chip away at taxes and regulations in ways that can continue our economic push into the future. together, all of us, republicans, democrats, across the state, we have actually lifted ohio out of the ditch. we started moving again and we are picking up speed. the state of our state is getting stronger every day, and the outlook is bright and hopeful here in the buckeye state. [cheers and applause] gov. kasich: but make no mistake -- it's not just me behind the wheel. we have all been in this together, and everyone of us are responsible for keeping ohio moving forward toward our goals. that goal is to build more speed sustain it

for the long-term, for our children, for everyone's children, and for the generations that follow. we want them to remember us. while state government is taking big steps to pare down barriers and some power back to ohioans, that only means that the real work to push ohio forward is being done by ohioans, and frankly, it is up to ohioans to put their power that we returned to them back to work to keep us moving. the progress we've made and that we must continue to make only happens one person at a time. one community at a time, in every county, all across our state. and that is because the spirit of ohio, just like the spirit of america, is in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities. you see, folks, it's where we live. it's where we work. where we go to school or teach, where we worship, where we look after our neighbors and care for others around us who may be

lonely. people who may be discouraged or who are hurting. you see, i want you to think about the fact that the spirit of our state is in the people that sit next to us and the people we know at home. i want to look at a few examples, in the schools, thanks to our work together, children have new opportunities to succeed from the earliest age we take care of them. ohio will be 2017, helping three times more children have access to early childhood instruction than just six years ago. [alause] and we are making sure that all early childhood education is up high quality so children can start school ready to learn. it is expensive but a high

priority for us, early childhood. then there is the third grade reading gearing because we are making sure children are not just being shuffled along that they have the learning gills for the progressively more rigorous material in higher grades. this is great news, folks. this year, even with the tougher standards, 94% of third-graders passed the reading guarantee thanks to the hard work of everyone, educators, librarians, mentors, and families. 94% of third-graders can now pass that test. [applause] schools are also developing new strategies for identifying students at risk, who may drop out. we need to keep them interested in school. if they have already dropped out, we have to help them find a way to their diploma.

we have one of those new diploma holders in here with us today. jill hawkins. graduated adult, without a high school diploma. very narrow career options but now she is on a better track because she made the choice to take ownership of her future and to get that diploma. congratulations, jill. where are you? where is jill hawkins? ok, jill. [applause] we also have new mentoring efforts underway to motivate and inspire young ohioans to find their purpose and reach for the stars. we know that mentoring makes a difference because we see the results in great programs like the cincinnati youth collaborative where 95% of this

dudes graduate from high school, 95% graduate from high school in isystem where the average about 63 percent and 83% go on to college, career, or military. it was part of the inspiration for our community connectors program which brings mentors dedicated to good values and career education into our schools to help shape young people's lives. today, community connectors has 150 local partnerships statewide and more -- in more than half of ohio's counties to inspire children, learning, and their futures. this was a critical program that we passed to create mentoring. it is now in effect in over half of ohio's counties. programo not have this involved in your county, and in your schools, let us know. we won every child in the state of ohio to be mentored and told

about how great they can be and how much they are loved and appreciated. can we do it, please? let us get every kid mentored. [applause] right here in marietta where the cities wools have volunteers from the community to mentor seventh and eighth graders, to help guide them and explore different career paths. i want to say to all of you that are here tonight -- you think back to who inspired you. it might have been your principle. it may have been your coach. for me, it was a couple of barbers that cut hair in the keys rocks and when i would want right, they would come out the door and yelled -- johnny, someday you are going to be something. that was if the years ago. 's and lovepenussi them for what they did.

