Terry McAuliffe in 2015 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Corporations:
Made 267 economic development deals, with $5.58B in capital
We built on our Commonwealth's world-class business environment helping more Virginia businesses expand, and bringing new companies here to grow and create jobs. Those efforts are paying off. In the year that we have been working together,
I am proud to announce that Virginia has closed 267 economic development deals, resulting in $5.58 billion in capital investment--more than TWICE what any administration has done in its first year.
I was proud to help close the first economic development deal in Appomattox in 12 years, and their largest in 44 years, a
Chinese company that will take over a closed plant and manufacture pollution control devices that they will then ship back to China, creating 349 Virginia jobs in the process.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Crime:
Restore voting rights to former offenders
Virginians like James Ray, a Vietnam veteran who returned from war a changed man. James made mistakes, but he did his time and he reformed his life. He deserved a second chance to be a productive member of society.
I have made restoration of civil and voting rights of former offenders a central focus of my administration, and I'm proud to say that in just one year, we restored the rights of more than 5,200 former offenders.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Education:
Don't wait until kindergarten to prepare for success
We cannot forget that our economic future runs through public school classrooms across this great Commonwealth. That is why my budget contains NO program cuts to K through 12 education.Public education is the backbone of a healthy economy.
So let us pledge tonight to avoid acrimony on this topic and agree that we will not cut a single dollar from our schools during this legislative session. We cannot wait until our students reach kindergarten to begin preparing them for success.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Energy & Oil:
Diversify our fuel mix with zero-carbon emitting sources
The energy sector in Virginia holds tremendous potential for economic growth and development, but this potential will be unfulfilled if we are complacent.
This session we will advocate for legislation to increase the diversity of our fuel mix through increased utilization of zero-carbon emitting sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear.
These growing technologies will not only help Virginia create new jobs, they will also reduce our emissions as we work to mitigate the impacts of global warming.We will work to increase renewable development through public-private partnerships by
creating the Virginia Solar Development Authority. And we will introduce legislation to create an energy economic development fund to provide Virginia with yet another tool to attract new, large job creating businesses and help existing businesses grow.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Families & Children:
Children's Cabinet, and Council on Childhood Success
Last year I formed the first ever Children's Cabinet, as well as the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success and I asked them to take a 360-degree approach to increasing economic opportunity for Virginia students from before birth through adulthood.
We are already making great progress.I was proud to help Virginia win a $17.5 million grant last month to expand our pre-school program so that another 1,600 at-risk four-year-olds can learn in a Pre-K classroom in their community.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Families & Children:
Allow same-sex couples to adopt
The Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage in Virginia and many other states means that decisions about marriage are now left to loving adults instead of their government.
I was honored to take executive actions bringing Virginia government into line with the decision, including allowing same-sex couples to provide a loving, adoptive home for a child who needs it.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Free Trade:
Travel the globe selling VA agricultural & forestry products
Last year I announced my goal to make Virginia the East Coast capital for agriculture and forestry exports. That wasn't empty rhetoric--we got right to work. We hosted 18 ambassadors to discuss a range of trade issues. We traveled the globe selling
Virginia agricultural products--everything from apples to wine, to soybeans to peanuts. I even ate my fair share of fried cicadas and chicken paws--but I will eat anything if it means more jobs and investment here at home.I am pleased to announce that
our efforts are paying off. For the first time in the history of Virginia, agriculture and forestry exports exceeded $3 billion dollars in 2014.
But if we are going to continue our momentum, we must invest in smart incentive funds like the Governor's
Opportunity Fund and the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. These tools make Virginia competitive in a global economy, and they provide a real return on investment: for every $1 we invest, we receive $9 in budget revenue in return.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Free Trade:
Rebuild shipping container gateway at Port of Virginia
The Port of Virginia is one of our greatest economic assets. It is our gateway to the world of international commerce. This year, the Port has seen record-breaking growth in the number of shipping containers that move through that facility.
