- Gov. Markell at previous speech. chriscoons / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
Gov. Jack Markell used the theme of unleashing potential in a wide-ranging State of the State address on Thursday afternoon.
Faced with a sluggish recovery, the governor proposed a $500 million increase in transportation funding that would seem to suggest an increase in fees and/or fuel taxes. The funding would also address the issue of a lack of blue collar jobs in the current recovery.
The Delaware GOP Twitter feed quickly noted that the governor will propose more taxes and took him to task for not admitting a role in questionable campaign contributions that were part of a probe by former Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Veasey.
Markell praised companies that are adding jobs in the state, such as drug developer Incyte Corp. Incyte is building a new research area and headquarters I the former Wanamaker building near Wilmington.
Click here for the text of the speech.
Much of the speech touched on education and dealing with the issue of the state’s high rate of incarceration that is becoming an increasing financial burden on the state.
“The premium in today’s economy is on the human factor – the creativity, the talent, and the drive in every one of us,” said Markell. “A society that squanders the potential of its people is a society that lets its future slip away.”
Markell said Delaware’s job growth has outpaced the national average, schools are better preparing our students, and businesses are dealing with clearer and fewer regulations than 12 months ago. The job growth has also comes as the total workforce has declined, leading to a sharp drop in the unemployment rate.
“But to paraphrase Will Rogers, even if we’re on the right track, we’ll get run over if we just sit here; we have so much more to do,” said Markell.
The new initiatives include:
Scholarship program: allow low-income students to take college courses during their senior year, recognizing that these students will be more likely to enroll and persist in college.
Roadmap from the classroom to employment: encourage employers to join a new initiative announced today in which DuPont will identify coursework and provide internships that will put students on a fast-track for opportunities in the company.
Support students taking accelerated career path: a new, two-year, comprehensive program in manufacturing technologies for high school juniors and seniors will focus on mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering, and will lead to nationally recognized manufacturing certificates.In addition, the Delaware Manufacturing Association and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership are helping identify companies willing to offer students real-world opportunities during the summer between junior and senior year.
Grant to support business-education collaboration: a competitive grant program will fund public-private partnerships between employers and our schools and colleges that will develop the skills needed by tomorrow’s workforce.
Research Grants: invest in innovation by creating a $2 million matching grant program, leveraging federal dollars in support of research that will create the jobs of tomorrow.
Launch the Delaware Cyber Initiative: a partnership between the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Tech and the private sector that will build a collaborative learning and research network dedicated to cyber innovation in a field in which hundreds of unfilled jobs exist.
Transportation Investments: $1.1 billion in transportation network funding over 5 years, a $500 million increase over the state’s current financial plan to create good jobs and lay the foundation for future prosperity.
Clean Water for Delaware’s Future Initiative: clean up our waterways by upgrading wastewater and drinking water plants, improving storm water infrastructure, and using cutting-edge technologies to remove toxic substances.
Grow Nurse Family Partnership Program: more than double the number of first-time mothers who are served by a program proven to improve opportunities for kids. Delaware would have a higher percentage of eligible mothers participating than any other state.
Supporting STEM teachers: the Delaware STEM Council, in partnership with Ashland, will give awards to support top STEM teachers so they remain in the classroom and can share effective teaching strategies.
Give school leaders more flexibility to address student needs: propose giving some school leaders the ability to spend some state resources implementing their own school improvement plans, rather than be committed to a rigid funding formula. Tracking their choices and measuring their results will help show how to best provide greater flexibility to more schools.
Enhance teacher compensation system: give the best teachers a path to receive additional compensation for pursuing leadership opportunities while remaining in the classroom, and recognize that our starting salaries are not competitive.
Create Downtown Development Districts: designated areas in our cities will qualify for development incentives and a host of other benefits in housing and transportation. Builders would receive grants for a percentage of their investment.
Address Wilmington gun violence: create a new Division of Special Investigations within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to focus on gun-trafficking, recognizing gun violence is often committed by shooters who cannot legally own guns.
Improve treatment for substance abuse: propose changes to better align state resources to fill the gaps in the drug treatment system, recognizing most men in the country are using an illegal substance when they are arrested and many of them can contribute if they receive treatment.
Help ex-offenders reintegrate into society: eliminate the arbitrary loss of a drivers’ license for crimes that have nothing to do with automobiles, removing a barrier to employment.
Ban the Box: address employment discrimination against ex-offenders who have repaid their debt to society by eliminating the box that says “check here if you’ve been convicted of a crime” for state employment jobs. Markell said he hopes private employers will follow suite.
Reduce prison crowding: create pre-trial, community supervision for non-violent offenders so the Department of Correction and social service providers can help get offenders to hearings, avoid trouble while awaiting trial, and be linked to needed services instead of waiting in prison.Another proposal would give judges greater discretion when it comes to concurrent and consecutive sentencing, recognizing Delaware is the only state that forces our judges, without exception, to impose consecutive sentences for multiple offenses.
Keep juveniles on the right path after they leave state custody: fund community-based advocates to work with kids who leave Kids Department facilities. Advocated can help them and their families access mental health services and re-enroll in school.
The State of the State always leaves the question of funding the initiatives. The governor unveil a balanced budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2015 in his budget presentation on January 30th at 1 p.m.
