“Gov. Brian Sandoval State of the State Speech” |
| Gov. Brian Sandoval State of the State Speech Posted: 25 Jan 2011 11:04 AM PST Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, HonorableJustices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers…My Fellow Nevadans:It is a special honor to be here for my first State of the State with so many newmembers of the Legislature. Nevada is fortunate to have these leaders take office whenwe are in such a time of need. Welcome, all of you.Welcome, too, all of the many guests who have joined us here in the Assemblychamber. Kathleen and I are honored that you are willing to share this evening with us.Please also allow me to express my special gratitude to the Douglas County High SchoolJunior ROTC, Captain Hal Woomer, LeAyer Dante, and Manuel Mederos for theircontributions to tonight's program.Ladies and gentlemen, as we gather here in Carson City, countless Nevadans arewatching on television or the Internet. It is as if the collective Nevada family hasgathered around the table – each member leaning forward in his or her chair, eager tohear the news. In this time of sacrifice, our Nevada family looks to us for reassurance,for solutions, and for leadership.2And so I begin with the story of two men in uniform whose leadership in times ofsacrifice can inspire us all.Lieutenant Colonel Tony Millican is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. He wasawarded the Bronze Star and the prestigious 2010 Air Force Lance P. Sijan Award for hisheroism in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Millican survived a blast from a 700-poundexplosive device that exploded less than 50 yards away from his location. His story ofcourage is echoed in the tale of Specialist Ernesto Padilla from Gardnerville. SpecialistPadilla is assigned to the First of the Two-Twenty-First Cavalry of the Nevada NationalGuard. He left his pregnant wife in May 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan, where hisvehicle was sliced in half in an explosion. He was severely injured and he earned aPurple Heart.These are but two examples of the sacrifices made by our men and women inuniform every day. Gentlemen, God bless you both, and thank you for putting serviceabove self.As our family gathers tonight, Nevadans are confronted on all sides with badnews. Our friends have seen their credit ruined. Someone in our family has lost a job.The house around the corner stands vacant. A neighbor has closed her business. Arelative is one trip to the doctor away from financial or physical ruin.Some believe government is the only solution to our current plight. I disagree.Unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcy – the cure is not more government spending,but helping businesses create jobs. The key is to get Nevada working again.The Silver State has a long history of economic peaks and valleys. But the stateof our state this evening should not be described as just another dip in the road.Instead, we find ourselves on the new terrain of a changed global economy, and the3crossing is hard. The Nevada family looks to us to understand how we will navigate thisnew path. Certainly, there are short-term solutions – some of them painful. But truesuccess lies in making a fundamental course correction and declaring, in the words ofAbraham Lincoln: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As ourcase is new, so we must think anew and act anew."We begin with the state budget.STATE BUDGETWhen my staff and I first arrived at the state capitol, we were told that the StateGeneral Fund must spend $8.3 billion in the coming biennium instead of the $6.2 billionwe are spending today. We rejected that premise. The population of Nevada hasdeclined, yet the proposed budget would have increased state spending by 34 percent.That kind of math made no sense. Like any Nevada family or business, we began thebudget process by looking at how much money we had to spend, not at automaticspending increases. We sought to return spending to 2007 levels, before the currenteconomic crisis. And when the Economic Forum released its forecasts in December,revenues for the next biennium were projected to be only $5.3 billion. So we startedthere.We examined each department on a case-by-case basis. Medicaid and otherHealth and Human Services caseloads have grown exponentially, requiring an additional$245 million. Moreover, Nevada is now responsible for providing an extra $190 milliontoward the federal Medicaid match. We also must begin paying the $66 million ininterest on money Nevada has borrowed for unemployment benefits.4The previous budget included $450 million in stimulus funds from the federalgovernment. Of course, stimulus spending was intended to be only a one-timecontribution to our state budget, so it was not available for the next biennium. Finally,due to reductions in local revenues, the State must contribute an additional $440 millionto our public schools.In total, there was a $1.2 billion hole in the budget. We were confronted withthe difference between immediate priorities and long-term investment. That