right direction. unemployment is down. that aero has gone from as high as 9.2% during the middle of the deep recession to today's 6.1%. initial unemployment lanes are also going down in our state month over month and year-over-year, and more people we know are entering the workforce. you want to go up or going that way, too. in addition to exports, we promised in 2010 we were elected

that we wanted to see the creation of 10,000 small -- new small businesses. those businesses that nationwide tree between 60% to 80% of new jobs. notisconsin, the number is 10,000. it is more than 17,000 new small businesses. because of good policy initiatives. in addition to our small business numbers going up and our unemployment going down, jobs in general is a good story as well. we've created more than 100,000 new jobs in our state after 133,000 during the previous administration. we are moving in the right direction. the news is all good. but it could be better, and we are looking for ways every day that we can make it better. ben franklin once said that the only two things that can be certain in life are death and taxes. -- wet don't want you

just don't want to kill you with our tax policy. [laughter] friends, we will be back to illinois. [laughter] tank you all for having me here. if you have any questions, i would be happy to take them. [applause] >> we are going to open the floor to questions. we have two microphones in the room. i would like for you to wait for the microphone to arrive and stand up and traduce yourself to the tenant governor. if you are associated with an organization, let us know who that is and then ask her question. who wants to be first? well, it's always greatly have a speaker who answers all of the questions. some.e ok, right over here. >> good morning. the heritage foundation. wisconsin has had a lot of successes recently.

what do you think of the one or two lessons that other governors and lieutenant governors in the nation could learn from wisconsin and take back to their states? >> that is a good question and i think some of our successes come from bold leadership. of governor is not afraid controversy when he is standing on principle and good values that are going to lead us up the thep -- the right path, path to prosperity. that is why you seen him consistent and standing strong on act 10. wisconsin is the only fully funded pension system in america . we stand alone when it comes to the argument we can make to investors, cfo's who are considering potential relocation, those job creators who are considering how to grow organically within wisconsin when we can say we will not be coming after your bottom line, because we are not going to have to figure out a way really quick

to pay for the politicians in the past making that promises. we are fully funded. and one of the things we guaranteed with act 10 is that it was sustainable. i would say, the direction of our leadership and the willingness to stand behind good decision-making is number one. the other thing i did not really talk much about, and that is, what wisconsin is doing to address our skills gap. i told you we are a heavy manufacturing and heavy agriculture-based economy. 20% of our gdp that comes for manufacturing. when we address our skills gap, we are addressing not only the historic industries, but also those that we imagine will continue to create jobs in the future. what we did in our 13 -- 2013-15 budget is to create a program called wisconsin fast forward. it is to establish a labor arc information system that would give us far better real-time data to communicate better with

employers and employees about the need each group has in order to build a bridge over that skills gap. we are also allowing for the employers themselves to access grant money to trade both new and incumbent -- training both new and incumbent workers. we had to hook up with educational institution in order to access this money in order to train your workers. most times, it was to train the workers you already had. as you continue to grow, you want to hire more folks. and oftentimes, the expectation coming out of any sort of educational institution, be it a technical college, a baccalaureate degree, is that your worker will be 80% trained and then you hope that the employer will train up the last 20% because they've obviously got some worker specific tasks that people need to be taught on.

what we're doing with the wisconsin fast forward program is allowing out-of-the-box players to access that grant money. economic developer and corporations, the employers themselves, but good groups that will continue to move our workforce forward. then we are doing $35 million in what i talked about with the blueprint for prosperity. that will cover three issues in the wisconsin skills gap. the first is the technical colleges that i just talked about. we are very strong with our technical training in wisconsin. but we have some high needs industries that have a number of classes that have wittingly said across our state. we are going to try and dig deep on that and a limited those waiting lists for things like welding, cnc machining, electromechanical engineering, that sort of thing. and number two, we will dig deep on new enrollment and apprenticeship, getting young people in the careers that actually exist in wisconsin and will provide good and bright

futures. the average manufacturing employee in wisconsin makes about 10% more than the average employee in wisconsin. and finally, workforce of element, it is what we call the year of the better bottom line. the governor rolled this out in his state of the state address and he talks about social -- folks with disability having tremendous power not only to live economy and committee forward when they have the power of the paycheck, but how it is helpful also for the employers themselves to hire folks with disabilities because the employee retention rate is significantly higher than the average worker. it is all the year of the better bottom line because it is better for the bottom line for both the employee and employer. the funding will go through to the readability and -- rehabilitation and job training so that folks can get the training they want and need. >> let's go to the back here. the heritageith

foundation. and i'm also a michigander. >> go midwest. >> my question is in regard to work. i know wisconsin has been a front-runner and michigan just passed it. would you speak to that? >> your lieutenant governor texted me from the senate floor, so i was aware they were going down that path before, perhaps many others were, at least journalists. right to work is a hot-button issue, as it is among many other states. we have lot of folks who are pro-right to work. i do not see an appetite in the legislature right now to pass it. we are having our last day of session for the state assembly today. right to work is not on the docket. there has not been a build drive -- a bill drafted on right to

