Terry McAuliffe in 2017 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Crime: Lowest adult recidivism rate in America

I am particularly proud of the work we have done on cyber security. This is a critical issue for Virginia. Last year, we experienced more than 70 million cyber-attacks, or one every 4 seconds. We have a responsibility to protect our data from cyber criminals and to realize the economic opportunity this industry presents.

We made Virginia safer by reforming our juvenile justice system, and posting the lowest adult recidivism rate in America.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Virginia Legislature Jan 11, 2017

On Drugs: Second chance at citizenship for recovering addicts

The principles of redemption and second chances are essential to a healthy society and I was proud to fight for them. My team has worked hard to restore the rights of individuals who have served their time & reentered society to build productive lives. Thanks to those efforts, we have given more than 127,000 Virginians a second chance at citizenship since I took office.

I want you to meet one of them tonight. Terry Garrett was born in 1968 and grew up in Northern Virginia. After two decades of substance abuse and frequent incarcerations, she found sobriety and turned her life around. Today, in addition to her role as a loving mother and grandmother, Terry is a respected community leader and a sponsor to recovering addicts and former offenders.

Terry made mistakes. She served her time. She became a productive member of her community. But our policy of disenfranchisement made her a second-class citizen. Until last year.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Virginia Legislature Jan 11, 2017

On Government Reform: Photo ID law made it significantly harder to vote

Any effort to build a stronger economy and society must begin with giving as many Virginians as possible a full voice in that society. Unfortunately, here in Virginia and across the nation, too many laws have been passed that are designed to restrict access to democracy rather than expand it.

When it was passed, our photo ID law made it significantly harder for many Virginians to vote, without any evidence that voter fraud is a problem in Virginia. And so this year I hope we will repeal it.

I will also submit legislation this session to allow no-excuse in-person absentee voting, and to add a new excuse for absentee by-mail for child caregivers. These reforms are based on a simple principle: That Virginia is strongest when we are working together to make it easier to vote, not harder.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Virginia Legislature Jan 11, 2017

On Gun Control: Keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers

Last year we worked together on a historic bipartisan package to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and people who cannot pass background checks. The legislation we passed included the first meaningful restrictions on dangerous gun ownership in a generation, and showed the rest of the world that common sense compromise on this issue is possible.

This year, we have an opportunity to strengthen the domestic violence protection law, which is already the toughest in the nation, by expanding it to include non-family abuse orders as well as permanent protective orders. This change would keep more Virginians safe from gun crime. Additionally, let's make 2017 the year we make universal background checks for firearm sales the policy of our Commonwealth.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Virginia Legislature Jan 11, 2017

On Homeland Security: Expand Virginia Values Veterans program: help vets find work

We helped veterans get into the private workforce faster by offering workforce credit for military training. We expanded the Virginia Values Veterans program to help more than 20,000 veterans find work.

We funded the opening of two new veterans care centers so that Virginia men and women who have served in uniform no longer have to wait for the federal government to get its act together to get the health care they need.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Virginia Legislature Jan 11, 2017

The above quotations are from 2017 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts from 2017 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by Terry McAuliffe. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Dec 10, 2018