we need to do this for children across our state. another tool for young people is -- ohio means jobs. that website. with the parents, teachers, and others who mentor young people and provide kid friendly tools. to help them mentor about careers. 220,000 students in our case-12 system have already used this site to begin exploring careers. to theyour constituents ohio means jobs. it can change a life. so many people as well as employers in big cities, small towns, and moral areas tell me that one of their top personal concerns is drug abuse and addiction. i talked about it earlier today. the attorney general and i have worked on this for some time. up with veryhat personal stories about the way drugs have torn about -- torn

apart their own lives, their families, and their neighborhoods. met mothers have and fathers who get up every day and wonder whether it will all come tumbling down. put yourself in their showed -- in their shoes for a moment. we have to win this war. here in ohio, we took the battle on in earnest five years ago. we knew then and we are all to aware that this is not an easy war to win. the progress that we want cannot happen overnight. it takes a comprehensive and community centered plan of on fourone based pillars. education, prevention, treatment, and enforcement and the battle will not be fought and won just by actions that we take in columbus. the front lines of this battle

are in every urban center, town, and farm community across ohio. we do have one powerful tool that is rate for any community, any community to use. start talking. if you don't already know about it, you must learn about it. the name says it all. start talking. by simply having a conversation with our young people about the dangerous consequences of trying thes, we can reduce likelihood, reduce the likelihood of starting kids down a path that drug addiction -- of drug addiction by 50%. many schools are using the resources that we have provided including goshen, claremont county, the city of chillicothe. we can also do more. i am not asking. i am begging. i am begging our teachers, parents, and mentors and all the adults to have a

conversation with children they know-- with children they to have a conversation about the dangers of abuse. to the men and women that are struggling -- do you want to win this battle? go do it. get out of your comfort zone. a young man or young woman and you tell them about god's purpose for their lives and a take these drugs and end up addicted they will of secure or destroy that purpose. this in our great state but it takes all of us. this is a scourge that we must to fee. in keeping kids off drugs is a big part of our moral calling to to fulfillohioan their purpose and god-given ability. i believe that as our state's leaders, our number one moral obligation is to foster a jobs

friendly climate. our next mission is then to create quality education and can acquireohioans the skills they need to compete for the new jobs our businesses create. it also means helping ohioans at the bottom of the economic ladder move up. in a few months, ohio will begin implementing legislation passed in the last session to help ohioans who are just entering the workforce -- those between 60-24 years old break into careers and break out of the cycle of poverty. tuscarora's counties. by using common sense to better align job-training and human service efforts, these counties are better able to assess young people's overall needs and skills and then they can offer them the training and the education to get and keep a job to help them start moving up on the economic ladder.

we start early. we work with them. we can get great results. we are also eliminating unintended barriers in the ohio safety net that once discouraged working moms from moving up. by making it easier for them to keep their support for child care. even when they get a promotion or a better job, we show them that hard work pays off. [applause] a word about medicaid expansion because i believe it is making a difference. together, we have worked hard to improve this stems quality and accountability so taxpayers get the quality they deserve and ohioans get quality care. than 330,000more more women in ohio now have access to health care. that means he can get healthy,

stay healthy, and better participate in the workforce. also delivered new resources to help our communities addressed mental health and addiction issues. it is working for our people. [applause] we have also made important progress in improving community and police relations. over the past few years across this nation, we have seen growing tension, between communities and police. and the divisions have been severe and often times violent. we have always known that this has to be dealt with because we will not have a for neighborhoods if there is mistrust between our communities and law enforcement. thanks to your help, i am so proud to say that ohio is leading the way. our efforts began when we pulled

together a diverse group of lawn is meant experts, community leaders from throughout the state to recommend strategies for strengthening the bond between our communities and the police. they were a bipartisan group. of all philosophies. and understood that it was not a time for politics. knew that they could not practice politics if they were going to get it right and they have been able to get it right. to continue their work, we established an ongoing collaborative to put those recommendations into action. for the first time in our history, ohio now has statewide standards for law enforcement agents these on the use of wars including deadly force and the hiring and recruitment of law arercement personnel and we asking our local agencies, our local police departments to start using them. i am pleased that we already have some early adopters such as

cold water, sydney, and montgomery county. we know there is more to be done. and that our ultimate success depends on our follow-through. we are going to keep it up but for all that we have achieved, still more work to do. but for what we have achieved, i'm grateful for the leadership of my good friend, former state senator nina turner and the support of senator saundra williams, representative of alicia reece, as well as our community leaders, pastors, and law enforcement community. we are a model for what works in this country and the country would be wise to adopt our model. and collaboration. [applause] these are all areas where ohio