required usto reform our overall spending plan. And I can tell you the process was as painful as itwas necessary.The budget I am submitting to the Legislature represents an eight percentreduction in total spending from the current biennium. My budget recommends theconsolidation, elimination, or centralization of 20 departments and agencies. From theconsolidation of the Departments of Personnel, Information Technology, Public Worksand Administration to the smaller but nonetheless important streamlining of energypolicy, we will make state government more efficient and more responsive.State employees have been told that merit pay and longevity pay will remainfrozen, and salaries will be reduced by five percent. I believe this is a far betteralternative than the mass lay-offs chosen by other state and local governments.Positions are eliminated in this budget, and lay-offs will occur, but not on the scale seenin other states. My plan also eliminates the cumbersome furlough program.Administrators and employees alike told me furloughs make it difficult to manage anagency and nearly impossible to provide high-quality customer service.Basic Support in our K-12 schools is reduced by $270 per pupil. The change intotal support from current spending is just over nine percent. While this is not ideal, I5believe the reductions are within reason if the education establishment is willing to makereal changes in how those dollars are spent.State, local, and student revenue for the Nevada System of Higher Education isreduced by less than seven percent. With the loss of one-time stimulus dollars, the totalreduction is 17.66 percent. However, the Regents have the option of bringing tuitionand fees more in line with other Western States, so many of these funds can berecovered.In Health and Human Services and Public Safety, we identified over $100 millionin state spending for what are essentially local programs. The State can no longerafford to pick up this tab, so some of these responsibilities must be transferred to thelocal level.Nevadans need to know we did not blindly accept the cuts requested by the prioradministration. In the Department of Health and Human Services alone, $118 million inspending for essential programs was restored. My budget preserves nearly $55 millionfor personal care services, $4 million in adult day health care, and $8 million in benefitsto two-parent households on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. We alsopreserved funds for traumatic brain injury services, autism, early intervention services,independent living, medically necessary dentures, prosthetics and orthotics – the listgoes on. These programs are preserved, and overall spending is still reduced.However, spending cuts alone could not do the work of balancing the statebudget in a reasonable, thoughtful manner. Therefore, we made $1 billion of publicmoney work harder so as to mitigate cuts to services and programs. None of thismoney comes from new taxes. We made better use of existing dollars. The public does6not think of revenue as yours or mine. All of it, every last penny, is theirs. Whether it'sin this bucket or that bucket does not matter.My budget continues to redirect nine cents of property tax from Clark andWashoe Counties. I will restrict this money to the support of universities andcommunity colleges in those counties, because property values rise and economicgrowth occurs where universities contribute to economic development.We are turning to the school districts, but not to capture capital constructiondollars already allocated to projects. Instead, we propose to change the level ofreserves required for debt service in all those counties with bond funds. Schoolimprovements, maintenance, and equipment purchases will continue – which means noconstruction jobs will be lost. Simply put, these tax dollars were unnecessarily lockedaway in one of those separate buckets. We will use $425 million of these funds to offsetthe $440 million in lost local funding I mentioned earlier. The money will stay ineducation and be used in the district of origin. And I have committed that the State willreplenish these funds over time as the Local School Support Tax rebounds.We must also make temporary use of room tax revenue now slated for teachersalaries in order to defray the costs of overall education spending. I had planned to usethat money to reward teacher performance through merit, but we must live with currentrealities. Pay-for-performance is still included in my budget, just on a different scale.Finally, I am proposing to raise $190 million by monetizing the state insurancepremium tax proceeds. This solution is not perfect, but it is sound, and it preventsfurther reductions to education and human services.7When all was said and done, the proposed General Fund expenditures in mybudget total just over $5.8 billion over the next two years – within one percent ofGeneral Fund spending in 2007.We not only balanced the budget, we restored many of the cuts our constituentsfeared most. We also addressed some long-standing issues and some emergingchallenges. For