2015 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Jobs

Bruce Rauner: Raise minimum wage to $10 an hour over the next 7 years

Raising the minimum wage in conjunction with improving the overall jobs climate, will make Illinois more competitive and create a booming economy while increasing incomes for hardworking Illinoisans.

David Ige: Make Hawaii farms more sustainable; above 15% level now

The cost of importing foods adds up to more than $3 billion leaving the state annually. If we replace just 10% of imports with locally grown food, it would generate $188 million in total sales, $94 million for farmers, $47 million in wages, $6 million in new taxes and 2,300 jobs.

To do that, we need to preserve farm lands, develop agricultural parks, combat invasive species, and reassess the areas that determine whether a local farmer can survive.

We will be meeting with farmers from each island to hear what they need to make Hawaii more self-sufficient. In the meantime, we are adding $5 million to the agriculture loan program and expanding use of the fund to include biosecurity and food safety needs.

Peter Ricketts: Grow Nebraska: create jobs by recruiting new businesses

Our new Director of Economic Development will help us realize the untapped potential in our state, and we will be well-served with her track record of recruiting businesses. We want the world to know Nebraska welcomes business investment and has good jobs in great communities.

But creating jobs is more than just a marketing focus or incentives. We need to evaluate what we are doing to encourage small business to expand and grow. We need to have a plan to attract business investment as well as business relocations. We need to be strategic and aggressive about trade opportunities.

Phil Bryant: $50M for Keep Mississippi Working Fund & workforce training

Due to reduced demand on Mississippi's Unemployment Trust Fund, $50 million will instead be allocated for workforce training in high-demand industries. The Keep Mississippi Working Fund will not increase taxes.

The governor also called on the Legislature to fund a $3 million scholarship program for high school students in career tech programs to pursue skills certifications and academic degrees at Mississippi's community and junior colleges: "I believe with these two programs, we can focus on creating a world-class workforce. With that accomplished, our economic progress can be unlimited," Gov. Bryant said of the workforce development initiative and scholarship program.

Terry McAuliffe: Workforce development package: apprenticeships and training

I am introducing a bipartisan workforce development package that increases state funding for workforce programs, devotes greater state attention to apprenticeships and training in much-needed areas, and increases accountability and transparency for the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on a broken system. By streamlining our efforts and reducing redundancies, we can get students the skills they need to succeed while being better stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Chris Christie: Focus on reducing unemployment but not government employment

• We recorded our 5th consecutive year of private sector job growth, and the unemployment rate continues to steadily go down.
• We have attracted and retained companies--from Subaru USA to the Philadelphia 76ers to Sandoz.
• We have grown our economy and more people are working, supporting their families and knowing the power of going to work every day in New Jersey today than one year ago.
• We have done this while holding the line on government spending and government employment.