listen all of our podcasts on our c-span now at. >> explore the wonderful array of mother's day gifts waiting for you. discover books, apparel, home decor, and accessors. there is something for every c-span mom. plus, every purchase goes toward our nonprofit operations. visit usonline at c- spanshop.org . >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? no. it is more than that. >> comcast is creating wi-fi enabled so students from low income families can have the tools they need to be ready for

anything. >> comcast supports c-span as a public service along with these television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> delaware democratic governor john carney spoke about education, infrastructure, and gun violence during his annual state of the state address at the capitol building in dover here governor carney urged lawmakers to pass spending legislation. this is 40 minutes. >> [ applause ] minutes. [applause] [cheers and applause]

[applause] >> welcome, governor carny. if everyone, please be seated. >> welcome, governor carney. everyone, please be seated. >> madam speaker, i'm not sure if that is because they are glad to see me go and good riddance or because they -- of the service we had together. mr. president pro tem, senate majority leader, members of the 152nd general assembly, other

elected officials who are here, members of my cabinet, distinguished members of the judiciary, invited guests, and my fellow fellow aryans, thank you for inviting me today for my state of the state address. sorry it is a little bit late. let me start by recognizing the historic nature of today's event. for the first time ever, a female speaker of the house is presiding over the state of the state address here today. >> [ applause ] speaker longhurst and her majority team, majority whip carrie evelyn are h >> speaker longhurst and her leadership team, melissa miner

brown, majority whip harris, new jf the chair williams. please stand and be recognized. i look forward to working with all of you for the rest of this session. i also want to take a moment to recognize two new justices on the delaware supreme court. please stand so we can recognize both of you. >> [ applause ] >> we have a world-class judiciary in delaware. the justices bring a new leadership to the court. thank you for your commitment to public service. in a moment of personal privilege, if i may, i would like to recognize my wife sitting up in front for all of

the hard work she has done on behalf of delaware children in the past seven years. tracey has -- >> [ applause ] first lady. we like to call her the first spouse and made sure every >>re tracey has transformed th role of first lady. we like to call her the first spouse. and major every delaware child has a chance to succeed. she has also stood by me throughout my 30 plus years in service and let me tell you, it has not always been easy. thank you, tracey, for your support. >> [ applause ] >> before i go any further, i would also like to recognize

the army of international guard . general barry is unable to be with us today, but he is represented by james benson. please stand up for all of the army national guard. >> [ applause ] mand staff and r guardsmen and women until if bat colony as well. it's been -- in the balcony as well. it's been a busy time for the guard, and i think >> we have utcommand staff and other guardsmen and women in the balcony as well. it has been a busy time for the guard and i think about their service and sacrifice a lot. over the past years, more than 1300 guardsmen and women have been deployed to more than 50 locations around the world. last year we held a deployment ceremony for more than 150 national guardsmen and women from the 160th engineering

company. they recently returned from the military operation. again, members of the unit deployed or with us today, please join me again in recognizing our citizen soldiers. they are the very best and they are up again in the balcony. >> [ applause ] it's really hard to believe this, but this is my last state of the state address as your governor, and i suspect, as i said earlier, that there are mixed feelings about >> and it's really hard to believe this, but this is my last state of the state address as your governor and i suspect, as i said earlier, there are mixed feelings about the applause i received as i was coming in. seriously though, i think it is worth a little reflection, if i may, on what we have

accomplished working together and on our unfinished business. first and foremost, we have helped create more -- >> order. order. >> they have made it clear that they will not be complacent in genocide. you cannot bbm oh. >> point of order, madam speaker. please. please. >> you cannot be complacent in genocide. that is what i came for. senator, speak up. >> proceed, governor. >> thank you, madam speaker. first and foremost, we have helped create 30,000 new jobs

since 2017. that is a big deal. for the first time in delaware history, we have provided funding dedicated to low income students and english learners in our public schools. we have given our teachers a big pay raise. for three years running, we have implemented the largest infrastructure plan in state history. that means good jobs, safer roads and bridges, and connecting delaware to the internet up and down the state. we have kept our fiscal house in order. we have turned the $400 million deficit in 2017 into a $400 million in additional reserves today and that means a lot. >> [ applause ] the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and the labor market >> we are supporting an economic resurgence in downtown wilmington.

