our students at our schools from bullies. the bully free iowa act of 2015 that i propose today gives parents more information by requiring parental notification. however, i am proposing an extra layer of protection for students. this year's anti-bullying legislation allows an exception from notification if a bullied student and a school official believe that parental notification could lead to abuse, neglect, or rejection. legislation also launches a bullying prevention program, by empowering student mentors to take ownership of anti-bullying efforts in their schools. the bill allows a student, who changes schools due to bullying, to immediately participate in athletics. the legislation will also provide investigator training for schools. together, we can make 2015 the year iowa acted to protect our children and grandchildren by

ending bullying in our schools. [applause] moving iowa forward also means ensuring our schools and communities stay safe and our families feel protected. it means we must do more to protect victims of domestic abuse. now, domestic abusers can serve only a fraction of their sentence and return to demonizing their victims. this is wrong. it is wrong for the victims, and it is the wrong policy for the safety and wellbeing of iowans. let's work together to pass additional measures ensuring that victims do not live in fear of their abuser returning from prison long before the sentence is completed. today, i propose legislation classifying anyone convicted of domestic abuse three times as a habitual offender. this classification would triple

the mandatory minimum sentence. the legislation holds criminals accountable for their abuse, allows them ample time to rehabilitate, and protects our communities. while victims and communities will be protected from habitual offenders, together we can protect vulnerable iowans from individuals making criminal threats. often times, iowa courts order a threatening individual to stay away from a potential victim but should the order be violated, the victim and authorities are not notified until after the fact. and sometimes, that's it's too late. together we can give authorities and the victims the power of knowing when an abuser is in close proximity. together we can enact legislation that expands the use of gps monitoring on dangerous domestic abusers. together we can protect victims of domestic violence.

together we can end bullying in iowa. [applause] we know our budget is sound and that our books are balanced. we've done this together. we've passed historic tax relief aiding main street businesses and we've passed measures to increase the skills of iowa workers. those measures helped attract great companies creating high-quality careers to iowa all over our state. facebook just opened its first iowa data center in altoona and is already working on an expansion. google is growing in council

bluffs again, and microsoft is expanding in west des moines. cargill and cj just opened in fort dodge and are bringing even more good jobs to the region. in sioux city, cf industries will be expanding production of nitrogen fertilizer for iowa's farmers. the iowa fertilizer plant under construction in lee county will produce both nitrogen fertilizer and def to reduce pollution and increase mileage for diesel engines. valent biosciences, kinze, kemin, sabre, brownell's, and midamerican's historic wind project are all growing right here in iowa. across our state, though farming operations still provide the lifeblood of our economy. this continued success depends on their ability to connect.

not only in connecting their equipment to the ground, but in this day and age it also means connecting their equipment to the internet. connecting with the global marketplace to sell their goods. connecting to main streets across iowa. the fabric of our state is woven together by the gravel roads and interstate highways, but in this day and age it also must be connected through access to broadband as well. this legislative session, let's come together and pass legislation allowing rural iowa to experience continued growth and connection to the rest of iowa and the rest of the world. together, let's put partisan politics aside and give rural iowa the broadband legislation that connects every acre and connects communities to the careers of the 21st century. [applause]

our connect every acre plan focuses on providing more broadband in rural iowa and encourages service providers to build out networks not just to the ending point, but to the rural communities in between. between davenport and des moines, between mason city and sioux city and all across iowa we are enriched by many rural communities. let's weave them together with the fiber of high-speed internet, connecting every acre and covering our state with broadband internet. we can accomplish this together by focusing on increasing access through reasonable regulations and encouraging growth. and why -- by fostering expansion by creating the iowa

farms, schools and communities broadband grant program. adopting these measures demonstrates an ongoing commitment to our state's continued growth. with some of the most fertile land in the world, citizens with exceptional work ethic and a strong sense of community pride, rural iowa has boundless opportunities. together, we can adopt measures to connect every acre and give them yet another reason to believe their best days are ahead. [applause] building a better iowa means building iowa for the future. it means investing in our state's infrastructure. so let's invest in broadband internet. and, let's also invest in iowa's roads and bridges. [applause] over the past few years,

rhetoric has trumped results when it has come to action for infrastructure funding for iowa. a recently completed battelle study demonstrates the need for us to take a hard look at adequate road funding. the study shows that without action, funding available for road and bridge maintenance will fall short of what is needed to remain competitive and, most importantly, safe. without action, iowa's roads and bridges face an uncertain future. our farmers will find it more difficult to deliver their commodities to market. business and industry will look elsewhere when considering where to invest and grow. as the study found, sound infrastructure remains a prerequisite for economic development. this is our opportunity to pave the road to iowa's strong future. together, we can find common ground and pass a bipartisan plan to fund the systems critical to our state's

vitality. iowa's roads and bridges, and our broadband infrastructure. building an infrastructure as a strong as the future that we want. iowa must be a bipartisan priority this legislative session! [applause] i'm confident we can find a solution together. we iowans always do. iowa's exceptional work ethic commitment, and dedication are recognized across the country and around the world. yet within our state today skilled job openings are abundantly available and going unfilled. last october, i toured omaha standard palfinger in council bluffs. they are an international company that produces hoists

service cranes, lift gates, and more. the council bluffs manufacturing facility was buzzing on the day i visited. the production floor was filled with welders and machinists. i saw their passion for their trade and their commitment to a superior product. for years, lift gates and service cranes had been produced overseas. now, they're being manufactured in america. they're being produced in council bluffs, iowa. after our tour, company will leaders shared that they are eager to hire more workers in council bluffs, if only they could find those who have the are could find those who have the right skills. a these are long-term, high-paying careers for iowans and they should not be left open. together, we can establish the center for human capital enrichment, a public-private partnership, dedicated to aligning education and job training of iowa workers. with a stronger workforce in place, we'll bring more manufacturing and high-skilled jobs to our state.