The Port, which was losing millions and failing to meet its debt covenants this time last year, is finally on track to become the profitable economic asset this Commonwealth needs.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Government Reform:
$100 cap on gifts to public officials & families
On my first day in office I honored a campaign promise and placed a $100 cap on gifts that can be given to myself, my family, members of my administration, and their families. I am confident that by the time we adjourn, we will have made a $100 cap on
all gifts the standard for all Virginia public officials. With that gift cap, we should also establish a bipartisan ethics review commission with real investigative powers to offer guidance on the law and identify and sanction those who violate it.
I also hope you will pass my proposal to prohibit fundraising activity both in regular and special sessions. Right now, the only thing that makes special sessions special is that we can still raise money.
Additionally, this session is our opportunity to adopt the commonsense position that people who sit on boards or commissions should be prohibited from voting on matters that benefit themselves, their family members or their business partners.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Gun Control:
Restore the one handgun a month law
We can no longer stand by as our fellow Virginians are lost to preventable and senseless acts of gun violence. As a gun owner myself, I fully believe that law-abiding citizens have a right to responsibly own and carry firearms. But as we have learned
from far too many tragedies here and across the country, there is a difference between responsible gun owners and those who violate the law or are likely to use firearms in a manner that endangers lives.I have proposed several common sense bills aimed
at keeping Virginians safe from gun violence without infringing on the rights of responsible, law abiding citizens. These proposals will keep guns out of dangerous hands by
- closing the gun show loophole;
- preventing violent criminals and
domestic abusers from obtaining fire arms;
- revoking concealed carry permits from those who do not meet their legal obligation to pay child support; and
- curtailing gun trafficking by restoring the one handgun a month law.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Homeland Security:
Foolish sequestration cost VA $9.8B in military contracts
Automatic federal budget cuts reduced military contracts in Virginia by $9.8 billion between 2011 and 2013 and they threaten to eliminate 154,000 jobs in the commonwealth, or 4% of our workforce.Even in the face of these cuts, our close relationship
with the Department of Defense and the federal government will continue, and I intend to continue fighting for every dollar we can get. I helped fight off an effort to decommission the USS George Washington, which could have cost thousands of jobs.
I helped convince the State Department to choose Fort Pickett as the home of the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center, bringing as many as 500 jobs and millions in investment along with it.
Federal spending will continue to
be an asset to our economy, but there is no question that this foolish sequestration policy, borne out of a dysfunctional congress, is doing real damage to our economy and to many Virginians' quality of life.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Jobs:
Workforce development package: apprenticeships and training
Right now, employers across Virginia have thousands of high-tech jobs that they cannot find trained workers to fill. If we are going to keep those companies here, and bring new ones in,
we must build a world-class workforce system that better aligns our training programs with the needs of employers.
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.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Technology:
$4.2M to compete for high energy Electron Ion Collider
My budget proposal makes key investments in Virginia's research and technology infrastructure. I have included $4.2 million so that we can compete for a new Electron Ion Collider at the Jefferson Lab in Newport News.
That new $618 million facility would create more than 4,900 jobs within a decade and add $708 million to the commonwealth's economy.
It will also make Virginia a world leader in high energy physics.Our sole competition for the ion collider project is the state of
New York--and we simply cannot allow those New Yorkers to come down here to Virginia and take our collider project.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
On Technology:
Launched Cybersecurity Commission & bioscience summit
Since the start of my administration, improving Virginia's state cybersecurity infrastructure has been a top priority. This is one of the few areas where the federal government will be making a major investment in the coming years, and we have a chance
to lead the way.Soon after taking office, I launched the Virginia Cybersecurity Commission, chaired by Richard Clarke, who has advised three presidents on national security. Their continued work and diligence, coupled with the vast array of cyber
assets already in the commonwealth puts us in a strong position to win the proposed federal cyber campus.
I am also working hard to make Virginia a leader in the bioscience industry. We just convened our first bioscience summit with Dr. Bob Langer,
the leading MIT researcher, so that we can better coordinate and leverage our great academic and private sector assets to compete in this emerging industry. If we work together, starting today, we can succeed where others have failed before.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018