House Speaker Jon Husted's speech

Here are excerpts from Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted's speech to the 127th General Assembly upon his re-election today:

"I look forward to working with you and, as we both experienced last month, the most important part of a healthy, bipartisan, working relationship is the recognition that it requires open communication, focus and integrity.

"Whether this is your first day or your last term I ask you to consider what you will say on your final day? Did you put the priorities of your constituents first and did you find a way to meet those needs while recognizing our obligation to respect all of Ohio? Did you build a mutual understanding and respect with your colleagues so that your differences didn’t prevent you from working together to resolve those issues on which you agree?

"As we move forward I believe our foremost priority should once again be rebuilding the Ohio economy. Ohioans seek the security of good jobs and hope for a better economic future. . .

"Much progress has been made in our education system over the past decade. Our K-12 test scores beat the national averages and those of our Midwestern competitors, we now have a higher high school graduation rate than most states and we out pace the national average in the number of graduates we send to college. But here is where the success story ends because we have fallen behind the rest of the nation in the number students who graduate from college and in the number of college graduates that populate our state.

"This is the point in the discussion where I usually run into a few critics who say, 'Not everybody is going to go to college.' And I agree, so let’s pursue this issue with our eyes wide open. By 2015 nearly 90 percent of the jobs will require some post-secondary training or certification and most of the better-paying jobs will require at least a 2-year degree. So if we agree that pursuing job security and hope for a better economic future are important, then we must solve 'Ohio’s Diploma Dilemma.' More of our citizens must complete certification and degreed programs.

"I pledge to work with Governor-Elect Ted Strickland and each one of you to solve Ohio’s Diploma Dilemma – trust me I don’t have all of the answers, but I know the solution requires tireless effort, bipartisan cooperation, and by far the most difficult challenge – the dreaded 6-letter word, CHANGE!

"We must make it easier to earn college credits for students who are still in high school; doing so makes college more affordable and increases the likelihood these students will attend college in Ohio. . .

"We must prepare Ohio to successfully compete with Indonesia and India, not just Indiana."

His entire speech can be found here:
hustedspeech.doc