House Journal: Page 206: Thursday, January 28, 1999

	Let us today also invite the whole world to help make our state the Food Capital of 

the World.  Not just first in the nation, but first in the world.  It is part of our larger 
commitment to workforce development and economic development.
This administration intends to make Iowa-grown, Iowa-raised and Iowa-made a 
brand name known throughout the world for quality. We need to promote high tech 
agricultural research which is why we support funding the Center of Excellence in 
Plant Science at Iowa State University.  We need to combine Iowa's strengths in 
agriculture and insurance and provide innovative products to protect Iowa's farmers 
that use advances in biotechnology.  We need to encourage the expansion of value-
added opportunities in every region of this state.
And at the same time, we will not abandon those Iowans whose economic fortunes 
have turned.  We have and will continue to strongly advocate at the federal level and 
state level to take immediate proactive steps to help livestock and grain producers in 
economic crisis.  We intend to stand together with those who farm the land, and 
together we will make Iowa the world's food capital.
Further, we will expand the skilled workforce to help us face the needs of a new and 
dawning technology and millenium. We need to make Iowa more attractive to business 
and industry.  We need to strengthen our commitment to vocational and technical 
programs and school-to-career opportunities.  That is why we are establishing the 
Governor's 21st Century Workforce Council which will be chaired by Lieutenant 
Governor, Sally Pederson.  We need to identify work skill shortage areas. To start the 
process of increasing the skill levels of our people and to reduce shortages, we will 
create forgivable loan programs; we will offer incentives to promote skills 
enhancement; we will coordinate governmental efforts for skills enhancement; and we 
intend to increase worker safety by providing more resources for workplace inspections.
We will actively and forcefully work to attract and retain the quality of workers 
necessary for our mutual future.  We must send a strong and unmistakable message to 
the children of this state, some of whom are here today - and let us start with those 
here today.  We need you!  We need your creativity, your energy and your intellect.  
But we must do our job if we are asking them to do their job. We must create and 
enhance the quality of life in this state so that it is second to none. That is why we are 
suggesting the creation of REACH initiative, which would provide additional resources 
for recreation, environment, culture and heritage - to send a strong and powerful 
message that something's going on in this state, and that we are responding to the 
needs and concerns of our young people.
Our goal is to develop our workforce, strengthen our economic growth, and keep our 
young people in our state.  Let it be said that here in Iowa, we put our money where 
our tomorrow is.
And finally, we propose to be known as the first in the nation as we lead the way to 
the future.  We will do this in two ways - through government efficiency, and by the 
foresight and power of a strategic plan for the next century.
We will make good on our promise of providing property tax relief by virtually 
eliminating property tax funding of mental health.  Let us begin that process now.
We will build a more efficient administration, reduce our dependency on gaming 
revenues in the general fund and institute efficiency measures like offering early 

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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Last update: Thu Jul 15 13:40:03 CDT 1999
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Session.1/HJournal/00200/00206.html
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