work for this session. i cannot predict what they are going to take up after this year. folks will go to act to their districts. people will be listening. i can tell you this -- i am the daughter of the vice president of sales and marketing for an envelope manufacturer. we talk about wisconsin manufacturing. we look at the last 20 years for envelope manufacturing. happy birthday, internet. i watched my father struggled through years of trying to determine where his plants were going to go. he managed toledo, ohio, and kentucky operations before moving to wisconsin. my perspective is unique because

my father works in an industry that struggle in the new and fascinating ways with every development we now hold in our hands. i have traveled the state talking with their small-business owners, what we call our small is this roundtable series, and i have done dozens of them over the last several years. this is an issue that is being raised by our small manufacturers and our small job creators, and i imagine our legislators will hear that as well. right now we have not honestly been hearing a lot about it. i will say this -- the time we hear about it is when we are trying to entice someone considering a relocation to wisconsin. the way we overcome that we are not right to work is through our workforce. we have one of the finest, most ethical, most educated workforces in america, and we are well known for that. we have the lowest workers comp costs.

if you to earn to an article midway through in a magazine, there is a quotation talking about two fullerton manufacturing companies that just moved to wisconsin because of some of the reforms put in place. we remain competitive in all sorts of ways. we are waiting to hear any demand for any new legislation. as we do for any legislation. we are hopeful that the people will dictate what their representatives do as opposed to the other way around. >> it is always wonderful to hear leaders from the several states talk about competitive ideas. when you come from a conservative think tank, you always think we have the principles and we have the right way of thinking about things,

but ronald reagan used to talk about the american people. and one of the things he loved about the idea of federalism was that there would be different ideas to bring up in different states, and it would be the people who would determine how a state would go, and that would create a competitive atmosphere that would raise all the votes. that was a terrific response. yes, next in the center. >> hi, i'm from heritage. this is a perfect segue to your comment, becky, because at this time of year wisconsin and other states are pursuing real reform. we are laboring over the most regulatory administration there has ever been in united states. i would like you to speak to this idea of this continuous preemption of states' regulatory matters by the feds. >> sure, as soon as you said becky, i thought you were

talking about me. thank you for that question. because wisconsin has just gone -- we have a republican majority in both houses, so we have partners in our legislature who really understand that our goal here is to grow our way out of the recession. one of the ways we do that is through writing the rules, which is one of the projects our legislature undertook. they have gone through thousands and thousands of state regulations and rules in order to strip from books the ones that are archaic, unnecessary, no longer useful, no longer wanted by industries they perhaps requested that decades ago. from a wisconsin standpoint, we are aggressively going after the red tape that just should not be there. we are a manufacturing state,

but do not want to be the red tape manufacturing facility in the state capital. our legislature finally gets that. very helpful. our federal government does not get that is unhelpful. we obviously want to some sort of collaboration, some sort of cooperation when it comes to setting our job creators free to create jobs. we are still struggling to recover from this recession. it was not over overnight. it was not a blip on the radar. all of those arrows i talked about going in the right direction, that is hard-won progress. unfortunately, the federal government is not making that progress is your. -- easy. my advice would be to look to wisconsin. i think we have a very nice blueprint there, a blueprint for prosperity. >> thank you, ok, let's move across the room here. all right, i cannot see anyone with a microphone, so -- >> laura truman, heritage foundation.

>> i promise you everyone here is not from heritage. [laughter] the next questioner will not be from heritage. then we will go back to whomever has a question. >> since the last election, there has been a lot of discussion about women and conservatives and the republican party. so i was wondering if you could give some thought about how you feel we can best get women more involved and running for office and whether it is the platforms we have, the cultivation of candidates, the messaging. i'm interested in your perspective. >> thank you, it is a good question, and i am a woman -- [laughter] so i get asked it a lot. the reason i actually wish i was asked this question is i am a former journalist, and after my

career in journalism, i had a small media and marketing company. as both a journalist and a marketing guy come i was a storyteller. some of the best messengers in politics are folks who get storytelling. that is one of the things unfortunately i think the republican party often fails to do. we talk in millions and billions. we talk in budgets. we talk in acronyms. we talk in legalese. i am not a lawyer, so i do not speak native legalese. in fact, when i was sworn in, there was still a lot for me to learn. before we actually even introduced our budget, before our swearing-in ceremony, i would drive back and forth to madison in my minivan and i would quiz myself on acronyms, because that is how people were

talking. that makes politics inaccessible for the average mom. when you are talking a different language, speaking in millions and billions, and moms and dads, we budget in 20's and 50's and 100's, it is above the family budget head. it is difficult for people to understand, and it helps people stay away from something that they find would cause them to have to sit and get a tutor. that is unfortunate. that is why when i was telling you about tax relief i was telling you about $101, and i could've also told you if you were in wisconsin you could've bought 337 packages of butter at the quick trip butter sale, but the limit is 5 -- [laughter] so if you are on your way to wisconsin, but no one would ever say that to you.

