Jobs created, jobs coming and jobs training.
That is the focus of Gov. Nikki Haley's second State of the State address, which she will deliver tonight at the Statehouse to a packed room of lawmakers, elected officials and supporters.
"The state's top issue is jobs and the unemployment rate. You'll see a significant amount of her speech devoted to that, as it should be," said Tim Pearson, Haley's chief of staff, adding that about 20,000 jobs have been created since Haley took office last January.
More specifically, Haley, a first-term Lexington Republican, will preview a new jobs-training program she plans to roll out in two weeks that will match S.C. workers with available jobs.
Haley's staff has studied jobs programs in several states, including Georgia, and designed one that will be unique to South Carolina.
"We love when the jobs come here, but we want S.C. workers to be prepared to do them and not have employers looking to North Carolina or Georgia for employees," Pearson said.
The speech also will highlight her executive budget, rolled out last week.
That budget - which lawmakers can enact, ignore or amend - includes a 4.5 percent increase in state spending, more money for police officers, vaccines for poor children and three new family court judges. It does not include a pay increase for state workers.
In the speech, Haley also will make her case for reforming the state's retirement system by raising the retirement age for state workers and eliminating automatic cost-of-living increases.
"There is recognition of the problems with the system and we've got to do something soon, because what we have is not sustainable," Pearson said.
Democrats plan critical response
Immediately after Haley's speech, Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Bamberg, will deliver the Democrats' response. "We will draw a sharp contrast with Haley and the Republican Party," Sellers said.
Among Haley's failings, Sellers said: "Amazon was a colossal failure," referring to Haley's not taking a stance on providing tax incentives to the online retailer as it sought to build a Lexington County distribution center. "Leaders are supposed to lead."
"Her inaction or inability to comprehend the importance of a competitive port hurt the Lowcountry," Sellers added, referring to a Haley-appointed environmental board granting a water permit and clearing the way for an expansion at the Savannah Port, a competitor with the Port of Charleston.
"We're waiting to see how she'll fail the Upstate next," he said.
The speech, which Haley wrote, is expected to take 30 to 45 minutes to deliver.