example:In 2001, former Speaker Barbara Buckley led the charge to integrate the ChildWelfare system in Clark and Washoe Counties. In 2003, former Senator Bill Raggio alsopushed toward an integrated funding plan. My budget will finish the job with BlockGrants to Washoe and Clark Counties for the basic operation of child welfare serviceswith local autonomy. In addition, we provide $7 million for incentive payments if ChildWelfare agencies achieve their stated goals.My budget responds to the National Health Care Reform legislation passed byCongress last year. I firmly believe that many aspects of the law are unconstitutional,and I will continue to fight to have them overturned. In the meantime, however, thelaw imposes many deadlines, and we cannot wait until litigation is resolved. We mustplan for a major expansion of Medicaid, which may cost Nevadans $574 million between2014 and 2019. We must also plan for a Health Insurance Exchange so that we – andnot the federal government – control the program. My budget includes funding toaddress these issues, and I have submitted legislation to address the operation andoversight of a Nevada Health Insurance Exchange.These initiatives, and the overall approach we took to balancing the budget, arenot about being liberal or conservative. A governor's responsibility is to providesolutions to the problems of the day. And because of Nevada's current reality, I have8met this challenge through hard decisions, all the while remaining conscious of thecurrent realities.On Friday, Nevada's unemployment rate increased yet again – another clearindication that businesses are in a fragile state. Despite what some would have youbelieve, businesses are sharing in the necessary sacrifices of our times. Whether it'sthrough increased health insurance premiums, the steadily increasing federal costs forunemployment insurance, or even the decreased Medicaid reimbursements to healthcare providers necessary under my budget, every Nevada business finds it harder andharder to make a profit – and thereby keep workers employed.I recently received a thoughtful letter from a woman who works for a smalldental practice in Las Vegas. For the first time in 20 years, they lost money. She wrote:"The assault on our practice finances come from everywhere – insurance companies, theState, the federal government, OSHA regulations, EPA regulations, payroll taxes and thecost of dental products and supplies." She begged me to "help set new directions…thatfree up some of our time and money." Otherwise, she said, "…a lot of smallbusinesses…will decide that it isn't worth it to sacrifice the time and effort they donow…"Ladies and gentlemen, it is worth it. I want that dental practice and otherNevada businesses, as well as their employees and families, to succeed. That is whatI'm fighting for.Fellow Nevadans, you and I know that the budget alone will not solve the state'scurrent crisis. If anything, the budget is only a symbol of the challenges presented byour economic situation. In order for Nevada to fully recover, we must focus our energyon job creation. We must ensure long-term improvements in our education system and9do everything in our power to guarantee that the people can respect the governmentthat serves them. And so I will spend the balance of our time tonight talking with theNevada family about three policy areas: economic development, education, andresponsive government.ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTFor at least the last 100 years, Nevada governors have called for the creation ofeconomic development agencies or state publicity offices to foster what AssemblywomanAlice Towle in 1922 called "the up-growth of new industries." In 1983, then-GovernorRichard Bryan proposed an overhaul of the Department of Economic Development tocreate the current structure. In so doing, he said: "Our efforts at economicdiversification must emphasize our favorable investment climate, tax structure, laborforce and Nevada's unique resources for solar and geothermal power." He was rightthen. He is right now. And we owe it to Nevadans to renew our economic developmentefforts for the realities of today.Working with Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford and Speaker JohnOceguera, I propose a complete overhaul of our state's economic development program.Minority Leaders Mike McGinness and Pete Goicoechea also lend their support. And, ofcourse, Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki will play a key role in modernizing our state'ssystem of job creation and business diversification.We propose to redesign the Commission on Economic Development andrecommend a 50 percent increase in General Fund dollars to run it. A new entity,Nevada Jobs Unlimited, will be a public-private partnership existing largely outside stategovernment. With a private sector mentality, it will be more nimble. And it will be aCabinet-level agency, with the governor joining the lieutenant governor, Senate majority10leader, Assembly speaker, and representatives of higher education and other criticalstakeholders on the board. A majority