these are the ways we need to talk to people. we need to meet people where they are instead of where we live. we live in acronym land. there's no way to really change that overnight. in the meantime, when we are messaging to people, let's talk like real people. also, let's not insult women by assuming they are one-issue voters. someone asked me the other day, today actually, someone asked me, well, why do you think democrats are doing so well with women? why do you think they are succeeding with this great marketing campaign, the alliteration that they have going on, and i said, women are sophisticated. we are independent minds. the last time, perhaps, we got together to agree on one subject was 95 years ago when wisconsin became the first state in the country to ratify the 19th

amendment. we all can vote. you're welcome, gentlemen. [laughter] but we cannot treat women as if they are single-issue voters, because since that moment when we voted on all one thing, we have developed families and issues that we are passionate about. and i think the democrat party assumes we are all single-issue voters. and we are not. i think it is very insulting that they are assuming we are. i think this may well be the year that women stand up and ask for our due respect to treat us as the independent minds we are. we make it a five percent of -- 85% of consumer household decisions. we make 89% of banking decisions. 92% of vacation decisions, and 93% of food decisions. and we know you are what you eat.

and so i really think that we need to start treating women with respect in a way we message, in the way we meet them where they are and speak the language of the average american, and that is one of the things i can help bring to the table, is i am a regular parent. i made the cookies at my kids' concession stand for little mermaid jr. i could tell you how people are people who are selling tickets to little mermaid junior would have had a sellout on opening night. we think about families first, not policy decisions made in madison or washington, d.c., that may or a not affect us. we want to know how to access. -- how it affects us. if you're not telling us, then it is hard to get passionate

about politics. >> all right, let's go to the front row. >> madison coalition. there are some people who say what women make better team builders than men. you just came from a meeting of the national lieutenant governors association. my question is, who in your mind are some of the other outstanding lieutenant governors around the country, and what kinds of things are you and your other lieutenant governors are talking about to do together to help the old the right policy choices for the country? >> thank you. what a great question. thank you. first of all, i love the opportunity to talk to my colleagues, particularly from the upper midwest. did you know that the lieutenant governors of wisconsin, illinois, indiana, iowa, and ohio are all women?

go ahead, clap for that. [applause] they are not all republicans, so when i talk about the stars, i will pick them. but it is because i really see great pro-growth policies coming out of their state. i have the honor of chairing the right women right now initiative i have the honor of chairing the right women right now initiative through the republican state leadership committee, and our goal is to recruit and train 200 women to run for office as conservatives in the next election cycle. part of what we need to do is continue to identify women who are willing to get into the fray and fight for their kids. and fight for their families and fight for their aging parents. this is what is happening in america, and we need to join the fight. we are the majority. one of the interesting points about the great opportunity project, and we celebrated its one-year anniversary, when we have 53% of the electorate, we are the majority of the voters,

the majority of those pursuing baccalaureate degrees, the majority of the population in wisconsin. we are the majority, so we need to get folks from the majority to run for office. but it is challenging, right, and we need to assure women across the country that you can have it all. you just cannot necessarily have it all at once. and just like anything else, running for public office is about prioritizing. but we will help you with that. and one of the stars i think in the upper midwest come across the country, is kim reynolds from iowa. i can tell you honestly she will be the next governor of iowa. she's fantastic and a leader on stem education, which is the future of manufacturing. science, technology, engineering, and math are where k12 schools need to

go in order to remain competitive. and you look at international tests scores and you see the united states below the international average, we need to focus on our strengths. one of our strengths is our entrepreneur spirit, and one of the best ways you can bring that in american kids is to science, technology, engineering, and math. it is also the future of our country. -- our economy. in i.t., biomedical, agriculture, we need to make sure we are focused on stem. kim reynolds is focused on stem. sue ellspermann, the lieutenant governor of indiana, is a wonderful colleague and a wonderful helper to her governor. she is one woman you would never have expected to end up in politics. she is an engineer, but is an amazing leader. after a short stint in her legislature, was willing to step up to the plate and lead. today she is a scholar and she

is one of the women who is leading the charge for the right women right now initiative. i can count on both of those women to help recruit young women in their own state to run for office, but also be great leaders and examples across the country. >> fantastic. ok, let's move across here. all right, you want to bring that down to this gentleman here? >> from occupied wall street. >> what is your name? >> [indiscernible] >> occupy wall street? >> yes, i wanted you to know the amount of time that it goes from the creation of the 10,000 to 17,000 jobs. >> thank you. >> one of our proudest accomplishments was seeing the