we have provided paid leave for delaware families and have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. the labor market has blown right through that already. >> [ applause ] >> we are building more affordable housing units for delaware families have a safe place to call home. we have reduced crime and our prison population is down nearly 24%. we have passed sweeping climate change legislation committed to net zero emissions by 2050. and we are keeping our communities safe by banning assault weapons and targeting gains of the measures. these are issues that matter to delaware families. >> [ inaudible ] >> you are out of order york --

please. please. the governor is giving the state of the state for -- >> y'all have been complicit -- >> free the hostages! >> governor, please proceed. >> thank you, madam speaker. these are issues that matter to delaware families in each of your districts and matter to future generations. good jobs, quality schools, safe and affordable communities, a cleaner environment, and a responsible management of taxpayer dollars. in this last year, i am focusing on leaving the state in a better place than i found it. we should make sure the next governor is in the best possible position to succeed and we should balance the budget and make sure our investments are sustainable in

the long run. i want to thank everyone in this room for your partnership on this. we do not always agree for sure, but working together is what we do best in delaware. because of our hard work together, i can confidently say today that the state of our state is strong and getting stronger every day. >> [ applause ] as many of you know, i spent a loot of -- a lot of time on the football field. in fact, one of my high school >> as many of amyou know, i spe a lot of time on the football field. in fact, one of my high school teammates is here in the chamber today. i spent time as a player and as a coach. i know

it was a long time ago, but one thing that i learned is that the best teams leave it all on the field. and it is in that spirit i want to talk about some of our unfinished business and the work i believe we can still accomplish together this last year. we have made big strides on financial management and i want to recognize the senators for their good work last year, as well as our bond chair, ross and heffernan. but despite our efforts, we did not pass legislation to permanently control operating spending at sustainable levels. my proposed constitutional amendment would have done just that. it is really pretty simple. delaware can't compete in the future if we don't have our budget in order. right now the future general assembly or governor could lead

us down a path of uncontrolled spending. we have not done that. that would lead to higher taxes and painful cuts, so let's not go backwards. instead, let's build on the progress we have made working together. this year i am asking you to send me a deflation that would make this permanent. i won't be here next year and i know some of you are happy about that, but most of you will. don't set yourself up for failure. i hope we can find common ground for every delaware taxpayer. we have a serious issue with healthcare cost inflation. this year between medicaid and our insurance plan for state employees and retirees, we are spending nearly $2 billion on healthcare alone. let me say that again. $2 billion. that is billion with a b and that is roughly $200 million more than our costs last year. the state's share medicaid alone costs $1 million.

those are jaw-dropping numbers. that is almost a third of our budget and it's only going up and taxpayers are footing the bill. if we don't get serious, healthcare spending will crowd out all of the other investments , investments we all support. funding for our public schools, for affordable housing and child care, raises for state employees and retirees. right now retirees get their pay increases in the funding needed to cover their healthcare. this is literally an issue we cannot afford to ignore. we should work together to strengthen our healthcare benchmark and address healthcare cost inflation. speaker longhurst, i know you and many others in this room agree and i look forward to working together on those issues. >> [ applause ] ourse, no issuee

important to our state's future than the quality of delaware's public schools. i've a spent a lot of time the last >> enof course, no issue is mor important to our state's future than the quality of delaware's public schools. i've spent a lot of time the last seven years focused on strengthening our schools, especially for children who need our help the most. i know many others have been leaders on this issue for a lot of years. together we have created opportunity funding, a program that provides additional funding for low income students and english learners in our state. our budget this year increases funding for this program to $63 million. i can assure you that it is making a difference. last fall, i visited an elementary school and spoke with a young student struggling to read. funded through opportunity funding, she was

improving by leaps and bounds. that reading coaches here with us somewhere today. there she is. hi there. please stand up. >> [ applause ] spent $1.5 biln school construction alone. let me tell you something that you already know, a school is much more than books -- brick withs and >> over the past seven years, we have built new schools across the state. we have spent $1.5 billion on school construction alone. let me tell you something you already know. a school is something more than bricks and mortar. it is the pillar of a community and nowhere is that more true than the east side of wilmington where we are building the first new school in the city and over half a century. >> [ applause ] named the

maurice pritchard sr. academy after the school's -- [applause] you support that. >> the old bancroft school will be renamed after the school's -- >> [ applause ] >> you support that. after the long term principle who i had the privilege to have as a basketball coach. i am looking forward to the school opening later this year. students and neighbors on the east side will have a state-of- the-art building they can take pride in. join me in recognizing members of the family who are with us today in the balcony, i believe. [ applause ] ning collaborativeo

provide hyperfocus on schools in our largest city. for the first time, thank you for being with us. is we also launched the wilmington learning collaborative to provide a hyperfocus on schools in the largest city. for the first time districts serving the city are working together to address the needs of wilmington children. i want to recognize senator lachman for her work in this area and the committee she chairs and all of the people involved in that. , madam speakn [ applause ] covid-19 pandemic. and finally, we have significantly expanded mental health services in our schools. the need became even more pronounced during the covid-19 pandemic and i want to thank you