of the board members will come from the privatesector to ensure the focus is squarely on jobs.Nevada Jobs Unlimited will pursue strategies that grow jobs within existingNevada businesses, as well as recruit companies from out-of-state. But we will do sowith a new sense of urgency, coordination, and accountability. Collaboration and tighterperformance indicators will be the metrics of this new system.We are also proposing a $10 million Catalyst Fund to provide much-neededresources to close deals, finance infrastructure, and spur the growth of new jobs. TheFund will be continued in future budgets only if it delivers the kind of success we expect.Our proposal builds upon the foundation laid by the New Nevada Task Force,which was convened by the lieutenant governor last summer, and has provided newideas for the future of our state's economic development activities. Our future lies inbusiness sectors like technology commercialization, bioscience, renewable energy assetdevelopment, and defense sector expansion. Innovation will drive tomorrow's economy,and so it must drive our decision-making as we rebuild our economic developmentinfrastructure.There's a treasure in our state that can launch this new focus on innovation:Switch, a two-million-square-foot technology ecosystem campus in Las Vegas. CNBCrecently called the Switch SuperNAP "the best data center on the planet." For the lastten years, Switch has been building massive, secure, technology data centers incombination with a telecommunications hub that is unique to North America. Switch'svision and innovation are attracting many Fortune 1000 companies to Las Vegas, andthey are bringing jobs to Nevada.11Switch is sponsoring an incentive program called the Nevada AdvancedTechnology Alliance. By moving employees and divisions to Nevada, companies willsave 10 to 20 percent on nationwide telecommunications costs, no matter how big thecorporation. This incentive is not funded by tax dollars, donations, or any othergovernment efforts. It simply takes the technological innovations of Switch andextends those benefits to those who partner with Nevada by establishing operationshere. This is an advantage unique to Nevada that we will be offering to businessesaround the world. With us tonight are Switch CEO Rob Roy and his wife, Stella. Thankyou, Rob, for raising the bar for innovation.Let me tell you briefly about how innovation will also help drive change inbroadband technology, the gaming industry, renewable energy, and the state'sinfrastructure needs.We must continue to drive investment in broadband technology that fast-tracksjob growth and provides a platform for spurring innovation across our state. My budgetincludes $3 million to help residents of rural Nevada use broadband access to start andgrow businesses, or telecommute to anywhere in the world. These improved broadbandconnections will also allow the electronic exchange of health information betweenproviders and hospitals to improve the quality of care.Since I completed my term as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, thegaming entertainment industry has expanded to new states and many new corners ofthe world. Competitive forces demand a new approach from our regulatoryinfrastructure. In an increasingly competitive and global economy, Nevada will be "the"place for gaming innovation. Nevada started this industry. We shaped its development,and we must remain the undisputed leader in the gaming economy. Twenty-first12century demands mandate that we provide a flexible environment for the technologicalresources that are the underpinning of modern gaming devices. I have asked theleadership of our regulatory bodies to begin immediately to process statutory andregulatory changes that sensibly reflect the modernization of the industry.Nevada can strengthen our leadership role in the renewable energy and energyefficiency industries. The Nevada Retrofit Initiative is leading a ground-breakingpartnership with higher education, nonprofits, and local banks for the construction andfinancing of residential energy efficiency retrofits. In addition, our Renewable EnergyLoan Fund is a successful low-interest loan program that provides financing forrenewable energy projects. Over $8 million has been loaned to nine renewable energyprojects throughout the state. Companies have used these revolving loans to expandmanufacturing capacity and create new jobs. Nevada must also remove barriers anddevelop business models that allow for the export of renewable energy to California,while benefitting taxpayers here at home.The Nevada Vision Stakeholders Group, conceived by Senator Horsford,recognized that our state's geography and economic development are intertwined andrecommended that Nevada secure better access to federal land for renewable energyproduction and transmission projects. I support all efforts to make Nevada therenewable energy capital of the country.Finally, we need to improve ground connections by linking Las Vegas to Phoenixvia Interstate 11 and to Southern California via high-speed rail. Both are critical fortransportation