growth in small businesses, because the 1099 moms, those who start businesses in the service industry, or the manufacturing entrepreneurs like harley davidson who started in their garages are the future of our country, right? it has been a net number just for the last three years. those numbers come out of the department of financial services and is a special number to us, because those are the job creators that will be hiring their friends and their neighbors. our promise was 10,000, but we have created 17,000-plus in just 3 1/2 years. i cannot tell you they all have 300 employees, but hopefully they're all on the way. >> thank you very much. ok, who else? the gentleman in the back. >> my question is, you had

mentioned k-12 and stem education. what direction is wisconsin taking in k-12 education reform, and what is your opinion of the school choice movement and charter schools? >> for them, for them. wisconsin is the birthplace of modern school choice as we know it. the reforms under governor tommy thompson we think kind of led the way for the rest of the country. and so we did a statewide expansion of school choice in this last budget that we are proud of. i have girls who go to public schools. the governor's kids went to k-12 schools. not every mom in wisconsin has a

andol report card score geography should not determine the outcome of someone's ability to get on the ladder to the american dream. our little ones should be able to start climbing that ladder as soon as they graduate from high school. whether they choose to pursue a technical college degree, a baccalaureate agree, or something beyond that, it should be a choice made by moms and dads and the students themselves as how they succeed, not only in k-12, but also moving forward. that is what school choice does, what charter schools do. i just toured a school in washington, d.c. every day we are looking at and for new opportunities to afford parents the choices that they want for their kids. every child learns a little bit differently, and no one knows better than their moms and dads.

a parent is his or her child's first teacher, and we know that in wisconsin, with statewide expansion and with the tuition tax credit for those who choose to send their kids to private school. >> very good, ok, let's go over here then. >> good afternoon. my name is todd wiggins. i am a local videographer. >> very good, thank you. >> my question is, you may have gone over to this prior, but what is the approach towards the growing hispanic and minority populations as far as not only the educational aspect, but the general policy aspects that you have addressed? and what is the ratio of diversity in wisconsin in your areas? >> thank you, and then we will move to the person behind you. >> thank you for your question.

we have 5.7 million people in wisconsin, 6.5% african-american. 6.2% is our hispanic population. over the last several years, we have really invested in both the hispanic and african-american and among chambers of commerce. we think one of the best ways to target minority unemployment is entrepreneurship, because we know particularly in minority communities entrepreneurs start up companies, hire their friends and neighbors. i just got a call of a personal friend that is the head of our african-american chamber, and i just got a call from her the other day. they are implementing and using a lot of our programs for entrepreneurs. we have a corridor in metro milwaukee, so we are an old manufacturing city, and a love of manufacturing jobs tends to

shift out of city centers into the suburbs and some even offshore. we have had areas that have become naked. unfortunately, for a lot of people in our city centers, that has left a scar on an employment. one of the best ways we can help is by identifying those high-needs corridors and investing in them. we have transformed the milwaukee project, and we have invested so that manufacturing facilities and other great startup businesses can move in, but also we are providing the resources to train workers who live in the area. so that they are not dependent on some of the unfortunate transportation situations that would take them 30 minutes, 40 minutes out into the suburbs in an independent vehicle all, because we know there are a lot of folks who do not have independent transportation.

we're largely reliant on that in wisconsin. one of the other ways we are investing, particularly in our minority populations, is to make task force i chair, the governor's task force on minority and unemployment. one of the things we focus on now is helping folks in minority communities, and milwaukee is an example of where we need to. about 50% of the african-american men in milwaukee are unemployed. we think about the number of a lot, and another number. today in our transportation logistics industry, in one company, our largest one in this industry, they need 1200 over-the-road drivers. if we simply get folks the skills they need in order to take the jobs they want, then we have afforded them an opportunity to have the power of a paycheck. we need to get folks the skills

they need, and it goes back to the question about workforce development. we want to make sure that people are in the training programs that they want to be in in order to pursue great families-sustaining wage careers. that is one of the ways we are investing in the african-american and hispanic communities. obviously, school choice and educational opportunity play a big role in that, but even after high school we need to be invested, because wisconsin has a skills gap. every day, and they are totally free state-based -- there are between 40,000 and 60,000 open jobs, and yet we still have people on unemployment. the average person says, why don't you just simply match up those two numbers? in one day, you got all those new jobs you can post. of course, the folks who are posting their resumes on job center of wisconsin, which is a requirement in order to receive

unemployment insurance, do not necessarily have the skills that those employers are looking for. what we need to do responsibly and government as the safety net that won't bounce people back into the workforce is to make sure that people get the skills they want in order to get the jobs they need. >> do you see a significant difference in the strategy between yourself and your democratic colleagues in your basic approach to how you implement this kind of campaign, if you will, to educate people as to what they need to do to find role models? >> not a lot of difference when it comes to worker training. that is something in wisconsin we are pretty unified about, and both democrats and republicans have championed our technical colleges, dual enrollments, to get people into careers that exist in our state, and that is

