With this in mind, we have a new kit for employers to use to help their valued employees who are caring for a loved one. Tonight, I invite you to get more information about this at dhs.wisconsin.gov/dementia.
The idea for the kit came from former Wisconsin Governor Marty Schreiber whose wife, Elaine, has Alzheimer's disease. He worked with my Secretary of Health Services, Kitty Rhoades, on the project. Governor Schreiber is traveling tonight, but we’re grateful to him and to Secretary Rhoades for their hard work on this issue.
Helping people deal with their health care needs—including mental health—is another way to retain top talent in the workplace. We need to break the stigma and assist people to get the help that they need. I am proud that we put more resources into mental health services than any Wisconsin Governor in the past 25 years.
In 2013, I pronounced that no man or woman who served our country in the Armed Forces should return home and not be able to find employment.
Here in Wisconsin, I am proud to say that we lowered the unemployment rate for veterans in 2014, and again, in 2015. Our state now has one of the lowest unemployment rates for veterans in the nation, significantly below the national unemployment rate for veterans.
Our goal is to see it drop again this year. We owe it to our returning heroes.
All of these different initiatives are designed to increase independence while helping people get the education and skills they need to succeed in the workforce.
As I said at the onset of this address, the state of our state is strong.
There are more people working in Wisconsin than at nearly any other point in our history; state finances are stable; overall, our school students are doing well; college tuition is frozen; and property and income taxes are down from where they were before I took office.
Looking ahead, we have an aggressive plan over the next year to ensure that everyone who wants a job can find a job. We will enact this plan by helping the people of this state improve the economy and by investing in K-12 education, higher education, and worker training.
Still, we need to do more. We need to prepare for the future.
As we think about the next 20 years, I want to hear from you about your hopes and dreams—for your families, your communities, and your state.
With this in mind, I am proud to announce that we are going to visit every part of the state to hold listening sessions throughout 2016. So far, we have held sessions in Seymour, Prairie du Chien, Milwaukee, Osseo, Kewaunee, Sturgeon Bay, and Ashwaubenon… and we plan on coming to a community near you soon.
So far, participants have included principals, farmers, small business owners, local government officials, retirees, veterans, teachers, construction workers, union members, parents, high school students, nurses, charitable organization leaders, superintendents, insurance agents, ministers, college students, machinists, law enforcement, and a librarian.
This is personal for me, as I think the best way to plan for the future is to hear from people all over the state. We need a shared vision for the future. This is why I want to hear from you.
I call it our 2020 Vision Project. The idea is to bring together a diverse mix of people in small group settings all across the state. I want to hear from you about what makes Wisconsin great, where we want our state to be in the next two decades, and how we should measure success.
Now, more than ever, it is important to consider the kind of state our children and grandchildren will inherit. We need to think more about the next generation than just about the next election.
The founders of our state and our country had that kind of long view of the world. Their founding principles were able to overcome partisan and political differences. We can do the same as we think about the kind of state we want to become over the next 20 years and beyond.
On July 4th, we will observe the 240th birthday of this great country—a nation built on the principle of freedom. As we celebrate, let us remember that our rights are endowed by our Creator, defined by our Constitution, but defended each and every day by the men and women who wear the uniform.
They and their families deserve our praise—and more importantly—our prayers. May God bless each and every one of them. May God bless the great State of Wisconsin. And may God bless the United States of America.”
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Adjournment
The Joint Convention arose.
7:54 P.M.
