2014 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Social Security


Bill Haslam: TN named the best state in the country to retire in 2013

I don't think it's any accident that Tennessee was named the best state in the country to retire in 2013. And, while lowering the sales tax on food doesn't generate new revenue or investment, I think we can all agree that reducing the amount of taxes that all Tennesseans pay on their groceries was the right thing to do. Tennessee is America at its best because we employ one of the best tax strategies of all time--common sense.
Source: 2014 State of the State address to Tennessee legislature Feb 3, 2014

Mary Fallin: 401k-style plan for OK Public Employees Retirement System

I am proposing a number of reforms for state employees:
  1. We should begin offering targeted salary increases to some state employees paid below market value.
  2. We should reform our current pay system to one that rewards performance over time-served Doing so will encourage better productivity and services.
  3. And finally, new hires within the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System should be moved from an outdated, mid-20th century pension system and to the more portable and flexible 401k-style benefits used in the private sector. Businesses made this change a long time ago, recognizing that the old pension model didn't appeal to a today's more mobile workforce. It's time for state government to stop playing catch-up. Moving to a defined contribution model helps us to modernize; allows flexibility for future public employees to take the money they have accrued with them if they change careers; and stabilizes the system for current public employees and retirees.
    Source: 2014 State of the State address to Oklahoma legislature Feb 3, 2014

    Sean Parnell: Make Retirement Trust Fund sustainable by adding $3B

    Washington has not made Social Security sustainable, but in Alaska we can reform our pension system so it is fully funded. Fellow Alaskans, the time is now to tackle our $12 billion pension deficit. Alaska's escalating annual pension payments squeeze dollars from every other program and State service--education, public safety, natural resources--and that vise will soon tighten. Without action, our $630 million annual payment will balloon to more than $1 billion.

    To keep Alaska strong, I propose we transfer $3 billion of our $16 billion in budget reserves into the Retirement Trust Fund. Next year, this shift will allow us to reduce our annual payment to $500 million, instead of more than $750 million--that's a savings of more than 50% in the first year. Our plan will dramatically drop future operating budgets and put us on a more sustainable financial path.

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

    Susana Martinez: Resolved a $12 billion shortfall in state pension funds

    We've doubled the size of our state savings account, and we did it all without raising taxes. Republicans and Democrats can be proud of our firm fiscal footing. It is a far cry from where we were just three years ago.

    We completely overhauled a near-bankrupt unemployment insurance system. We reformed our state pension funds, resolving a $12 billion shortfall while ensuring that state workers, police officers, teachers, and others will have the retirement support they deserve. Education spending now exceeds pre-recession levels, with more accountability.

    Not only have we not raised taxes on families and businesses, we have cut taxes 19 different times. Less than one year ago, in a display of tremendous bipartisanship, we passed the most significant tax reform in a generation and sent the loudest message yet that New Mexico is striving to be a business-friendly state.

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

    • The above quotations are from 2014 Governor's State of the State speeches.
    • Click here for definitions & background information on Social Security.
    • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
    • Click here for more quotes by Earl Ray Tomblin on Social Security.
    • Click here for more quotes by Andrew Cuomo on Social Security.
    Candidates and political leaders on Social Security:

    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