one of the highlights i think of our partnership with democrats. we agree there is a skills gap. there's no denying it. we see that as a way we can work together. there is some disagreement on school choice, but ultimately, we know, moms and dads should be picking the best education options for their kids. why force someone to send their child to a failing school when there is another opportunity waiting for that child to help them succeed? we owe that to the future of our state. >> ok, let's go to this lady here. >> sorry for another question that focuses on being a woman and a mom. i'm a mother of a 9-month-old, but i work in politics, but do you have practical advice in

balancing career demands and mom demands? >> i do. i have been there. congratulations on your baby. boy, girl? what his name? >> [indiscernible] >> congratulations. that is not easy. i am really happy that you have made a really good choice for you. not everyone makes that choice. that is one of the things about women in general that is a bit unfortunate, that sometimes -- and pop culture promotes this -- we see people judging us for decisions we make, right? moms, women in the room? it is the stay-at-home moms versus the working moms, and it is the democrats versus the republicans. there is a lot we have in common, and we should spend more time supporting each other in each other's decisions than we

do, and one of the things i hope you will be able to lean into your female colleagues, especially the older ones, because they have been there before. seek their advice and counsel. my advice is something that i said earlier on. you can have it all. you just cannot have it all at once. we were raised as american daughters that we could do anything. you can go out there and you can get them. that is true, but the things they do not tell you is that you do not need to accomplish everything in your life on your first day out the door at the moment you graduate. they do not tell you that there is nothing written in law or blood that says that you have to be earning $100,000 by a certain age. there are no requirements for dreaming the american dream.

everyone looks a little different. we meant to spend a little less time judging what others american dreams look like. but just know, as you pursue your career and you pursue being a mom that you can view your life today through a special lens. years downrself 10 the road. imagine yourself 10 years down the road looking at yourself today and the decision you are about to make, whatever it is. not decisions like, what am i going to make for dinner? big decisions. life decisions here. 10 years down the road, will you regret the decision you're about to make, or would you be pleased with yourself? at myhonestly look back decision to quit my job as a news anchor and stay home with my kids as one of the best

decisions i ever made. they can honestly tell you i can look back now for years and say my decision to run for political office as my daughter went to kindergarten, the year i always imagine going back to work, was one of being best decisions i ever made. i like to live without regrets. as women, we have guilty streaks, right? the last time you spending guilty about the decisions you're making, the more time you have for doing fun stuff and appreciating her family and pursuing career goals, doing good things for the world, contributing to your community and your country. spend time doing that. do not spend time feeling guilty. view your self through a different lens. understand you can have it all. you just don't need to do it all at once. deadlock. -- good luck. >> do we have any more questions? i think this is been wonderful.

i will ask the last question. i served as the secretary of natural resources and the commonwealth of virginia, which i think is a most beautiful place in the country. i do think that wisconsin is pretty nice. i wonder if you could share about the policy you're it ministration has pursued making the national resources of the great state of wisconsin available for people and what kind of federal land you have in that states and what does it economye for a growing and improving environment? great question. it is a good question. i could filibuster on this one. how much time do you have, becky? itural resources -- outside, is extraordinary and our state. i will touch on a few things. i will touch our is this climate, our department of natural resources, and i will also touch on tourism.

let me start with our economy. developmentconomic corporation has really helped businesses come along in the right direction with protecting they areonment. partnering with our department of natural resources -- pardon me, our department of natural a program we called certified site selection. 55 contiguous acres need to go into this program, and through this program, basically we are able to tell our job creators that all of the mitigation has been done. all the hoops have been jumped through. the permits are all there. it is basically a turnkey program. come on in and start your business. forof the reasons attracting businesses to wisconsin is because of our natural resources. our natural forest. we made news for >> weeks when we had the deep freeze.

you could walk across lake superior to witness the ice cave that had needlelike icicle structures that were absolutely fabulous. you probably saw it in the national news. we have 15,000 inland lakes. have the lake michigan coast and the mississippi river coast. we, too, can say coast to coast. we just mean in wisconsin. anyone who depends on water for shipping or making their product and find a happy home in wisconsin. in fact the global freshwater ,esearch center is in milwaukee wisconsin. and our university of wisconsin- milwaukee is leading the way when it comes to freshwater research. we are tremendously proud of the strives we are making in developing good policies for our environment. let's talk about our department of natural resources for a second. if our goal is job creation, we

know our dnr can play a part. one of the thing we are doing there is offing -- offering our services for the department of sustainability. you heard that correctly. our dnr has an office of business support and sustainability. viewedow they have been as a regulatory agency. ultimately they are telling job creators, hey, we have these regulations, but we want to counsel you along the way so we can meet our common goals. and government, as in life, there is always the scale. you have to protect people, but you have to make progress. what you want to do is achieve that balance. our office of his miss supports to sustainability achieves that perfect balance. we also want to make sure that two-year program is

successful. freeing up our job creators who are able to go the extra mile when protecting the environment and making sure they have opportunities to do exciting things with their companies as long as they are making great strides to protect our environment. that leads us to tourism. because deer hunting -- $1 billion industry in wisconsin. that first weekend alone. we have the finest boone and crockett and a young box in the young bucks in the nation. we have tremendous sportfishing. i just got my turkey permit. i will be going turkey hunting. providing thanksgiving dinner little bit early to the klee fisch clan.