let's lift up the iowa worker. we can help companies like omaha standard palfinger, who are ready to expand and fill more jobs in the state of iowa. our state budget is tight. that is no secret. iowans rightly expect predictability and stability in state government. but they also expect our state budget to reflect their priorities. the biennial budget i propose today is balanced, works within our five-year projections and still freezes tuition for iowa students at our state universities for the third straight year. [applause]

freezing tuition for the third consecutive year is a bold step to providing an affordable higher education in iowa. but our path doesn't end there. that is why we challenge the state board of regents to develop a plan that offers students a set of degrees that they can earn for $10,000. in addition, i am offering legislation to create the iowa student debt reorganization tax credit. this tax credit allows individuals to volunteer for worthy causes in exchange have -- for having their contributions made toward their student debt. we've worked together to freeze tuition, now let's continue to take the right steps in making iowa a leader in reducing student debt. iowans rightly expect high-quality for the money they spend on education as well as a government that reflects our

-- there -- their shared values. together, we worked to increase transparency in government making it as open and honest as the people of our great state. we created the iowa public information board to give the public a resource when seeking information from local and state government. i'm pleased to report that the iowa public information board has responded to 643 cases in the last fiscal year. more and more, the inquiries are not complaints, but rather questions from policy makers about how they can be more transparent. the iowa public information board is making every layer of government more open. this year, i'm recommending that iowa establish a government accountability portal -- a one-stop-shop for citizens seeking information. the portal, housed within the public information board, will field requests and respond

within one business day. as state employees, we are here to serve the taxpayers. iowa can do more to improve government transparency. for many years, the people of iowa, who fund state government, have been kept in the dark on personnel decisions because of a loophole in iowa's open records law. i was pleased last year when the house of representatives passed bipartisan legislation that would shine light on these personnel files. a substantiated offense, while a government employee is being paid by the taxpayers, should not be hidden in the shadows. together, in the best interest of iowa taxpayers, we can shine light on these records and make our state government even more open, honest, and transparent. as i travel the state, i marvel at the endless beauty of our landscape.

when i visit all 99 counties, it -- i never cease to be amazed at what local communities are doing to continually improve their main streets and local quality of life. from the high trestle trail bridge near madrid, to the revitalization of downtown cedar rapids. from the lewis and clark state park near the banks of the missouri river to the historic millwork district in dubuque near the mississippi river. our land between two rivers offers our citizens a high quality of life, and our visitors many attractions. but as lieutenant governor reynolds and i continue to work to bring more business and industry to our state, we hear that companies are interested not only in our welcoming business climate, but also in a high quality of life for their employees. this year, i am proposing iowa next. a holistic plan for quality of

life initiatives across the state. let's bring together state agencies that have a shared interest in quality of life initiatives, and invest in our parks, trails, lakes, and museums. the proposals outlined today will impact every iowan. they will help to create jobs, protect students and families, and open up our government. like the old saying goes, many hands make light work. remember back in june of last year? torrential rains pummeled northwest iowa. in the sioux county town of rock valley, the rock river surged over its banks and into the streets and homes of residents. a few short weeks before ragbrai, citizens and community leaders were wondering if they'd be able to recover. when i arrived in rock valley, i had little doubt.

in a town of just 3,500 people 1,700 people showed up to help sandbag. members of the town helped to evacuate a local assisted living home. emergency managers stayed up throughout the night to ensure the safety and wellbeing of locals, their homes, and the town's infrastructure. and when the cycles of ragbrai from around the globe arrived in rock valley, the city was ready, because they worked together. when a challenge arrives, we iowans get to work. we know that by working together we can find a solution to any problem. the 86th general assembly is upon us. with it comes an opportunity. working together and moving forward is the iowa way. let's come together again to make our schools stronger and

safer, our communities more connected, our families better protected, our workers better trained, our universities more affordable, and our government the most transparent in the united states. now is the time to get to work. [applause] now is the time to get to work. together, we can build a better iowa. thank you. god bless you. and god bless the state of iowa.

thank you very much. [applause] >> one day after governor branstad gave his state of the state address, president obama traveled to iowa to outline plans to increase broadband service across the country. he will speak more about that in his state of the union address on tuesday. from cedar falls, this is 20 minutes. ♪ >> hello, cedar falls. thank you. it is good to be back. first of all give mark a big , round of applause for the introduction and the great work he is doing. [applause] i also want to thank mayor john crews and the

whole team here at cedar falls utilities for hosting us here today. [applause] a big round of applause. we have our commerce secretary penny pritzker here as well as iowa congressman dave lobesack and attorney general tom miller. [applause] yay, tom! and i was reminded by the president that we have to give a shout out to a top 25 basketball team. [applause] the president was lobbying me about putting them in my bracket. i said, it is a little early. [laughter] i have to see what happens in the 2nd half of the season. [laughter] you know, the panthers are putting together a heck of a season again. i think most folks learned a few years ago, that when march rolls around, you do not bet