and logistics, as well as tourism.My message tonight is one of opportunity – certainly for Nevadans who careabout our economic growth – but also for those listening outside our state. Nevada is a13place you can call "home" and "headquarters" with equal measure. We are proud of ourgreat cities and towns, low taxes, and our state's natural beauty. Many of our state'sleaders are products of our schools and universities. Thanks to my Executive Orderfreezing most state regulations and requiring a complete regulatory review, we canpromise you a stable regulatory environment. Nevada officials and agencies see theirjob as one of helping you do business, not slowing you down. We are uniquely situatedfor logistics and transportation. We have abundant natural resources and are home topreeminent cancer and brain institutes. We love our state, and you will too.For businesses already operating in Nevada, we want you to know that our focusis on your growth. Roughly 80 percent of new jobs will be created by local businesses,and we need every one of them to put Nevadans back to work. New economicdevelopment initiatives will include rural manufacturing workforce development andbusiness expansion programs for small, minority, and veteran businesses.We will not leave behind those whose careers have been disrupted by theeconomic earthquake that has shaken our state. For many Nevadans, old skills willsimply be inadequate for the new economic reality. I have therefore directed theDepartment of Employment Training and Rehabilitation and the Department of Healthand Human Services to jointly develop a seamless service plan to put Nevadans to workand reduce reliance on social service programs.The "Silver State Works" program will target veterans, unemployment benefitrecipients, public assistance recipients, and ex-offenders. A primary goal is to promote a"Work First" culture through employer hiring incentives, on-the-job training, andcommunity service. We will invest $10 million over the next biennium in providing these14services to 10,000 unemployed workers – and we will administer "Silver State Works"utilizing existing staff resources.Ladies and gentlemen, each one of us has a role to play in Nevada's economicrecovery. Our buying power matters. Whether we are buying a car, computer, or book,we should shop Nevada first.I have said before that if Nevada were a stock, I'd buy it now. We haveopportunities ahead of us, and plans to realize them. Education reform is the linchpin toa solid return on our investment, so let me share with you my plans for our publicschools, colleges, and universities.EDUCATIONAs governor, part of my job is to tell people things they don't like to hear. Andwhen it comes to education in our state, I want to level with the people of Nevada. Oureducation system is broken. Not the people, but the system. While many teachers,professors, and students are excelling, collectively they are held back by an antiquatedsystem that emphasizes too many of the wrong things – and for which the onlysuggested answer has been more and more money. Educators who are effective atteaching students and leading schools are paid exactly the same as those who arefailing. Graduation rates remain the worst in the nation. The achievement gap leavestoo many students without hope or opportunity. And grade-level performance onnational assessments lags.I know that many students take personal responsibility for their education andsucceed as a result. I want them to know they are not alone – that Nevada's systemcan and will support them.15Since the advent of the Class Size Reduction program in the early 1990s,hundreds of millions of dollars have been provided to local school districts. The studentswho first participated in that program should now be graduating – yet many are not. Ibelieve we have put too many constraints on local school districts. My budget proposesthe creation of a Block Grant Program that encourages districts to be innovative andresults-oriented. If one district chooses to continue class size reduction, so be it. Ifanother district wants to pursue other programs, we will no longer hold them back.Flexibility, local autonomy, and accountability are the keys.The new Superintendent of Schools in Clark County, Dwight Jones, recentlydemonstrated why he is already a leader in our state. He wrote: "The downturn in theeconomy offers a real opportunity to change how we deliver our services. Yes, fundingwill be a challenge, but the greater imperative is outlining what we want to achieve."I agree. So here is my outline of significant reforms in the way we manage ourschools:• End teacher tenure. An important first step is to eliminate the protection ofseniority when decisions about force reductions must be made.• Rely heavily on student achievement data in evaluating teachers and principals.As incentives, we will provide $20 million in performance pay for the mosteffective teachers.• Eliminate costly programs that reward longevity and advanced degreeattainment. Bill Gates, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and others haverepeatedly noted this kind of spending does not improve student achievement.