Governor Carney’s State of the State Address Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | WITN Channel 22 Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington, Delaware

Governor Halong, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Interim President, Member of the 151st Session of the UN General Assembly, Member of the Cabinet, Distinguished Members of the Judiciary and my fellow Delaware: Thank you for inviting me to join the meeting today, and thank you for actually being here Tuned at this very unusual time.

Article 15 of the Delaware Constitution reads as follows:

The Governor shall inform the General Assembly of relevant state affairs from time to time and recommend that the Governor consider measures that he considers appropriate.

Therefore, my task today is to provide the General Assembly with our state status.

In the course of this pandemic, especially in the course of the past few weeks, we are all troubled by the current state of the state, the survival problems in Delaware, and even across the country. What is the role of the state? What happens when life and freedom conflict? What does it mean when those responsible for maintaining our country’s democracy threaten it?

The past year has brought us a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis, civil strife, and ethnic tension. Controversial but free and fair elections. He also tried to overthrow the election with violence. Well, it is understandable to worry about our state. In other words, our state is fragile, weak, or even in decline.

But I am here today to provide a clear counter-information. In the past year, Delaware people worked hard, stayed focused, strengthened their determination, and looked forward to each other.

Thanks to the hard work of many people, I stand here confidently, proudly and gratefully to tell you that the state of our country is resilient. It is determined to be strong and it is getting stronger and stronger.

Let me explain.

I will start with the budget and economic situation.

A year ago, when I stood in this conference hall, we had a surplus of $200 million. By April, the economic recession caused by the pandemic had eliminated this surplus. Like every state in the country, we are facing looming deficits.

but

In most other states, Delaware is ready. With your help, we spent the first three years

ready.

Together with many of you, I held town hall meetings in communities across the state. We are committed to establishing a long-term, sustainable budget. Applies to the budget of Delaware households.

We keep our promise.

We have established reserves-invest where it is most needed.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, we balanced our budget without cutting key services.

There is no need to raise taxes on Delaware homes or businesses.

No money was borrowed to pay our bills.

There are no layoffs of state employees or cuts in their wages-as many other states are forced to do so.

Thanks to these responsible budgeting practices, Delaware maintained our AAA bond rating, while the credit ratings of other states were downgraded.

This year i will

Propose a budget to link state spending to our economic growth.

We will invest one-time funds in one-time infrastructure projects.

We will focus on the future and rebuild reserves.

I invite the General Assembly to work hard with me. If this is done, when the next crisis comes, Delaware will be ready again.

Last year was a very challenging balancing act.

While protecting our economic health, we strive to protect public health.

I tell the people of Delaware time and time again-we need a healthy community and a healthy economy.

Despite the global economic downturn and pandemic, our unemployment rate in Delaware currently only exceeds 5%. For Delaware workers, this is a positive sign.

But we know that some people pay more than others.

In March, restaurant workers across the state were hit hard. Due to our COVID-19 restrictions, they face the trouble of suddenly losing their jobs.

The restaurant owner is worried about the loss of a family business.

The same is true for people living in bars, hotels and art venues.

In many ways, these places are the heart of our community-they drive our $3.5 billion tourism industry.

This is why our state is one of the first to step up its support.

On March 18, we launched the HELP program to provide financial assistance to these companies and their employees.

During the pandemic, Delaware has used nearly $200 million in federal CARES Act funds to support restaurants, bars, hotels, stadiums, and other small businesses.

We also spent $210 million to supplement the state's unemployment insurance trust fund. This will protect small businesses from future tax increases, which would otherwise be unnecessary.

We will continue to support these small businesses until they stand up again.

Last year, despite the pandemic, we continued to fund the largest infrastructure project in the state’s history.

In Kent and Sussex, we have prioritized expanding access to high-speed broadband and eliminating Internet barrenness.

In the past year, we have expanded wireless broadband to more than 500 Delaware states. This number continues to increase every week.

During the pandemic, this work has become more important than ever.

The Ministry of Education collaborated with DTI to create the Connect Delaware project.

Through this program, we have provided reliable Internet access to more than 25,000 low-income students.

I would also like to thank our new CIO Jason Clarke and his team for their hard work on this broadband plan.

In July, we all put on masks and opened the Margaret Rose Henry Bridge in South Wilmington.

This bridge connects the riverfront across from Christina to development opportunities. It will also become an important connector for urban communities. And as a welcome sign for tourists in our city.

It is named after our good friend, the former Senator and Margaret Rose Henry himself.

