2014 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Civil Rights

Maggie Hassan: Women earn only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men

We must renew our commitment to a fundamental principle: an equal day's work deserves an equal day's pay. Well over half of the women working in today's economy are either the primary or co-breadwinners in their families. And yet, women in New Hampshire, who are working full-time jobs, earn only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. Nationally, studies have found that a pay gap exists between men and women in nearly every occupation.

Senator Larsen has introduced legislation that will improve the financial security of working families by helping all of our workers access appropriate resources to help them earn a fair and equal paycheck, without fear of retaliation. I ask the legislature to strengthen our economy and our middle class by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Source: 2014 State of the State address to Connecticut legislature Feb 6, 2014

Scott Walker: A Better Bottom Line & Project SEARCH: job help for disabled

Project SEARCH is a year-long program for high school students with disabilities. One young woman I met has acute autism. Through Project SEARCH, she found a position sterilizing surgical equipment. This was a way to use her unique abilities to do a job that few others could do as well as she does. They identified her ability instead of getting hung up on her disability.

Tonight, I am pleased to announce the start of a year-long initiative called A Better Bottom Line--it's about employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Make no mistake, A Better Bottom Line is not about charity. A Better Bottom Line means helping both the individual and the company do well. We are looking for ways to help employers hire people who will add value to their organizations.

A few might say these individuals have disabilities, but I want to talk about their unique abilities in the workplace. In 2014, I will highlight employers, who find the unique abilities and hire people with disabilities.

Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Wisconsin legislature Jan 22, 2014

Jay Nixon: Partnership for Hope: for Missourians with disabilities

We've shown that we can work together to create better opportunities for all Missourians. Just look at what we're doing--together--to serve Missourians with disabilities and mental illness. In 2010, we passed landmark legislation to require insurance companies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders--and because of this law, 1.6 million Missourians have coverage for these proven treatments.

Our Partnership for Hope continues to be a tremendous and life-changing success for thousands of Missourians with developmental disabilities. My budget expands this vital program to even more Missourians, in more communities across the state. For years, thousands of Missourians with developmental disabilities were forced to wait months- often years--to get the in-home Medicaid services they needed. And now I'm proud to report, this year that waiting list will no longer exist. Our friends and neighbors will now get the life-changing services they need, when they need them.

Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Missouri legislature Jan 21, 2014

Lincoln Chafee: People of color are the future of Rhode Island

[We funded a study], "An Equity Profile of Rhode Island"; it tells us:

RI's share of people of color increased from 7% to 24% between 1980 and 2010.
That all of our state's recent population growth is attributable to people of color, who will continue to drive growth for the foreseeable future.
That by 2040, 41% of RI's residents will likely be people of color.
That communities of color are growing not just in our core cities, but throughout RI.
And , that today, 36% of Rhode Island's youth population is people of color, while only 9% of our seniors are.

This is the future of Rhode Island. And the best way to prepare for it is to ensure that all Rhode Islanders have access to quality public education. We cannot afford to have disparity in RI where there are areas of opportunity and others where poverty holds back our economy as a whole. If we can open the doors of opportunity to those who are driving growth, it will be a bright future for all, not just for some. Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Rhode Island legislature Jan 15, 2014

Jan Brewer: Arnold v. Sarn deal: mentally ill participate in society

As governor, I insisted that we properly fund and fundamentally reform behavioral health into a holistic, community-based system. With good faith negotiations in the Arnold v. Sarn litigation, this goal was accomplished. This win-win solution allows the seriously mentally ill to participate in society in a more meaningful way, and to receive the services and care they require and deserve. We also introduced metrics to evaluate the system and hold it accountable.

As a result of these historic reforms, I was proud to announce last week an agreement--subject to final court approval--that will end the Arnold v. Sarn litigation, while reaffirming Arizona's commitment to a community-based behavioral health care system.

Now, let me be clear: While this watershed agreement ends more than 30 years of litigation, it is structured so that if a future Governor or Legislature fails to live up to its terms, plaintiffs will be able to reopen the case. This should NEVER happen!

Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Arizona legislature Jan 13, 2014

The above quotations are from 2014 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Earl Ray Tomblin on Civil Rights. Click here for more quotes by Andrew Cuomo on Civil Rights.
*Candidates and political leaders on Civil Rights:*
*Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:* GA:Chambliss(R) IA:Harkin(D) MI:Levin(D) MT:Baucus(D) NE:Johanns(R) OK:Coburn(R) SD:Johnson(D) WV:Rockefeller(D) *Resigned from 113th House:* AL-1:Jo Bonner(R) FL-19:Trey Radel(R) LA-5:Rod Alexander(R) MA-5:Ed Markey(D) MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R) NC-12:Melvin Watt(D) SC-1:Tim Scott(R)	*Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:* AR-4:Tom Cotton(R) GA-1:Jack Kingston(R) GA-10:Paul Broun(R) GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R) HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D) IA-1:Bruce Braley(D) LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R) ME-2:Mike Michaud(D) MI-14:Gary Peters(D) MT-0:Steve Daines(R) OK-5:James Lankford(R) PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)	*Retired House as of Jan. 2015:* AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R) AR-2:Tim Griffin(R) CA-11:George Miller(D) CA-25:Howard McKeon(R) CA-33:Henry Waxman(D) CA-45:John Campbell(R) IA-3:Tom Latham(R) MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R) NC-6:Howard Coble(R) NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D) NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R) NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D) NY-21:Bill Owens(D) PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R) UT-4:Jim Matheson(D) VA-8:Jim Moran(D) VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018