Governor Gregorie addressed the state this afternoon in her annual State of the State. In her address she called out the challenges Washington has and continues to face combined with solutions that Washington should explore to move the state forward.
Gregoire argued that jobs are the way out of this recession for Washington and Washingtonians. She proposed the creation of 40,000 new jobs this year.
How will this be done? By attracting $2 billion in investments, building on a long tradition in Washington of attracting capital and intellectual investments, especially in areas such as biotechnology, health care, and clean energy.
In addition, the Governor is supporting an employee tax credit for each full-time hire a business makes, an investment in a green building program focused on retrofitting, and efforts in streamlining permit processes.
Governor Gregoire also spoke to streamlining government. Included in this effort is the elimination of over 70 boards and proposed legislation to eliminate several more. In addition, she proposed merging state agencies and moving programs to better align missions and service to citizens and communities.
Finally, she asked the Legislature to budget with Washingtonians in mind. She urged the Legislature to meet Washingtonians half way and reach out to the vulnerable, especially those who need the most.
Governor Gregoire stated that the balanced budget proposed in December closes the door to higher education to 12,300 students. She called for the restoration of the State Need Grant, the provision of tuition setting flexibility to ensure the competitiveness of higher education institutions, and the appropriation of dollars for worker training at the community and technical colleges.
She closed by stating that she plans to release a budget this afternoon that includes revenue options to offset the all-cuts budget released in December, which will include federal dollars, tax revenues, or a combination of both.