These are projects that can revitalize communities, create jobs, stimulate growth and invest in new businesses.

We need to make it easy for businesses to start here and stay here. Therefore, this year I once again propose to establish a site preparation fund so that we can quickly convert existing properties to meet the needs of potential employers.

Two years ago, we launched a new grant program: Encourage development and growth expansion, referred to as EDGE.

We have awarded nearly $1.5 million in EDGE grants to 20 companies.

This year, we will expand the EDGE grant program to encourage more small business development and innovation.

We will also increase the funding we call "Graduation Lab Space". We have several start-up technology companies in Delaware. However, as their business developed, we lacked laboratory space for them.

We hope to help the private sector build more laboratory space.

We hope that the companies that started here will stay here and grow.

We hope to attract companies from the region to join us.

We know that the best way to do a good job is to receive a good education.

Various aspects of the public school system have been tested in the past year. I want to thank our educators, school nurses, school and district leaders, and everyone who works in our school. They have met this challenge and put the needs of students above themselves.

I would also like to thank my parents for filling in the gaps and keeping their students on track at home while they are often busy with their remote work.

My highest priority as governor remains the same. We need to ensure that our most disadvantaged students get the education they need and deserve. Students living in poverty. Students who are still learning English.

I know this is the top priority for many of you.

Therefore, we created the Opportunity Funding Program-Delaware's first weighted student funding system. We designed this program to provide classroom-based support for low-income students and English learners. For educators who work hard with these students every day.

In the next three years, we will provide more than twice the opportunity to fund public schools across the state.

The Opportunity Fund has helped our most vulnerable students.

In the Indus region, the program paid for additional personnel to help English learners of all grades.

In the Capital School District, social workers and school counselors are supporting the social and emotional needs of students. They are working hard to ensure that we meet the needs of the entire child.

In Hongtu District, the Opportunity Fund is providing new staff, new materials and new plans for low-income students and English learners.

One of the best ways to help these students is to support them before they start school. Therefore, we will also provide twice the funding for the Early Childhood Assistance Program in the next few years. This will expand access to high-quality early education programs for disadvantaged children.

We are also committed to providing full funding for K-3 basic special education in the next few years. I would like to personally thank Representative Williams for advocating on this issue over the years.

We will need the support of the General Assembly to make all these investments a permanent reality. Our students have everything they deserve.

I want to take a moment to thank my wife Tracy for paying special attention to the children who need our help the most.

She and her team helped to make Delaware a state that understands more trauma through the First Chance Initiative. They help ensure that they can feed their students even if the pandemic prevents them from going to school. Through Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton) Imagination Library, more than 13,000 children from birth to five years old receive a new book every month. The "First Chance Initiative" received national recognition from the Casey Family Program and won the "Outstanding Child Leadership Award", an initiative that is vital to our work in Delaware.

Tracey thank you for providing every Delaware child with the first opportunity to succeed.

I would also like to thank Governor Hall-Long for his work as President of the Behavioral Health Association. She and her team continue to break the stigma of substance abuse barriers and mental health challenges. They provide resources and support for families. They are distributing the life-saving drug naloxone to prevent overdose deaths.

During the COVID crisis, the lieutenant also led efforts to support homeless Delawares. She organized volunteers and went out on the street alone wearing a full set of personal protective equipment, conducting screenings and tests, and then isolating those in need.

This year revealed the suffering of our brothers and sisters of color in our states. It removes the false comfort that we might make ourselves feel that everyone has an equal opportunity to enter the American Dream.

As a country and a nation, we have to do a lot of work. First, it must be cured. But go beyond healing. Make fundamental changes to the system that has not fulfilled the promise of equality and justice for all for a long time.

This requires an integrated approach. The relationship between law enforcement and people of color. It also involves economic empowerment, education, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

I recently appointed Sandy Johnson, the former Secretary of Human Resources, as the head of the state equity program. This is a new position designed to ensure that the state government leads us. We also worked hard to build a cabinet that looks like Delaware. We established the position of Chief Diversity Officer to focus on recruiting and retaining diverse state-level employees.

I also congratulate the conference. Under the leadership of Senator Darius Brown, they are only one step away from a constitutional amendment that clearly states that discrimination based on race, color, or national origin is illegal in Delaware , And will not be tolerated.

We can also do something very specific to ensure that our brothers and sisters of color have a fair shot in the American dream.

The Port of Wilmington is one of the few ports in the United States with an African-American labor force. Now, we create a new port in Edgemoor. This will create thousands of other high-paying jobs.