is solving tough problems, we could have put our heads in the sand and it is clear that we know how to make things work. we need to keep doing that. to keep our momentum going, our cabinet and i are in the process of coming to the general assembly with important new reforms and initiatives. some of which are already being considered. education and training. as i mentioned to one of the democrat leaders that was with education and training continue to be priorities. we need to do a better job of connecting ohioans at an early age with a wide range of career opportunities open to them. and then we need to find them that help them find the pathway to the career with the greatest potential and are small satisfaction. if you look right now at our job search website, ohio means jobs, this is unbelievable. 170,000 find more than job openings. i understand that about 20% of

them pay over $80,000 a year. businesseshio searching for well-trained, motivated workers. we need to prepare our students and job seekers of every age for these openings and the careers they represent. the powerful resource for helping people -- for helping students find their way are our school guidance counselors. these are professionals with the training to help students learn about career opportunities, and connect them with the training that they need. i am really a believer in the importance of guard -- guidance counselors and think ohio should do even more to support them. dime's counselors are not just a next her set of hands. they are people that can put our young people on a pathway to a lifetime a success and that is why last year, ohio adopted new evaluations sanders for counselors to support them with a clear vision of how they can help students with career planning.

school district is adopting their own policies to implement these new supports for counselors by the next school year. students can also get a jumpstart on their chosen career with recognized pre-apprenticeship programs in high school like those were carpenters or electricians, making them even more worthwhile by counting them toward the apprenticeship requirements that many locations have. it is another way ohio is strengthening our vocational strengthening -- locational training efforts in helping students connect with quality employment. we will also recommend expanding what has been known as stem education to all grade levels. we all know the letters in stem stand for science technology education and math. personally, i like to call it steam. steam education. the arts. for any student that will succeed later in life including someone choosing a technical rare will

need creative skills and know-how to apply critical thinking, and those skills are best developed by exposure to the arts. science -- [applause] -- science, technology, education, and math and the arts. did you every -- think you would see a conservative or publican -- a conservative republican ever say that what we believe it these are -- like believe it. these are all essentials to success in the 21st century careers. we also want to give extra of our to the students active duty military families that have to move from place to place. willew scholarship program help provide relief by giving military families new choices to best meet their children's education needs.

fors the least we can do families that give so much to support our family. -- tower cam -- our communities. [applause] going forward, we will study ofs to expand it to children members of the ohio national guard, reserves, and veterans. for many young ohioans their path to a rewarding career requires more than a high school diploma. some need a professional certification or specialized training, but for others, it can mean a college degree. there is a very big barrier in our way. whereverething i hear i go, anywhere in our country. too many young people in america are struggling with the cost of advanced education. we are going after that problem in ohio, attacking the root cause of high tuition, by

encouraging colleges to get their costs of doing business under control. we created a task force of business leaders who are experts in controlling costs and balancing the bottom line and i am happy to say our college presidents are taking this very seriously and they are starting to put those recommendations to work. the university of toledo in bowling green are working together to jointly, jointly offer courses that traditionally have had low enforcement on their separate campuses. ohio state, cincinnati taking steps to partner -- partnership with the state. to take advantage of economies of scale instead of taking on constant upgrades or new construction on their own. we recently brought the general assembly some important new initiatives to strengthen pathways to a lower cost college degree. we are proposing everest to study for three years at a lower cost on a community college

campus and then transferred to a four-year university for a final year to earn their degrees. this could cut their costs by 75% in getting this degree. [applause] let me just say -- if we do not begin to control these costs, these four-year schools, many of themill be just a memory. because people will figure out a way to get their education, -- at aedentials in much lower price. these colleges and universities are going to have to make very tough decisions. salute gordono keys when wartime. leased the parking lots and garages at ohio state to great criticism. he carried out his hand and he was paid for leasing those

