Doug Burgum in 2020 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: Increased teacher & state employee pay without raising taxes

Working with our legislative partners, you can see from 2016 to the current thing, we've reduced the general fund budget by over $1 billion. In that same timeframe we've increased teacher and state employee pay, we've made key infrastructure investments, we've reduced property taxes and we've done all of this without raising taxes. And so with great collaboration, we've been able to stabilize the state's finances and begin building our reserves. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Education: Help students be "choice ready" for their career paths

Helping them explore career paths earlier, work-based learning and internships and career pathways programs that can help identify their interests. And by supporting all students to be choice ready, meaning whether you're ready for a career, you're ready for college, you're ready for the military. So choice ready means we want to be empowering our youth and addressing, at the same time, addressing our workforce shortage and making positive impacts for our communities. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Energy & Oil: Private sector innovation over regulation on carbon

It's private sector innovation over regulation. Innovation is about the application of research and technology to solve real problems. We have an opportunity through innovation, rather than through regulation to outlaw carbon, to innovate and take carbon from the devil element on the chemistry chart to have it be the thing that is a value added input. We have a chance through innovation and regulation to completely transform the entire debate which is consuming the world about energy. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Environment: Dept. of Environmental Quality to focus on clean air & water

We all want the same thing: clean air and water. North Dakota has some of the cleanest air and water in the nation, and our nation has some of the cleanest air and water in the world. If you've had a chance to travel around the world lately, you'll be thankful you're living in the United States because we do such a great job here. To make sure that it stays that way, we took a department inside another agency, elevated it to cabinet level and created the Department of Environmental Quality. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Free Trade: We have an amazing relationship with Canada

We have an amazing relationship with Canada, and Canada's our number one trading partner. Thank goodness for the passage finally of the USMCA trading because there are billions of dollars of goods that go back and forth between North Dakota and Canada every year, and it's fantastic that we've got that long-standing relationship. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Government Reform: Online state services should work like consumer sites

A positive experience online is important for people that are living in the state regardless of age. Today that experience is you go to 187 different sites. One of the things that we have to do is to reinvent the online experience, to match the consumer experiences that all of you have, which is you go to places and when you go back, they know who you are you shouldn't have to be re-entering your credit card information dozens of times every time you interact with the State of North Dakota. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Jobs: Path to jobs is changing; not just four years of college

The model of where we think about a four-year model, on-campus thing is being challenged. The economics are shifting. As costs increase, students seek more affordable options. And we have to learn to adapt. If you can go to a 16-week coding school and get the same job as someone who went to four years of college for computer science, but the coding school person actually is more current on the tools that the company wants to hire, that's real competition. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Local Issues: Working with tribal leadership to improve quality of life

We got a lot accomplished on tribal partnerships in the last three years, and credit goes to the leadership of the tribes with which we share geography. And as we tried to improve the state's quality of life or educational outcomes, we need to do that for all North Dakotans in all areas of the state. And that includes our tribal nations. And working together, we've honored that commitment by listening first and then making real progress. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Local Issues: People won't move here if spouse faces licensure barrier

We have to work to break down the barriers to employment. Working with the legislature last year we removed the occupational licensing and certification barriers for military spouses. But we still have too much red tape across 80 licensing organizations. We're losing ground to states like Arizona that last year adopted universal licensing recognition. People won't move here if their spouse can't get a job because of licensure barriers. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Tax Reform: Exempted military retirement benefits from state income tax

In North Dakota, we've got 50,000 veterans who call North Dakota home, and that goes all the way back to some surviving greatest generation, World War II folks, for my dad's generation. Kudos to all of you, because with their leadership, we exempted military retirement benefits from state income tax. And we cut through red tape so the trailing military spouses with occupational licenses from other states can work here. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Tax Reform: Private investment in infrastructure reduces property taxes

Communities have a choice about how and where they spend their dollars. And as we look at growing populations it's imperative that we fully utilize the existing infrastructure we've already built to support that growth rather than extending new infrastructure that raises everyone's property taxes. We have an opportunity through our design choices to drive taxes down, because taxes are driven by the footprint of the city. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Technology: Technology has ensured abundant food and energy

When I was in high school, I was told two things. We were going to run out of food and we were going to run out of energy. Those were two things that got talked about every day, all the time. Running out of energy, running out of food. Mass starvation on the planet, we won't be able to feed everybody. It turned out that was not true. It turned out it was actually the opposite because we've got an abundance of food, abundance of energy, and the reason we do is because of the application of technology. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

On Technology: State-sponsored cyber terrorists are at war with us

If you think about the world at war, the world is at war and we're at war and who's on the front lines? The state, cities, counties are on the front line because every single day there are state-sponsored cyber terrorists that attack our state. These are thousands and thousands of attacks a day. The legislature stepped up, $15 million to enhance the state's cyber networks and defenses against this. Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address Jan 29, 2020

The above quotations are from 2020 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts from 2020 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by Doug Burgum. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021