we are seeing an increasing number of people enjoying our hiking. a national waterskiing event is held in wisconsin every year. snowshoeing is growing in popularity. who could forget snowmobiling? this year, folks in wisconsin had ample opportunity to do that. tourism is the one taxpayer bestr item that's is your bang for your buck an hour state. gets you a 61 return -- return on investment. one return on investment. why would you not do that? the tourist climate in our state, and one of the best wildlife opportunities around, all of this in wisconsin. why don't you all come and join us? [laughter] [applause]

>> that was really marvelous. i was so delighted that you responded to that last question. is thatt point you made people are our most important and valuable and precious resource. that is certainly what we believe, too. with that, i will present you with a little gift year. it is from the heritage foundation. one of my colleagues is the author. "margaret thatcher on leadership." by niall barker. "lessons for american conservatives today." >> thank you. [applause] you for being here today. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014]

>> tomorrow on "washington davidl," max boot and andelman discussed the situation in ukraine and crimea. autham nagesh and internet

governance. as always we will take your questions. "washington journal" at 7 a.m. eastern ona.m. c-span. >> before president obama's travel to the middle east last week, he spoke on opportunities for women and working families at valencia college in florida. about 20ks are minutes. >> hello, florida. [applause] >> wow. thank you so much. it is great to be back in orlando. [applause] came to some of you work while a lot of folks are pretending to work and are watching the tournament. [laughter]

i know there must be some gators fans around here. [cheering] they are an outstanding team. i put them on my men's bracket. i have been going to the final four. >> they will win. >> they could win the whole thing, in which case i will not win the billion dollars. you can only pick one winner. there are 63 colleges mad at me. there are somed neighbors of the road in gainesville who are not happy with me. it will be even more tomorrow when i released the women's bracket. [laughter] but we have some terrific elected officials here. i want to thank the mayor of orlando, buddy dyer. he has been a great friend. give him a hand of applause. [applause] and i want to thank the president of valencia college -- [applause]

there he is. we have the president of the west campus, who i just had an amazing conversation with. felicia williams. [applause] everybody here at valencia for having me. you know, two years ago i toounced a new competition recognize exceptional community colleges, and lo and behold -- your school. [applause] the very first school in the entire country to win this prize. [applause] so, the between the students' hardware, the outstanding faculty, the administrators, balenciaga graduates are leaving your ready to continue their education, ready to pursue their dreams, wherever they may lead.

whathis college represents is best in america. the idea that here, in this country, if you work hard, you restoringead. and that opportunity for every american, that has been our driving focus as a country. that has driven everything i have done since i've come into office. today we are at a moment when after the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, after just some devastating losses that people had, homes, retirement accounts, jobs. now we have seen businesses creating a .7 million new jobs over the past four years, and american manufacturers adding jobs for the first time since the 1990's. american energy, we are producing more oil here at home than we buy from other countries for the first time in two decades. we are generating more renewable energy. the housing market is

rebounding, including here in florida. our high school graduation rate is the highest on record. [applause] people are earning college degrees than ever before. so, even as we are digging ourselves out of the economic are we were in in 2008, we laying the foundation for america's future growth. here is the problem though. there are a bunch of good things happening. trends that are really battered middle-class families and people working hard to get into the middle class for decades, those have not yet gotten better. are doinghe top better than never. the past four years, average wages have barely botched. you have too many americans working harder than ever just to keep up. it is our job to reverse those trends. we have to build an economy that works for everybody.

we have to restore opportunity for all people. the basic idea that no matter where you started, no matter what you look like, if you work hard, you can get ahead. be a place got to where if you are responsible and you apply yourself, you can make is what we have focused on an opportunity agenda that has for jobs. number one is more jobs that pay good wages. whether it is manufacturing, energy, technology, service industries. one of the things we're focused on in orlando is growing tourism. but he knows this -- two years ago i came here to announce an executive order to attract more foreign tourists to the united states. last year the spending by foreign tourists was up by almost 10%. that was a huge boost to florida. we have to keep on taking those steps. part two of our opportunity

agenda -- we have to train more americans for the skills they need to fill the jobs that are actually out there. not just today. also tomorrow. our three you know something about. we have to make sure every young person has access to a world-class education. from high-quality preschool to an affordable college education for all of you striving young people. make sureour is to our economy awards the hard work of every american with wages you can live on, savings you can retire on, health care that is there when you need it. in pursuit of this opportunity agenda, i'm going to work with congress where ever i can. but things do not always move the way we would like. so, we are calling this a year of action. wherever i see a chance to expand opportunity for more americans, i'm going to take it.