facilities a half a billion dollars that was put into scholarships. wes is the kurds and vision need across our state and this goes hand in hand with another earlier step we took with college credit plus program. think about this one. it gives ohio students the ability to earn college credits in high school before they ever step foot on a college campus or pay a college tuition. in one semester alone, these estimatedve saved an $50 million for the students across ohio on their college costs, just by doing college credit plus. [applause] we want to work with you to allow community colleges to offer a limited number of four-year degree programs in fields where we will not have overlapped with others goals. students can earn a college diploma at a lower cost and meet

the needs of local industry. if we want to make it easier for earn a college degree, we have to think about the adult learners. they have already built-up hands-on experience in their field. they probably know enough to teach some of the courses and they should not have to pay to sit through hours of the classroom. we want to give these folks away to use what they have learned and earn their college degrees more quickly. and through all of this, the need to guide students is essential. and for that, we require the budget to provide for strong code -- college it fires. when our kids enter high education in this day, they must have someone to guide them all the way through to get their degree and get them a degree that will allow them to have success. we need to do this. [applause]

lorain county community college, edison state come they made a lot of progress in this area. miami, the university of cincinnati, just as with guidance counselors, higher education advisors is a priority. these schools are going to do this. the important work we are setting in motion all across the higher education system especially on of portability where -- will provide ohioans for strong futures. we have more work to do. i am proud to hold up our progress to other states as a model that they can all learn from us very these new reforms of proposals we are bringing you will build on this is best of all of -- on the success of all of the programs we have brought you. to peopleending around this country the recommendations that i think can help solve this problem across our country.

our economic growth is increasing the number of jobs available as well as the types of jobs available. if you ask people about ohio, many will be -- will say it is the football team, agriculture, or steal. it has always been our goal to bring about a significant broadening of the base of ohio business and we see that in the positions that have been greeted by some of ohio's newest employers. big about this. amazon. three investments in the state including in wilmington, amazon picking us in the midwest to carry the ball for them. how about the automotive glass maker. they talk about losing jobs. the chinese have now hired more ohioans with maybe another 1002 higher. as i discussed earlier, cutting taxes are an important part of

creating a job friendly economy. 5 billion morey than any other state in the country. -- there ise than more that we have to do. we want to accelerate the benefit of income tax cuts that we passed last year. there is no reason to wait. you can although for it. the money is there, let us this move it up. [applause] i say to my friends -- the democrats, we already passed it. just move it up so people have more money in their pocket. this is not complicated. you don't have to buy into all of the philosophy on this. i think we can do it together. we can apply the benefits to family finances and our economy right now. i do appreciate the legislatures

tax study committee and i look forward to seeing their recommendations. but, we are going to come with another comprehensive tax reform package early next year with more tax relief and reforms to better align our tax code with the weight ohio works in today's economy. that fundamentally means, lower income taxes. ok? [applause] while we have worked to great economic growth by cutting taxes and restraining the growth of a government, we have not left other areas of focus behind. i am a firm believer that economic growth and protection of our natural resources and go hand in hand. we continue -- [applause] -- we continue to invest it never get money into our state parks and we has spent more -- [applause]

thank you, keith. [laughter] more, and getent this money -- we have spent more than three point i billion dollars in order to improve water quality from lake erie to the ohio river. $3.5 billion. [applause] the quality, the well-being and beauty of our natural environment are and essential part of a jobs friendly business environment that we want to maintain and grow. it is also central to the success of our $40 billion travel and tourism industry and all of the local businesses that depend on tourism. it is such a very important part of the local economy here in marietta, is a net, governor -- isn't it, governor?

-- e just launched as ohio continues to benefit from the growing shale opportunities, we will need to keep pace for the industry's continuous innovations by proposing updates that support its continued success and ensure that we remain one of the nations leaders in protecting public health and safety as well as the environment. few minutes ago about the epidemic of drug addiction, particularly prescription drug abuse that has inflicted on ohio at every level of society. fighting this battle takes everything we have got and the comprehensive approach is the best for our strategy. a big part of that is the medical community. with the help of doctors, we have tightened up prescribing guidelines to make sure that people can get the pain relief that they need, but not more than what they need. the number of prescriptions for pain medicine have gone down 12%

