Janet Napolitano in 2004 Governor's State of the State speeches


On Budget & Economy: Provides funding for the priorities without raising taxes

I will release a budget proposal that is fiscally responsible, provides funding for the priorities I have discussed - and does so without raising taxes. My Efficiency Review team has worked with thousands of state employees to identify permanent savings and cost avoidances that will save the state at least $843 million over the next five years alone. I am pleased to submit a budget that will fund a leaner, smarter government for the new Arizona.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Education: Recommend funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten

My budget will recommend first-year funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten to be phased in over the next five years. This phase-in begins where it is needed the most, in schools with at least 90 percent of students who participate in the federal free or reduced-fee lunch program. In years two to five of the phase-in, funding will be distributed to all Arizona school districts.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Education: Emphasize the importance of reading literacy

Every parent and teacher should know that so long as I am Governor, every first-grade child in Arizona will receive a book. To ensure that reading literacy is better-emphasized throughout elementary and middle school, I also am calling for improvements in the teacher certification process. We must insist on additional middle school literacy training, to empower teachers to aggressively attack reading deficiencies at every grade level, through the 8th grade.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Education: Scholarship program for early childhood education teachers

We must support teachers who provide education to our youngest children by offering scholarships so that they can improve their own education and thereby the education of preschool children. This year we will build on a $1.6-million early childhood educator grant we recently received from the US Department of Education, by implementing a statewide scholarship program for early childhood education teachers.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Education: Help teachers undergo the necessary training

Getting master teacher accreditation not only is challenging, it also can be quite expensive for teachers who seek it. I will establish the Arizona Master Teachers program, to secure public and private funding to help teachers undergo the necessary training to receive master teacher status. I challenged every school district in Arizona to convert an additional five percent of district operating budgets to classroom-related spending, and I gave them two years in which to do it.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Education: No cut in higher education funding

I am ready to work in partnership with Arizona’s universities and community colleges to enhance access to a higher education, intensify university research efforts, and increase graduation rates. My budget recommendation for this year will continue to invest significantly in Arizona’s universities and community colleges so that they can continue to grow into their new and more vital 21st Century role.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Environment: Bring together all stake-holders in forest management

In 2003 state government, firefighters, and local communities came together as never before to confront the quiet catastrophe of dry, overfueled forests. I convened a forest health summit in Prescott to bring together all stakeholders - including those who normally share no common ground in forest management. In addition, I directed that prison inmate crews work alongside local contractors to build fuel breaks and clear evacuation corridors around communities like Pine, Strawberry and Flagstaff.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Families & Children: Reform and additional funds for Child Protective Services

Our most basic obligation to our children must be to ensure their safety, and that starts with a well-supported, well-run Child Protective Services. We wrapped up a productive special session, from which came sweeping procedural reform and additional funds to ensure that CPS has the resources it needs to investigate every reported case of abuse or neglect. CPS was empowered to hire more investigators, and existing employees were given long overdue pay increases.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Families & Children: Investment for fewer abuse and neglect cases

Child Protective Services is now in a position to respond to emergencies, but the bigger challenge is preventing abuse before it escalates into a tragedy. The Legislature was right to establish Healthy Families in 1994, and it is time to build on this success story. My 2005 budget will contain a recommendation to double the Healthy Families budget, from $7.25 to $14.5 million. This relatively small investment promises big dividends-safer children, more capable parents, and fewer abuse & neglect cases.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Families & Children: Establish a quality childcare rating system

We will work with private childcare providers and government agencies to establish a quality childcare rating system, identify tools and resources to meet standards of quality, and prepare information for parents to adequately evaluate those centers. I have asked the School Readiness Board to find new sources of public and private funding to help childcare providers ensure that they have adequate facilities and curricula to properly stimulate children’s development.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Families & Children: Resources to childcare assistance for low-income families

Parents cannot support their children if they don’t work, and many cannot work without assistance with the cost of childcare. We make an investment in our children when we support quality childcare assistance for working parents who need it. We must devote more resources to childcare assistance for low-income working parents. My budget recommendation will include an additional $24 million to substantially reduce the number of families waiting for assistance.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Free Trade: Expedite transport of goods to and from Arizona

Trade with Mexico represents another tremendous opportunity to expand Arizona’s economy. I have worked hard this year to enhance our already-strong relations with Mexico through productive meetings with President Fox and Sonora Governor Eduardo Bours. My administration continues to work through the Arizona-Mexico Commission and our counterparts in Mexico to further develop the Canamex Corridor and Cyberport capabilities to expedite the transport of goods to and from Arizona.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Health Care: Better health care policies for seniors

I want to start with my efforts to help seniors combat prescription drug prices. My administration built a prescription discount program that takes advantage of the purchasing power of Arizona’s large senior population. Beginning today, all Medicare- eligible Arizonans will receive a CoppeRx-Card for prescription drug discounts. The card is free, easy to understand, and carries more substantial discounts. It does more to help Medicare-eligible seniors than any other state discount card in America.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Health Care: Ensure children are immunized & screened for health problems

I have asked the Arizona School Readiness Board to develop a plan to ensure that all children are screened for health problems prior to entering preschool and kindergarten, so that hearing, vision and developmental issues can be identified early on. We also need to increase the number of children getting basic immunization. One in four Arizona children has not been immunized by age 2, which increases their rate of illness, and even mortality.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Homeland Security: Emergency calling system for health and safety information

For 2004 we will continue work on a statewide 211 system, a phone number similar to the 911 system that residents will be able to dial for critical health and safety information in times of emergency. A comprehensive homeland security plan for authorities, combined with a 211 system to help citizens, is forming a web of readiness that is making Arizona a stand-out state for emergency preparedness.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

On Technology: New research facilities drive the high-tech economy

We authorized them to construct more than $400 million in new research facilities that will serve as incubators of innovation, creating the new knowledge that will drive the high-tech economy of the new Arizona. We referred a crucial constitutional amendment to the voters, to allow easy transfer of newly-developed technologies to private-sector development. I am confident the voters will agree that this constitutional amendment is good for Arizona.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

The above quotations are from 2004 Governor's State of the State speeches.
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