i'm not going to wait for congress. we are going to get it done. [applause] i will give you a couple of examples. in the past two weeks i have used executive orders to require federal contractors to pay their employees at least $10.10 an hour. i signed another executive order to make sure they are paid the overtime they have earned. because everybody who works hard deserves that chance to get ahead. if you work more, you should get paid a little more. as part of making sure our economy reports the hard work of every american, i am also coming here today to make sure our economy rewards the hard work of women. [applause] clear.i just want to be i just want to be clear. i got nothing against you men. [laughter] we are working hard to make sure you are getting opportunity as well.

in i have a personal stake seeing women get ahead. first of all, women make up 80% of my household. [laughter] right? if you count my mother-in-law, and i always tell my mother-in-law -- but i personally know the challenges women face in our economy and there are particular challenges women face. i broke with a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and raised my sister and me the right way. she could not have done it if it were not for my grandparents. the most important breadwinner in my family was my grandmother who worked her way up from being a secretary to being the vice president of a bank. never got a college degree. ceiling.it a glass be trained men to eventually her boss. even though she knew a lot more than they did.

when michelle and i had our we hadwe gave everything to balance raising a family in choosing careers, but i will be honest with you. it was harder for her than it was for me. when she was with the girls, you -- she would feel guilty. if she was at work, she would feel bad about the girls missing me. i know barack is messing up somehow. [laughter] she is calling to check, and -- [laughter] are luckyiously we and michelle and i get to have dinner with the girls every night and they are doing great and the highlight of every day them ats sitting with the dinner table. i want to make sure my daughters are getting the same chances as men. i do not want them paid last for doing the same job that some guy is doing. children, i want

to make sure they are not having in some otherjobs fashion -- or in some other fashion be hampered because we do not have the policies to support them. my point is, and i am saying now to the men -- we all have a stake in this. women make up about half of our workforce, over half of valencia 's students. than two decades, women have earned over half of the higher education degrees awarded in this country. that means soon for the first time america's highly educated workforce will be made up of more women than men. is, our economy has not caught up to that reality yet. at we've got too many women who work hard to support themselves and their families, including 20% of women enrolled in college trying to raise kids while earning a degree.

and there are outdated employment policies holding them back. that holds all of us back. when women make less than men, that hurts their families, including their partners, their husbands, their kids. they have less to get by on. it hurts businesses because now their customers have less to spend. when a job does not offer adequate family leave to care for a new baby or an ailing parent, that hurts men and children. any of our citizens cannot fulfill their potential for any reason that does not have to do with their character or their talent or their work ethic, that is holding us back. when everybody participates, everybody's talents are put to use, everybody has a fair shot. i had a wonderful conversation before i came out here with

carolyn and we had a group of women, including dr. williams, and you should've heard the stories. i mean, i don't know if dr. williams has shared her story. mom was blind and raised her as a single mom. and you know, she had to go to school and get a job and when her child was born prematurely, her blind mother comes down to provide child care, because that was the only way they could manage it. another young woman describing what it is like when you have twins, preemie babies, and she is having to quit her job because there is no childcare available. wic and othereded programs to support her, even though she had a loving husband who was helping out. this is a family agenda.

but it starts with making sure everyone and is getting a fair shot. a woman'stime for it economic agenda that grows the economy for everyone. that begins with making sure women are cede it will pay for each will work. this is a really summit -- >> rim is. this should not be confusing. it is not that complicated. [applause] today, more women are the family's main red winners than ever before but on average women are still earning $.70 of every dollar that a man does. women with college degrees may earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less over the course of her career than a man at the same educational level. that is wrong. this is not 1950 eight. this is 2014. that is why the first bill i signed into law was called the

lilly ledbetter fair pay act -- [applause] edit made sure that it was easier for women to sue if they were not being paid the same as men. in the coming weeks, congress will have a chance to go further by voting yes or no on what is called the paycheck fairness act. right now a majority of senators support that bill. republicans have blocked it. we need to get them to change their minds and join us in this century because women deserve equal pay for equal work. it is pretty simple. [applause] and congress should not stop there. deserves workplace policies that protect her right to have a baby without losing her job. -- s pretty clear if men were having babies, we would have different policies.

right? we know that. that is for certain. take a dayerves to childr caring for a sick or parent without running into hardship areas -- hardship. join everyhould other advanced nation on earth by providing paid leave. do away with some of these workplace policies that episode. a "mad men" when women succeed, america succeeds. i truly believe that. here, wee ride over were talking about some of the best practices of companies that are highly successful. it turns out that if you give your workersive some flexibility so if they have a sick child or a sick parent they have a little time off.

