That evening, I asked the Nevada family to embrace a fundamental course correction--to leave behind the limits of the past and consider the case of our state's future anew. The challenges of the moment were too complex to resort to tired partisanship. Rather, they demanded that we resolve to work together to meet the challenges of the 21st century. And we rose to the occasion.
In the final days of the 76th Legislative Session, we were able to work together to craft a bipartisan compromise that led to a balanced budget & a transformed economic development effort.
Nevada gave women the right to vote in 1914, five years before the rest of the nation adopted the 19th Amendment in 1919. It is my hope that the celebration of women's suffrage and the commemoration of Nevada's 150th birthday will provide a joint platform for examining who we are--and who we can be.
Nevadans are rightfully proud of their history. We are also cognizant of the world around us. And we are ever mindful of those students whose faces inspire us to plan big for a bright future. Tonight, we can take pride in our progress.
I will introduce an opportunity scholarship bill giving businesses a tax credit for making contributions to a scholarship fund. These dollars will be distributed, on a means-tested basis, to students at low-performing schools for use in attending the school of their choice.
For pre-Three students, I will propose increased funding for early education in the state's most at risk schools. My budget therefore includes an aggressive expansion of all-day kindergarten among the state's most at-risk schools.
Twenty million dollars is allocated over the biennium for this purpose. This means that by 2015, almost half of our elementary schools would have an all-day kindergarten option. If we expect children to read by Three, we cannot continue to ignore all of the data that tells us all-day kindergarten is a critical foundation for a child's success.
I am also asking that Nevada make a firm commitment to another national program with proven results. In the last year, I used available funding to pilot the Jobs for America's Graduates initiative in seven Nevada schools. JAG helps prevent dropouts by putting a specialist in the school to work with the most at-risk students. The work continues even after the students graduate, and transitions students from high school to college or a career. It works in over 30 states and it has worked here.
We must also invest in our Nevada's innovators and entrepreneurs. And tonight, I am proud to announce that we will commit $10 million to Nevada's Knowledge Fund to do just that.
For rural Nevada, we have also placed an item in the budget to support the University Cooperative Extension program, in rural Nevada and we are moving forward on "Nevada Grown," to provide Nevada farm products for Nevadans, and funds to market rural Nevada tourism are increased.
Over 300 Nevadans remain deployed with our Army and Air National Guard, and many more of Nevada's finest are serving in uniform at home and abroad.
In honor of those who serve in the Armed Forces, my budget contains funding for additional veterans service officers. And it also includes money to begin the first phase to build a new, stand-alone veteran's home in Northern Nevada, to complement the veteran's home in Boulder City. These resources will help ensure that our service members receive the benefits they deserve. We owe the men and women who serve our country nothing less than total victory.
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The above quotations are from 2013 Governor's State of the State speeches.
Click here for other excerpts from 2013 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by Brian Sandoval. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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