2022 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Jobs
John Bel Edwards:
13 year old minimum wage ($7.25) not fair nor acceptable
I can't leave this podium without again making a plea for you to raise the minimum wage. There is not a person in this room who can tell me with a straight face that $7.25, a minimum wage from 13 years ago, is fair or acceptable, especially given
current inflation. 21 other states have increased their minimum wage, including Arkansas and Florida. And yet, every year, efforts to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana, even modestly or gradually, fail. Our workers and families deserve better.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Louisiana legislature
Mar 14, 2022
Ned Lamont:
On way to $15 minimum wage, indexed for inflation
We promised three years ago that to attract a 21st century workforce, we needed a 21st century workplace that better meets the needs of the modern family. I always believed that working families deserved a raise. After two years of Covid I believe we
all have a better appreciation of how essential our essential workers are. Connecticut is well on its way to a $15 minimum wage, which will continue to grow with inflation, plus an additional tax cut for working families worth up to $1,200 a year.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to Connecticut legislature
Feb 9, 2022
Tom Wolf:
Minimum wage hasn't been raised in thirteen years
Most states across the nation have a higher minimum wage than Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's minimum wage is still stuck at $7.25. Pennsylvanians haven't gotten a raise in thirteen years. Adjusted for inflation, they've actually taken a $2 an hour pay
cut. When more Pennsylvanians get paid fairly, reliance on public benefits goes down. It's time to do the right thing. It's time to do the smart thing. It's time to raise our minimum wage.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to Pennsylvania legislature
Feb 8, 2022
Kevin Stitt:
Protect teachers' paychecks from union bosses
Another way to support Oklahoma educators is to protect their paychecks from union bosses. The same unions that have pushed critical race theory and school closures intimidate new teachers into handing over part of their salaries. Liberal unions want to
keep a stranglehold on their cut of teacher pay. Enough is enough! Every other profession lets you opt-in to health insurance and other benefits at work every year. Unions should be opt-in, not opt-out!
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Oklahoma legislature
Feb 7, 2022
Kate Brown:
Future Ready Oregon provides skills to advance to careers
Future Ready Oregon is a $200 million package that invests in job training with a focus on three key industries in need of skilled workers: health care, tech and manufacturing, and construction. At the heart of Future Ready Oregon is the idea of "earn
and learn." We need to take an entry-level job, like a Certified Nursing Assistant, and provide the skills to advance to careers in paramedicine, nursing, or health care administration. That's turning a job into a career.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Feb 3, 2022
Mike Parson:
Cutting off federal unemployment benefits the right call
And when we had an all time high of 385,000 individuals on unemployment, we knew we had to take action and solve this problem.
Missouri was one of the first in the nation to cutoff federal unemployment benefits.and today, only 21,000 are drawing benefits. This was the right call and the right thing to do.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Missouri legislature
Jan 19, 2022
Kim Reynolds:
Reduce unemployment benefits from six months to 16 weeks
We start by revamping our unemployment system so that it becomes a re-employment system. Today, there are many more job openings than Iowans on unemployment. Those Iowans have six months to collect unemployment benefits while they look for one of the
many open jobs. Frankly, that's more time than necessary. I'll be introducing a bill that lowers benefits to 16 weeks--about four months--and ensures that those collecting unemployment can't turn down suitable jobs while living on taxpayer funds.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Iowa legislature
Jan 11, 2022
Phil Murphy:
One way to make state more affordable is pay a livable wage
Four years ago, New Jersey's minimum wage was $8.65 an hour--a wage that locked countless hard-working New Jersey families into a cycle of poverty. Today, our minimum wage is $13 an hour and on a path to $15, with hundreds of thousands of families
now starting to reach up and pull themselves into the middle class. Here is an obvious truth some still try to deny--one meaningful way to make New Jersey more affordable is to make sure more New Jerseyans have a living wage. And we are on that path.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to New Jersey legislature
Jan 11, 2022
Kathy Hochul:
Grow programs that train for jobs actually in demand
At every one of the thousands of workplaces I've visited, the universal complaint is not having enough trained workers. Every single place, it's the same. That's why we will reboot our Workforce Development Office, house it in Empire State Development
so we can build stronger partnerships with employers and move funding through our Regional Economic Development Councils so we grow programs that train for jobs that are actually in demand in different parts of the State.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the New York legislature
Jan 5, 2022
Phil Scott:
Invest more to help cover interns' wages
You can expect proposals on my end to be geared towards workforce. Because whether it is training and recruitment, childcare, tax policy, housing, healthcare, infrastructure, or climate change, we must reverse our workforce trends.
And just so we are clear, for any legislation to have my support, it cannot make this problem worse.
First, our internship, returnship, and apprenticeship programs have been incredibly successful, not only giving workers job experience, but also building ties to local employers.
To improve on this work, the Department of Labor assists employers to fill and manage internships statewide and we'll invest more to help cover interns' wages.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Vermont legislature
Jan 5, 2022
Page last updated: Apr 04, 2022
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