2016 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Jobs


Jay Inslee: Lower paid workers deserve to earn more

I stand on this rock-solid belief: If you work 40 hours a week, you deserve a wage that puts a roof over your head and food on the table. And you shouldn't have to give up a day's pay if you or your kids get sick. But it is not just minimum-wage workers who are falling behind. The problem is most workers are not sharing in the fruits of their own productivity. Workers are producing more goods and services per hour than at any other time in our state's history.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

Jay Inslee: State should actively work to reduce CEO-worker pay gap

The CEO-to-worker pay ratio is more than 300-to-1. I'm fine paying for exceptional results but I believe that these gaps should be transparent. I think the State Investment Board as a shareholder in companies can help, the board currently votes against executive compensation packages if they do not align with the company's financial performance. I've asked the investment board to go further and exercise its voting authority to reduce the widening pay gap between CEOs and their workers. I'm encouraging
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

Bruce Rauner: Over-burdensome workers comp makes Illinois uncompetitive

To bring good jobs to Illinois, we have to make Illinois a place where it is good to do business. We must fix our workers comp system, labor regulations, liability costs, and property taxes that make us uncompetitive. The cost of worker's comp is the biggest factor driving our job losses. If we simply aligned our workers' comp costs with those of a state like Massachusetts--which is hardly a bastion of conservatism--we can save state and local taxpayers over $300 million per year.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Illinois legislature Jan 27, 2016

Bruce Rauner: Public officials do not deserve a raise

The compensation demands being made by AFSCME leaders are out-of-touch with reality. Adjusted for the cost of living, we already have the highest paid state employees in America. Undeterred and unashamed, AFSCME is demanding $3 billion more in overall compensation. That $3 billion should go into our schools and human services, not into government bureaucracy.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Illinois legislature Jan 27, 2016

Andrew Cuomo: Raise minimum wage to $15, for economic justice

There is an unhealthy income inequality gap that is only growing. I say lift up the poor and the working families of this state and pay a real decent wage that honors FDR's original intent and promise. We can raise the minimum wage to $15 and we can show this nation what real economic justice means. Now, my $15 proposal is reasonable. And it is phased in over an amount of time to allow our economy to grow and to adjust to expand the number of people participating in that success.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to New York legislature Jan 13, 2016

Andrew Cuomo: Require paid family leave, like 182 other countries

People have children and mothers run the risk of losing their job if they stay home with their child. Out of 185 countries, the United States is one of just three that does not have paid maternity leave. We should have a paid leave program, paid for by employees, who can get twelve weeks of pay. At the end of the day family matters. Intimate relationships matter and in this 24/7 world let this state make a statement of what is really important and those relationships are important.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to New York legislature Jan 13, 2016

Rick Scott: State should support early-stage businesses to create jobs

Cutting taxes alone will not be enough to diversify our economy and allow Florida to become first for jobs. That is why we are asking for your support to reform our business incentive process at Enterprise Florida to create the new Florida Enterprise Fund. The creation of this new $250 million dedicated trust fund will help us diversify Florida's economy, support small business, and become the number one place in the world for families to get a good paying job.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Florida legislature Jan 12, 2016

  • The above quotations are from 2016 Governor's State of the State speeches.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Jobs.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Chris Christie on Jobs.
  • Click here for more quotes by Terry McAuliffe on Jobs.
Candidates and political leaders on Jobs:

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 09, 2018