Governor's Annual Address Answers Oregon's Greatest Challenges
Governor lays out plans to answer the "Oregon Challenge"
Portland – Governor Ted Kulongoski today delivered his sixth annual State-of-the-State address: an ambitious plan to invest in Oregon’s greatest assets: its people and a shared confidence that Oregon will be a national leader in innovation and sustainability.
“Today I offer a vision for Oregon’s future that is not just about where we’re going - it’s also about who we are as a people,” Governor Kulongoski said. “I believe Oregon is on the right track. We can show the nation that it is possible to have prosperity and livability.”
Governor Kulongoski noted that the fiscally responsible choice made last year to create a rainy day fund is the reason why Oregon is standing firm in the current economic dip and why Oregon stands ready to invest new funding in education, health care, transportation and sustainable development. The Governor also committed to growing the state’s rainy day fund to further secure Oregon’s economic future.
“For the first time in decades, we have financial stability and integrity. And with these resources we can answer the Oregon Challenge: to become the best by investing in our future and compete with any state, at any time, in any marketplace.”
ANSWERING THE OREGON CHALLENGE
Investing in Education:
“Minds and Hands Will Build Our Economy”
On education, the Governor began by saying, “If you want to know what the state of our state will be in five, ten or even twenty years down the road, tell me what the state of our commitment to education is right now. This will make all the difference.”
Governor Kulongoski is committed to building upon the reinvestments in education made over the last few years so that Oregon’s youngest students are ready for school, class size is reduced, teachers have access to proven professional development and training programs, college is within reach for more families and career and technical schools are ready to train workers for emerging industries, such as clean technologies and renewable energy.
To once again show his gratitude to those who serve in the National Guard, the Governor is working to create an Oregon GI bill – a stipend program to cover the associated costs of a college education, such as books and child care. The Oregon GI bill will build upon a tuition waiver program already in place. The state of Oregon covers the difference in what National Guard members earn in federal financial aid and the cost of tuition at an Oregon university or community college.
Click here to read more on the Governor’s education initiative.
Healthy Kids, Healthy Oregon:
“Access to Health Care is Part of a Just Society – Kids Can’t Wait”
The Governor believes that successful health care reform is a step-by-step process that: expands coverage, controls costs and improves quality.
“Health care cost too much, covers too few and leaves our businesses at a competitive disadvantage,” the Governor said. “And if all this weren’t bad enough, health care has turned a core American value on its head: ‘We the People’ is now ‘We the People with insurance v. You the People without insurance.’”
The first step will be to expand health care coverage to children. The Governor will fight the tobacco companies again and propose a revised plan to cover all children currently eligible for the Oregon Health Plan and a tobacco tax to help working families who cannot afford coverage. He also has a plan to increase access to the Oregon Health Plan by simplifying the application process and extending the eligibility period, two changes that will reduce costs to the state.
Click here to read more on the Governor’s health care initiative.
Shifting Transportation from Neutral to Fifth Gear:
“A Green Solution to Get Moving”
The Governor’s transportation initiative will not just invest in roads and bridges; it will be “larger, greener, safer and more strategic than anything done before.” It will be a comprehensive plan that will give consumers choices they can feel good about by investing in alternative fuels for cars and trucks and alternative modes of transportation, such as light rail.
The Governor also shared his support for the Columbia River Crossing project, but added, “My support comes with the expectation that this bridge will improve safety, be accessible to all modes of transportation and the greenest large-scale project this nation has ever seen.”
Click here to read more on the Governor’s transportation initiative.
Battling Global Warming by Building a Sustainable Economy:
“Global Warming & Sustainable Development are as much an Opportunity as they are a Challenge”
The Governor has an aggressive plan to combat global warming by taking advantage of the economic opportunities it presents. Innovative, sustainable practices should be adopted across all industries. These new ways of doing things will create new businesses and jobs.
“By marketing Oregon’s way of doing business, we can attract new companies in wind, wave, geothermal, and solar. In fact, Oregon is on the cusp to becoming the largest producer of photovoltaic solar cells in the nation, and ready to outdistance every other state in the development of renewable energy,” the Governor said.
The plan will put Oregon on track to reduce its greenhouse gas levels to 10% less than 1990 levels by the 2020. It will also make key investments in a cap and trade system, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, a cleantech workforce and a secure a clean, stable water supply.
Click here to read more on the Governor’s climate change initiative.
For the complete text of the speech visit: http://governor.oregon.gov/
Contact:
Anna Richter Taylor, 503-378-6169
Rem Nivens, 503-378-6496
Jillian Schoene, 503-378-5040
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