, madam speaker, for your leadership on this effort. working together i will look forward to expanding these services into the high schools this year. >> [ applause ] >> these are initiatives we all can be proud of, but it simply isn't enough. here is an uncomfortable truth. statewide, less than 40% of children are reading proficiently in third grade. let me say that again. less than 40% of children are reading proficiently in third grade. many schools fall short of that average. imagine if your child went to a school with that kind of result. none of us would tolerate that but too many children across our state are faced with this reality and we need to fix it. that is why my budget -- >> [ applause ]

>> that is why my budget includes funding for a new team of literacy coaches. they will work with educators and district leaders to focus on the science of reading, an effective approach to teaching children to read. it is one of the most important things we can do and i hope you will support me in this high priority. my budget includes a continued focus on early childhood education. i know this is a priority for many of you in this chamber today. our priority is simple, create more for the children and family who need it the most. research is clear. children who have access to quality childhood education have higher graduation rates and more financial stability into adulthood. just 15 years ago, the state was investing next to nothing

and childcare. my budget includes $135 million for child care. that is a big deal and these are critical investments that will benefit our children as they grow up. >> [ applause ] >> before i leave the topic of education, i want to thank secretary for all of his hard work. mark, please stand. >> [ applause ] >> mark was a teacher, a principal, and a superintendent before he took the job as cabinet secretary and as -- his leadership has been tremendous. steady and strong. over the last 19 months, he has

chaired the education compensation committee. they studied educator pay. i am determined to win the competition with the states around us. we want the best educators working right here in the first state. that is why my budget fully funds the first year of those recommendations for educators, building on the raise that you passed and i signed into law last year. if we stick to the plan, we will raise teachers' starting salaries to over $60,000 over the next four years. let's get started together. >> [ applause ] nize our lieutet governor long has been a real partner over these past seven years. she's a nurse, >> i would like to take a moment now to recognize our

lieutenant governor. lieutenant governor has been a real partner over the last several years. she is a real nurse, as you know. her efforts on the ground during covid-19 were just tremendous. she just knows how to roll up her sleeves and get things done . the lieutenant governor has been a champion of science and technology in advancing careers for young people in our state, particularly girls. last summer, i signed senate bill 55, the rare advocate -- disease advisory council. this council will bring together the best and brightest for those living with rare diseases. it was led by hall-long and please join me in recognizing the lieutenant governor and these leaders in this effort. >> [ applause ]

all her good work as first spouse. [laughter] >> i would like to take another moment to recognize my wife, tracey, for all of her work as first spouse. >> [ laughter ] >> [ applause ] >> that is so typical of her to cut it loose and say let's move on to something else. but truthfully, since 2017, tracey has been focused on giving our children a chance to succeed. she has helped expand dolly parton's imagination library statewide in the middle of a pandemic. that is saying something. >> [ applause ] >> now more than half of the

eligible children are signed up for free books every month. again, there is nothing more important than helping our church will -- children learn how to read. this free program will help us achieve that goal. in addition, last year tracey led a discussion on our trauma informed progress and hosted our first youth mental health summit. it takes all of us working together to make sure delaware children have a first chance to succeed from birth to adulthood. please join me -- no, we have recognized her too many times. >> [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> oh, go ahead. >> [ applause ] ay. [laughter] of course, one of the best ways >> and let me tell you, i deserve -- or i need all of that goodwill you are getting from me tonight.

of course, one of the best ways to expand opportunity is to keep our economy strong and growing. as the saying goes, a good job solves a lot of problems. >> [ crowd chanting ] >> [inaudible] >> thank you, madam speaker. as the saying goes, a good job solves a lot of problems. good jobs >> governor carney, please continue . >> thank you, madam speaker. as the saying goes, a good job solves a lot of problems. good job help families pay the bills, buy a home, save for college and retirement, and sock away monies -- money for vacations. it helps fund our priorities. my first day in office, i signed an executive order to rethink our approach to economic development and