those employees are more productive. the company's do better. you have less turnover. good business practice. it is the right thing to do. at a time when women hold the majority of low-wage jobs. congress is going to get a chance to vote yes or no on whether millions of women who work hard all day deserve or raise. there is a bill before congress that would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. that would affect wages for 28 million americans across the country. it would be good for business. what happens is, more customers have more money to spend. it will grow the economy for everybody. it is time for congress to join the rest of the country. we are calling it the 10-10

campaign. on each of these issues, members of congress will have to choose between helping women and families get ahead or holding them back. part of our challenge is fewer than 20 seats in congress are held by women. i think we are all clear that congress would get more done -- [laughter] kind of evened that out of it. i'm pretty confident about. but we will continue making the case as to why these policies are the right ones for working families and businesses. myr the next >> months, administration will host roundtable conversations like the one i had in different parts of the country to hear stories about workplace flexibility and opening up leadership opportunities for women. it will lead to the first ever white house summit on working families we will hold the

summer. maybe some of you will participate area -- participate. [applause] we want to hear your stories. mentioning one last policy benefiting millions of women right now. that is the affordable care act. [applause] i know there is a lot of politics around it. i know there are a lot of tv ads around. they do not always accurately reflect what is going on. right now, these fight the fact that the website was really bad the first month -- [laughter] it is now fixed. more than 5 million americans have signed up for plans at healthcare.gov. more than 3 million young people have gained coverage because this law lets you stay on your plan until you turn 26. i bet there are young people now in this auditorium who have health care because of the law. law, no one,f this

zero, can be denied health care because of a pre-existing condition. [applause] no woman cann, and ever again be charged more for just being a woman. this is something people do not realize. before we passed obamacare -- [laughter] insurancetine for companies to charge women significantly more than men for health insurance. it was just like the dry cleaners. [laughter] you know. a blouse.n i send in a shirt. they charge you twice as much. the same thing was happening in health insurance. know, we band that policy for everyone. not just folks getting health insurance on the exchange. if you were getting health insurance on the job, they

cannot discriminate against women and that same fashion. not to mention tens of millions of women have gained access to free preventative care like mammograms and contraceptive care. the point is, no woman should put off at up with -- potentially life-saving sure just because money is tight. at in the round i just had, there were at least three, for folks in that roundtable, the majority of the women i just talked to, had an instance in their lives where they had a sick child or a premature baby or an ailing they would be bankrupt had they not had health insurance. .oque -- broke when you hear folks talking about obamacare, and "i'm not using it because i got health healthy."" or " i'm

well, yeah. you don't need health insurance until you need help insurance. [laughter] youeems like a drag until actually confront what life does to all of us at some point. some unexpected thing happens and you want to make sure that you have got that supports. of that has stopped republicans in congress from spending the last few years not focused on legislation to create jobs or raise wages or help more young people afford college. they have taken 50 votes to try to repeal or undermine this law. 50. what do they say? 50th time is the charm? [laughter] 50 times. and it is not to improve the law or there is a particular problem. no, we just want to scrap it so the millions of people who did

not have health insurance, we want them to go back to not having health insurance. that's not going to happen. they can keep wasting their time trying to repeal the aca. we will keep working to make this law better. every person and every woman deserves to control her own health care choices. not her boss, not her insurer. shortly not congress. so, there is an important deadline coming up. this is now the last call for 2014. if you have been thinking about buying one of the new plans on healthcare.gov, and a large proportion of people, the majority in fact, may be able to buy health insurance for as little as 100 bucks or less a month. that's less then your cable or your cell phone. everybody has a cell phone. [laughter] arch 31st.e is

check out healthcare.gov. many of you will be able to be covered for a hundred bucks a month or less. if you are already covered, help get a friend covered. that is what america is about. taking responsibility to achieve our own dreams. also helping our fellow citizens secure their dreams as well. there are such an amazing stories with the women i talked to before i came out here. every one of them at some point has made a major sacrifice on behalf of their families. woman had a severely autistic son. her 12 years off to raise three kids, including the sun, before now going back to school and being able to teach once again. like my mom, just like my grandma. i did not fully appreciate at the time the sacrifices they

were making. i used to complain to my mom when she was going to school and working. why are we eating the same thing every night? [laughter] doing so muchs and then coming home and still taking the time to make sure i had a decent meal. built this country. those kinds of sacrifices. we've got to make sure that we as a country are helping people who are so courageous and so brave and working so hard. andthose moms and grandmas women like carolyn who are trying to start their own business. a long way together over the past five years. we have to do more to restore opportunity for everybody, whether you are a man or woman, ,lack, white, native american gay, straight, with or without disabilities. all of