• End social promotion. Students who cannot read by the end of third grade willnot be advanced to the fourth grade. It's simple – until third grade, we learn to16read. After that, we read to learn. Most kids who start behind, stay behind. Ithas to stop.• Improve accountability report cards and provide more parental choice: Openenrollment, better charter school options, and vouchers to make private schooleducation a possibility for more families.• Reform K-12 governance. I ask the Legislature to support the recommendationsof Nevada's Promise to provide an improved governance model in which thegovernor appoints the state board of education and the superintendent of publicinstruction.Finally, I am pleased to announce tonight that the Executive Budget includes anadditional $10 million to preserve the Kenny C. Guinn Millennium Scholarship.And what of our colleges and universities? It is widely acknowledged that theyare important for our state's economic development. But here again, the system hasfailed us. Graduation rates after six years at the state's public two-year colleges rangefrom a high of 20 percent, to a dismal low of only four percent. Our four-yearinstitutions have graduation rates below 50 percent.There is concern that further budget reductions will require significant changesto the university and community college system. Perhaps a new system is preciselywhat we need in this new era. Therefore, I will move forward to grant autonomy overtuition to the Regents. Nevada's tuition rates are well below our Western neighbors –the Regents have long asked for the authority to raise them.Universities and community colleges must develop a more strategic focus thatconnects degree programs and the state's economic development efforts. I would alsoask that at least 15 percent of any increased tuition be reserved to ensure access for17those who need financial aid. As we increase autonomy, we will also increaseperformance indicators so that graduation rates, completion times, and access aremeasures of success.I know that none of this is easy to hear. So let me be clear: Nevada has manyeffective teachers in our schools. We have great principals and outstanding collegeprofessors. But there are also some who have no business teaching or serving as anadministrator. It is unacceptable that children in classrooms literally across the hall fromone another achieve at dramatically different levels because of the quality of theirteacher. The current system cannot address this. It is too cumbersome and so focusedon the wrong things that we lose students along the way.There will be many debates about these issues in the coming weeks. And onewho will debate them with us is here tonight as my guest. I am pleased that MichelleRhee, former chancellor of the Washington, DC public school system and the Founderand Chief Executive Officer of Students First, a national advocacy organization, is heretonight. Michelle is recognized throughout America as a leader in education reform.She will add her considerable voice to our debate, and I thank her for demonstrating theimportance of finally having a frank and honest conversation about public education.Michelle, I know we will hear your voice as one advocating for students first.RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENTJust a little more than two weeks ago, the nation watched in horror as a gunmanopened fire on a member of Congress, a federal judge, and other innocent people inTucson, Arizona. This despicable act served as a stark and sobering reminder that civildiscourse can vanish in a split-second. In Nevada, we must never allow this to happen.Isolated madness will not make us afraid of those we serve. And terror will not keep us18from putting service above self, from treating each other with civility, and from workingtogether to ensure public confidence in state government. We have the power todemonstrate to the people of Nevada that honest, civil, and responsive government isalive and well in Carson City.We can begin by working together without political agenda to draw the lines forNevada's Congressional seats and the State Senate and Assembly. The laws of our landare clear – and I will not sign a bill that favors one political party over another.Congressional seats and legislative districts should be drawn with a fair and proportionalrepresentation of constituents. Period.We can rededicate ourselves to eliminating any sign of waste, fraud, or abuse ingovernment. I will soon sign an executive order creating the Office of the InspectorGeneral within the executive branch. The Inspector General will join the existingInternal Audit Division in reviewing, auditing, and evaluating the expenditure of statefunds.I will work with Legislative leadership to introduce a bill that "sunsets" everylicensing and advisory board now on the books. More than 180 of these entities requiregubernatorial appointments. Under our proposal, boards and commissions will sunset atthe end of June 2013, giving us plenty of time to eliminate, consolidate, or