Conference Presentation, Panel, Interview
Governors Address Challenges Facing States
- Rick Scott anticipates attracting businesses to Florida by leveraging lower costs and streamlined permitting compared to California, while predicting that California's $15 minimum wage will result in 700,000 job losses.
- Rick Scott plans to secure federal funding for port dredging like the Miami Port, projecting that a specific tunnel project will create 33,000 jobs, though he expects to fund expansions independently due to limited anticipated federal changes.
- Rick Scott expects the Cuban embargo to remain until the Castro brothers leave power to maintain pressure for democracy, though he believes opening Cuba would benefit both nations eventually.
- Rick Scott intends to increase benefits for law enforcement families, aiming to improve retention and value for first responders following the loss of over 20 officers since 2010.
- Scott Walker projects that ending collective bargaining rights and fiscal reforms will maximize employment in Wisconsin, resulting in the second-highest ACT scores and avoiding school devastation.
- Scott Walker expects Wisconsin to attract employers through a stable fiscal environment and fully funded pension system, citing an influx of approximately 4,000 jobs in Kenosha from Chicago.
- Scott Walker anticipates meeting the goal of shifting 12,000 adults from government assistance to the workforce through focused programs to achieve independence.
- Scott Walker expects that expanding workforce development, including apprenticeships and technical programs, will provide the certainty needed for employers to create additional jobs beyond current vacancies.
- Scott Walker predicts that Congress will reinstate sequestration cuts with full force in two years, which will hinder state economic growth.
- John Hickenlooper expects that focusing workforce programs on the 70% of students not attending four-year colleges will enable rapid retraining through the Markle Foundation initiative.
- John Hickenlooper anticipates that a new statewide apprenticeship program for 17-year-olds will successfully define career paths and scale to retrain older workers who have lost careers.
- John Hickenlooper predicts the regulatory framework for recreational marijuana in Colorado will likely succeed, though he expects to wait a couple of years to assess for unintended consequences.
- John Hickenlooper expects to explain trade agreements more clearly to voters to address job dislocation frustrations and demonstrate how these deals create American jobs.
- John McAuliffe expects that 81% of global growth in the next five years will occur outside the United States, justifying international trade missions to secure new jobs.
- John McAuliffe plans to bring back jobs through international trade, having already secured a $2 billion investment and 2,000 new jobs from a Chinese company.
- John McAuliffe expects the state's 4% unemployment rate and record-low claims to indicate a new economy of cybersecurity and data centers following the loss of 200,000 jobs due to sequestration.
- John McAuliffe anticipates Virginia will become the top U.S. exporter to Cuba through strategic partnerships, creating significant jobs for farmers and businesses despite current embargo restrictions.
- John McAuliffe expects to fill 30,000 open technology jobs, including 17,000 cyber roles, by transforming high schools to offer industry credentials during junior and senior years.
- John McAuliffe predicts the federal government will spend billions on cybersecurity, which Virginia is aligning its education system to meet.
- John McAuliffe expects to continue growing trade with Cuba, arguing that ending the embargo benefits both nations regardless of personal political disagreements.
- John McAuliffe expects that if the TPP is not finalized, China will set trade rules for Asia, a negative outcome he aims to prevent through a level playing field.
- John McAuliffe expects that aggressive trade on a level playing field will increase opportunities for displaced workers and raise wages.
- John Hickenlooper expects states must achieve granularity in solving issues like methane emissions before imposing blanket federal regulations, citing successful negotiations between Colorado, oil companies, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
- John Hickenlooper anticipates that frustration among voters regarding trade agreements stems from a lack of understanding of terms and job dislocation, necessitating better communication on job creation.
- Scott Walker expects that providing quality paying jobs is the most effective method to prevent young people from rejecting capitalism and graduating with debt but no employment.
- John McAuliffe expects the recent congressional transportation bill to provide sustained financing with long-term defined payment plans, allowing states like Virginia to build roads.