together we created the delaware prosperity partnership and we have leaders of that effort with us today. by every measure, it has been a success. just in the last two years, we have helped create more than 20,000 jobs. that is a big deal for our state in my budget continues our investment in job creation in the strategic fund, the site readiness fund, and our transportation infrastructure investment fund. we will not lose the competition with other states around us for good jobs for our people. we have our eye on delaware. the future of delaware's economy . my budget includes additional funding for the federal research projects at the stark campus at the university of delaware. both projects will build on delaware's strong foundation in science and technology. they will attract more high- quality workers to delaware and spur innovation and business

development. you all know this, but our colleges and universities are more important than ever to the future of our economy. at delaware state university, dr. allen and his team have opened a new early childhood innovation center. the center will train the next generation of early childhood educators. and at delaware tech, we remain the forefront of job training in our state. we have more jobs available than people looking for work, an issue you have heard me talk about before. there are 31,000 jobs available, but only 21,000 people looking for work. that requires an intense focus on job training and on the skills demanded by delaware employers. delaware tech is leading on that work. join me in recognizing the doctors and their teams for their hard work and dedication to the future of our state. >> [ applause ] success.

last year delaware, pennsylvania and new jersey were selected by the >> we gare also exploring federal funding opportunities and we have had some success. last year delaware, new jersey were selected for a project in president biden mines infrastructure lot. the u.s. department of energy selected just seven proposals out of 79 applications across the country and we were one of the seven. the federal designation will bring $750 million to the region. make no mistake, this is a generational opportunity to build a clean energy industry right here in delaware and in this region and to compete for good union jobs of the future. we also received $50 million in

federal funding to expand the port of wilmington. for decades jobs have been a gateway to the middle class for thousands of workers and their families. these are the kinds of jobs our state and country were built on. we are increasing support for our cities across the state. we celebrated additional funding to redevelop the nylon capital shopping center in seaford. we are building new affordable housing on the east side of wilmington and our housing director, young, and his team are leading that work, and just -- >> [ applause ] >> and just a few weeks ago, we announced plans to supercharge the redevelopment of downtown dover. >> [ applause ]

>> that will make senator busch very happy. it will also help us attract workers to the area and expand economic opportunity in our historic capital city. i know work is important to senators and many others and i appreciate their leadership and your partnership. if we want to keep good jobs and workers in delaware, we need to make sure families feel safe in their communities. i know fighting gun violence has been a shared priority. over the past seven years, we have band assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. we've passed red flag laws and prevented strong purchases. this year we will take another big step forward and pass the permit to purchase law. >> [ applause ] the administre

spent a lot of time on what we call group violence intervention is, or gvi. we s >> inside the administration, we have spent a lot of time on what we call group violence intervention, or gvi. we started gvi in wilmington and carried it over to dover. here is the truth. it is a small number of people committing the vast gun violence in these communities. they are part of groups that fight with one another. through gvi, we directly engage with those individuals and the gangs they are part of. we are demanding they put down their guns and if they do, we will offer job training and other services. for those who choose the path of violence, they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and the attorney general has been doing just

that, so thank you, attorney general. >> [ applause ] >> more than 300 people have participated in gvi since it started . just in the last several months, we have started offering gvi services in laurel, where we recently saw a spike in shootings. we are a committed partner with western sussex county. the delaware state police have been instrumental in our response and we appreciate the support of representative duke and richardson in their efforts. the future -- >> [ applause ] >> the future of our communities across our state depend on the partnership. as we look towards the future, we can't ignore the threat of climate change. delaware is the lowest lying

state in the country. drive through some of our coastal communities and you will see for yourself. it is clear we are already feeling the effects of rise. that's why we are spending $30 million to harden our coastal infrastructure. projects like raising roads to make sure residents can get in and out of town during storms. that is pretty important. i want to thank the secretaries for their leadership in this area. >> [ applause ] >> last year, many of you were instrumental in passing the most significant climate change legislation in our state's history, house bill 99. it set ambitious but achievable targets. we committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions in

half by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. this is critical for future generations and i want to recognize senator hansen, heffernan, and phillips for their hard work and leadership on this issue. >> [ applause ] have the polio talk alaska. thank you for y >> we have a general assembly full of leaders who understand the threat of climate change and who have the political will to take action. thank you for your leadership. the transition to clean energy won't be easy. at times, it will be controversial. very controversial. in december, regulations are finalized for transportation emissions and our state, a big source of carbon and other air pollution. by 2032, the regulations require 82% of vehicles delivered to delaware will be zero emissions vehicles. that will help us reach our