over the past four years and with tighter control, dr. shopping by patients has fallen dramatically to 70% in the last five years. [applause] we know that ohio's pharmacies are key players. and not just pharmacist, but also the thousands of pharmacy technicians who work side-by-side with them. right now, however, we have no uniform standards or registration requirements for them. we need to join other states who registered technicians to make sure that they get ongoing training and education to help them identify opiate abuse and will also allow ohio to track and is the -- discipline that actors. we need to invalidate any

prescription that has not been brought to the pharmacy within 30 days of issue and we also need new scrutiny on drug clinics to make sure they are to treatt practices people. these and other proposals we will bring to you this spring will provide additional tools that ohio can use to improve the places where we live. these like the other tools provided are only valuable if they are put to work. as i said earlier, the spirit of our state is in our communities. the more that each of us has a chance to contribute to crafting our state's future, the stronger the future will be because it benefits from the talents we'll bring did the table. making sure we all have a chance to contribute and that we all camea voice is why we together last year across party lines to reform the way ohio's legislative districts are drawn. our goal was the right 1 -- to make the process less about

politics and more about inclusion. howeverto go further which is why i am calling on the general assembly to look at how we make these same kinds of reforms to the way ohio draws its congressional districts. [applause] ideas in marriage should be what wins elections, not gerrymandering when pure politics is what drives these kinds of decisions, the result is polarization and division. i think we have had enough of it. gerrymandering needs to be on the dustbin of history. we can solve so many of life's problems i working person to person, neighbor to neighbor, by coming together. that is where the best solutions come from but in that of looking to government to do things for us, we use the tools and gift that we each have and take control of our lives.

yes, i know that government can create an environment for success and tear down barriers but in the end, the responsibility for our lives and the strength of our communities lies with what we do. i happen to believe that we must each strive to live a life bigger than ourselves, to take our special gifts that the lord has given us. he has given us these gifts to live a life bigger than ourselves, for purposes of healing this world. unique andre all varied. together, they form the mosaic that makes our state and our country so resilient. had the opportunity as i have traveled the country by the grace of god to be able to look people in the eye and remind them that they are made special.

unique.s, all of us, created for a purpose. to literally live a life bigger then ourselves and to make a commitment to lift, to heal the world. us iis what is expected of believe when we were created. been made like us before and no one will ever be like this again. we are here at the unique moment of time. we find satisfaction in life. some of there silliness, the fightg, the division, the ego, the turf protection. , when we arer job a teacher and give up salary because we are changing a young

life, we are changing the world. physician, and we make that call at 1:00 in the morning, we are changing the world. when we are a nurse, and when the time for us to stop, we filled our role in the job and get we spent 20 more minutes to reassure a family that things are going to be ok. in westerville the other day, i saw a custodian, i said -- you are special. do you know how i know that? he said -- yes, i know how you know that. because you know those kids will tell me something that they never tell anyone else and i will take care of them. -- 50en taking that widow years old. she has been married i made for 50 years. she lost her husband and her phone does not ring anymore.

you call her monday and say -- we are going to dinner this weekend. you know what she does on thursday -- she gets her hair done. by saturday, it is still all in place. when you pick her up, she wears that dress she has not worn in six months. did you change the world? i think you did. i have always been so inspired by people who understand this thanhey live lives bigger almost all of us. that is how i got this whole idea of the governor's courage award. to recognize those ohioans and hold them up as models from which we can all learn. margoth person is hutson. a longtime cleveland resident who grew up on this outside of chicago. she had it tough. no stranger to the hard knocks of life, without a high school

diploma, think about it, she struggled for years. moving from job to job that did not pay much of anything. well into adulthood, she was inspired to go after her high school with lindsay. it took her 11 tries. she stayed at it. she did not get discouraged. and she finally prevailed. now, with her ged certificate, margo, believe it or not is an active tutor and a mentor for young clevelanders who are also to earna second chance their diplomas. she is an enthusiastic champion for the power of adult learning. margo has been honored are the commission for adult. as a 2016 national adult learner of the year. her courage in the face of so many challenges is inspiring and i am proud to present her the