improvefunctions among those that must remain.I am also pleased to announce that the "Priorities and Performance Budget"makes its debut in the documents transmitted to the Legislature this year. We articulatenot only what level of priority each program or service carries, but the performancemeasures by which it will be judged. In the coming biennium, this initiative will expandto include public participation through websites and other tools as we ask Nevadans to19further rank spending priorities. Even more robust performance indicators will thereforebe established.I am calling for the creation of a central Grants Office for state government.This office will identify federal and philanthropic opportunities that have for too longbeen overlooked. It will provide a targeted, coordinated effort to infuse additionaloutside dollars into worthy programs.I will also work with Senator Dean Rhoads on his long-standing idea to providebonuses to state workers whose agencies save money during the year so that innovativethinkers are rewarded.Finally, I will explore resources and services available through the NevadaJudicial College, the Attorney General's Office, and other state agencies to ensure thatall agencies with rule-making and regulatory authority take advantage of appropriatetraining.Through continued hard work, transparency, and clarity, each and every one ofus in this chamber can take steps to send a clear message to our constituents: This isthe people's government. We are but stewards. And Nevadans have every right to holdus to high standards of conduct and responsiveness.In case we think there is no one to show us the way, we can stop and recognizeemployees like Trooper Chuck Allen. Trooper Allen was recently named the RenoGazette Journal's "Citizen of the Year" in recognition of his volunteerism. By day,Trooper Allen is a public information officer with the Nevada Highway Patrol. He is proofthat service is alive and well in our state. Thank you, Trooper.Government employment is not just another job. Nor is it an entitlementprogram. Frankly, we seem to have lost this sense of public service where collective20bargaining is concerned. I hope this legislative session will see an open discussion of amore balanced approach to employee negotiations. Collective bargaining must bereformed if we are to change the course on which we find ourselves. I stand ready towork with local government officials and union leaders to ensure employeecompensation does not hamper government performance.We must also admit that Nevada's Public Employee Retirement System cannotsustain its current level of liability. Future employees must join PERS under some formof a defined contribution plan. And the Public Employee Benefit Plan can no longerafford full health care coverage for all retirees. New employees entering that systemmust do so under a new set of rules as well. I encourage the Legislature to send me apackage of public employee retirement and benefit reforms as quickly as possible.Together, we can create many more opportunities for improvement. I havedirected my staff to explore a major consolidation of the Departments of Transportation,Motor Vehicles, and Public Safety. The objective is to streamline governance of thesethree agencies to more effectively and efficiently provide public service. Dollars savedwill be reinvested, through the state highway fund, to create jobs and enhance publicservices.In addition, I plan to continue the dialogue recently begun with cities, counties,and school districts. I firmly believe there are more opportunities for shared services,cooperation, and functional home rule. We must focus on accountability at every level,and we must reward success at every turn. The Nevada family expects us to succeedby working together.21Therefore, I end this speech where I began my inaugural address just threeweeks ago: looking forward – yes, with optimism – to the promise of opportunitypresented by the coming celebration of 150 years of statehood in 2014.The current terrain is difficult, to be sure. Changing course is never easy. But Ibelieve that by making the short-term sacrifices I have outlined, coupled with the longtermreforms I have proposed, we will reach that milestone with pride.My fellow Nevadans, I have no doubt that together we are changing the courseof history. We are leading the Nevada family onto a new path, and I submit that it isone of progress and ultimate prosperity. If we have the courage to make the toughdecisions, and there will be many, we will succeed. If we focus on new solutions thatfundamentally change the way we do business, we will succeed. If we make supportingprivate sector job creation a way of life for all government agencies… if we control statespending…if we push forward with education reform…if we recognize that service aboveself is a way of life…if we do all of these things together, then truly Nevada will beNevada again.Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the great state of Nevada. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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