target under house bill 99 and we are following industry trends across the country. major automakers are already committed to moving towards electric vehicles. our efforts will also make sure delaware isn't left behind in that transition. the threat of climate change is also why we are taking a fresh look at delaware's role in the offshore wind industry. in december we began negotiations with u.s. wind to bring significant benefits to our state and to take an active leadership role in offshore wind development. under terms of the agreement, u.s. wind would bring wind energy into delaware. we expect the agreement to bring $100 million of benefits to our state without raising rates. those benefits include funding for workforce development, for dredging projects, and projects to mitigate the effects of climate change in our state

parks. over the next several months, i hope you join me taking another big step forward. we are pursuing legislation that will make delaware more of an active player in offshore wind. it will allow us to directly purchase wind generated renewable energy and to explore partnerships with states in our region. senator hansen, i know this is a big priority of yours, but we look forward to working with you on this legislation. >> [ applause ] >> i want to end where i started, with some reflection. it has been a great -- >> [ crowd chanting ] an elect- >> [inaudible] is the greatest privilege that a people can we stow on one of their own. one of our colle >> it has been a hogreat honor for me to serve as your

governor. i believe the opportunity to serve as an elected official is the greatest privilege our people can bestow on one of their own. one of our colleagues that has enjoyed that for over 20 years, join me to recognize the former speaker for his incredible service. >> [ applause ] [laughter] there's a lot of [ applause ] schwartz cop -- schwarzkopf. >> there stis a lot of love in that standing ovation. thank you for working together. the last seven years haven't

always been easy. the three years of the pandemic felt like 10 to me, but for me, the privilege to serve as governor has been an incredible gift. i got to travel every corner of our state and meet people where they are in firehouses, in schools, at festivals, at parades. and during tragic circumstances, like fires, natural disasters, and funeral testimonials. i have been privileged to listen to people's hopes and aspirations for our state and to share in the good times and the bad. i have learned the most important thing for an elected official is to earn the trust of the people you represent. they will give you the benefit of the doubt, so long as they trust you are trying to do the right thing. if you earn that trust, they will follow you when times are tough. and times get tough.

finally, i want to thank tracey again, and our boys, sam and jimmy, for their sacrifices during my time in public service. i couldn't have done it without them by my side. for the rest of this year, i will continue to do the right thing. working together, we will leave this state better off for generations to come. i look forward to leaving it on the field with all of you. thank you for your hard work. god bless you, and god bless our great state of delaware. >> [ applause ]

[appla >> american history tv, saturdays on c-span2, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 2:00 p.m. eastern, lauren thompson with her friend -- book, "friendly enemies." union and confederate soldiers shared coffee, tobacco, and newspapers. at 3:00 p.m. eastern, remembering the korean war. ralph puckett junior, medal of honor recipient, lay and honor at the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c. then, a symposium from a texas christian university in fort worth. and at 7:00 p.m. eastern, the american history

tv series congress investigates look at -- looks at changes in policy and law. this week, the 1987 hearings on the iran affair examining the operation of selling missiles to iran in exchange for the release of hostages in lebanon with proceeds going to be in nicaragua. exploring the american story. watch american history tv saturdays on c-span2 . and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch any time online at c-span.org /history. >> book tv, every sunday onc- span2 features authors discussing their nonfiction books. at 9:15 p.m. eastern, mike dollars argues america has embraced radical marxism that threatens the future of the united states.

then at 10:00 p.m. eastern afterwards, journalist hari talks about the success of concern surrounding new weight- loss drugs as well as his personal experience taking ozempic. he is interviewed by bloomberg 's madison. watch book tv every sunday on c- span2, and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch any time at booktv.org. c-span has been delivering unfiltered congressional coverage for 45 years. here is a highlight of the key moment. >> something i saw firsthand wasn't a surprise to me. it was the outpouring of love from you, my colleagues, both republican and democrat. right after the shooting, we were practicing on the republican side and the democrats were practicing too and a colleague and friend and

sometimes archrival in baseball from back home in new orleans, unfortunately the star of the game too many times, cedric richmond found out which hospital and he was the first one on scene in his baseball uniform to check on me. so many others of you, again, both republican and democrat, reached out in ways i cannot express my gratitude and how much it means to me, jennifer, and our whole family. it really does show the warm side of congress that very few people get to see. >> c-span, powered by cable. >> the house will be in order. >> this year c-span celebrate 45 years of government congress like no other. since 1979 we have been your primary source for capitol hill providing balanced, unfiltered coverage of government taking