governor's current award this year. margo -- [applause] you look beautiful. may i put it on you? congratulations. thanks, margo. [applause] packed of columbus is an exceptionally -- wallace peck is an exceptionally talented artist who has overcome significant developmental disabilities,

significant disabilities and personal challenges including homelessness. .ealth problems and an upbringing with little support. and very little education. through all of this and with support from some equally remarkable friends and volunteers, he has become one of ohio's most honored and self-taught artist. his paintings are primarily of people, especially of those he knows but also includes wildlife .nd nature he uses bold colors and a style all his own to express the joy he finds in this world. workfe stuck all of your in the governor's residence so ok.know -- his most recent exhibit sold out in a single night. it is a testament to the acclaim drawn thencreasingly

attention of museum arts and festivals. for his life of courage, perseverance, and positive many years of so living in the shadows of society, i am proud to oh word him the governor's courage award accompanied by the first lady. [applause] come on over here. [applause]

congratulations. pretty clear is that it -- isn't it? the lord has made everyone special for different reasons. i spoke about the battle we are waging against drug abuse and addiction. we've talked about this three times tonight. tonight, i am proud to recognize the courageous work in gun in this fight right here in

washington county. minx. -- thanks for drug predict -- prevention a big priority. [applause] just down the road, we have another champion, and i love this guy. superintendent, tony done. unn. this guy rocks it. tony, thank you. you will get every superintendent to get doing -- start talking? i know you will. he has been one of the most active in the start talking program. folks, the fight against addiction took on special urgency in this community last hummer with the death of hunter

energetictalented and 17-year-old. hunter was just ready to begin his senior year in high school with of promising future when that future was tragically cut short by a heroin overdose. i do not know how they do it. is beyond me. but they are doing the best they can. to try to protect others. oldman, isher, kelly also here tonight to share in this award after her son's death -- she found the strength and the courage to rise above her pain and by the way, the undeserved guilt that is too often felt i parents.

-- i parents. -- who have lost a son or daughter to drugs. she is standing up and helping others in this fight. other determined that no mother should ever know the pain she has had to carry. three firstg these and foremost for their own individual efforts and personal courage but also representatives thousandsthe ohioans, of them who are fighting against this epidemic every day. the award will be displayed forever in the high school trophy case as a reminder of the futures that have been cut short and our resolve to do all we can to fight the kitchen -- addiction and abuse. theolks, please come to stage. please, ladies and gentlemen, honor them for their work and

the kurds have kelly. d the courage of oldman. [applause] kelly, i am going to give you the medal. [applause]

heroes. tonight's let us also take time to think about and thank all of the people that we know who have lives us and to live bigger than themselves. their example of course can inspire us within this creativity and leadership we need to go further and build on the strong new foundation we have laid for our great state and restore our position as one of the nations -- and restore our position as one of the nations greatest states. with it, i have optimism and hope will miss that our state will be a place of freedom and prosperity for everyone.

we are getting there. it is happening. the changes we have made together have taken us very far, very far in a short time. we are not done yet. we of course have more work to do. i am confident that together, we can keep moving forward. why am i confident? you know i have traveled all across this country. and i am always reminded of one thing -- again and again. there is no place like ohio. there is no place like home. [applause]

you know, i have known it since i was a young man, traveling across the pennsylvania-ohio line with my uncle harry shouting as we entered the buckeye state -- johnny, we are in the promised land. [laughter] oure is no other place like resources, our strategic location, and of worse, as woody hayes said, our people. starting here in marietta, the first ohioan show the nation what can be accomplished. we are still doing it today. together, we are getting the job ohioans and by rededicating ourselves to the mission and with the spirit of servant leadership, we will keep lifting up our fellow buckeyes.

mr. president, mr. speaker, numbers of the general assembly -- let us tear down all of the barriers, all of the roadblocks together, we can move ohio further down the path towards the vision of freedom, prosperity, and opportunity that we all share and believe in. together, we can do it. god bless america. god bless ohio. and god bless our futures together. thank you. [applause]