African-American-owned businesses account for 11% of state businesses. They accounted for 16% of businesses in the state that received COVID relief.

We also used CARES Act funds to get 3,000 unemployed Delawares back on their feet through a rapid retraining program. More than half of the participants are people of color.

Last year, under the leadership of Senator Lockman and Representative Chukwuocha, we banned suffocation. This year, we will support a plan to equip every police officer in the state with body cameras.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but this year we have made important progress.

Protecting the lives of Delawares is vital to improving the lives of Delawares.

As we all know, last year's legislative session was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But I assure my friend and former Senator Harris McDowell (Harris McDowell).

I promise that we will finalize his legacy in the legislature and formulate a renewable energy portfolio standard this year.

Therefore, with your help, we will set a new goal that by 2035, 40% of Delaware's energy will come from renewable sources.

Before the pandemic last year, we made many promises. I plan to keep them.

We will again propose to invest $50 million in the new clean water trust fund. We will ensure that all Delaware households have access to clean drinking water.

We will pay special attention to communities that are difficult to serve throughout the state.

The Delaware Constitution and our oath require us to protect these natural resources for future generations.

We will do this under the leadership of House Majority Leader Longhurst and Senate Majority Leader Townsend, the Delaware Nature Association, and many other agencies.

Of course, unless we overcome this pandemic, we cannot do anything I just mentioned.

So far, 1,049 Delawares have died from the deadly virus. With family and friends, everyone is a precious life.

More than 7% of our population is infected with COVID-19. The virus is real. This is very serious.

Last spring, I asked Governor Hall-Long and Secretary of State Bullock to lead our pandemic recovery advisory committee.

They listened to first-hand information about the state of Delaware affected by COVID-19. They helped us develop a plan to protect our health and support our economy.

During my 30 years in public office, and even during my tenure in the current government, I have seen that the government has dealt with countless, serious and complex challenges.

Compared to the past ten months, there is nothing-absolutely nothing.

In every corner of the government, there are state employees who are required to solve incredible problems, work limited hours, and treat themselves in a way that harms themselves to help us through this pandemic.

Therefore, for the nurses and teams at the Veterans Home, Psychiatry Center, Chronic Disease Home, Stockley and Statewide Hospitals.

To correctional personnel, probation and parole personnel and youth rehabilitation personnel.

To educators and school nurses.

For the childcare providers who have supported our youngest learners throughout the pandemic.

Go to the Unemployment Office of the Department of Labor.

To the Delaware State Police, DATE, DNREC Park Ranger and Office of the Attorney General.

Go to the election department.

To the restaurant inspector and the team of the National Health Operations Center.

To DEMA and the Delaware National Guard.

To the entire team of the public health department.

Thank you. Thank you. thank you very much.

Most Delawares will never know what you have done and sacrifice to ensure their safety. but I know. I'm very grateful.

At this time last year, most of us had never heard of this new type of coronavirus.

Today, we test 200,000 Delawares every month.

We have processed the unemployment claims of 120,000 Delaware workers.

We have allocated more than 900 million US dollars in funding for the CARES Act.

We have managed nearly 70,000 life-saving vaccines.

We still have a long way to go. But we have turned the crisis into peace. Delaware, thank you for your contribution.

During this pandemic, one of the most important things we do is to defend our democracy.

With the help of the conference, for the first time, we allowed mail voting. This means that thousands of Delawares can exercise their right to vote while being protected from the pandemic. I look forward to signing legislation to make mail voting a permanent feature of our elections-from school board and city hall elections to the US presidential election.

All levels of government have made it possible to hold public meetings, hearings and litigation during the pandemic. In many cases, it makes conducting public business more accessible, more transparent and more efficient.

we should

miss you

People participate in our democratic system-a lot. Therefore, even after a pandemic, we should work together to make these behaviors permanent.

This year caused losses to each of us. Our country has to endure tremendous pressure and pressure.

But we survived as a nation. We have proven that if each of us does our part, we can do this.

Hope here. We are vaccinating as many Delaware people as possible as soon as possible. We have a new president, we all know very well, we know we can trust.

We will solve this problem. With your help, we will flourish next year.

The pandemic affects each of us differently. But this affects each of us in some way. We all have something in common.

For me, it makes me more grateful to live in the state of neighbors.

Have a national workforce full of perseverance and compassion.

And fortunately to lead nearly a million Delaware people, they look for each other, do the right thing, and firmly believe that a good day is coming.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless our great kingdom.

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