On Mar. 12, Governor Josh Stein delivered his first inaugural State of the State to a joint session of the North Carolina Assembly. In this address, he mainly focused on Hurricane Helene Recovery, the economy, education, public safety and healthcare. At the end of the speech, Governor Stein shifted his message to focus on unity and bipartisanship.
In September of 2024, Hurricane Helene caused mass casualties and property destruction throughout Western North Carolina. Prior to the storm’s impact on Western North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in executive order 313. Many small businesses, homes and roads were all destroyed causing then Governor Cooper to sign a slew of executive orders that would help areas affected by the storm recover. Since Governor Stein’s inauguration, his administration has worked to help North Carolinians affected by the storm. He has taken actions to simplify the bureaucratic hurdles, open roads, build houses, support small businesses and provide safe drinking water to those affected.
In his address, Governor Stein focused on what Ashley Cook, a lifelong resident of Avery county, has done after the storm. “Her roof was damaged, but her neighbors got hit worse, so she immediately turned her attention to what they needed,” he said. Cook and her cousin worked on clearing roads, and then spent their time hauling materials to others who were affected. After these efforts, Cook used her Facebook, “To connect people with whatever they need, gravel for driveways, roof repairs, notary services, even a sludge pump,” Governor Stein said. He used this example to prove his larger point that the State of North Carolina is strong. Governor Stein is also committed to working with the Trump Administration to seek federal aid to help Western North Carolina recover.
The economy was also a major part of his speech. CNBC has named North Carolina as one of the top two best states to do business in for the past four years. Governor Stein believes that North Carolina’s greatest asset is its people and that the state must invest in developing the workforce as a way to retain these businesses. An initiative that Governor Stein announced was, “Students getting certified in high-demand sectors, like in advanced manufacturing, health care and IT, we provide them free community college,” he said. Making community colleges more accessible for students who want to go into high demanded fields will provide them with a greater incentive to do so.
Governor Stein showcased a local community and organizations that have worked together to fix job vacancies, “Northern Regional Hospital in Mt. Airy had a nursing shortage … So, in partnership with Surry-Yadkin Works, a local workforce organization, the hospital worked with Surry Community College to create an apprenticeship program.” He highlighted one such student who took advantage of this program, Emily Orellana, who knew from a young age that she wanted to be a nurse. As a highschooler she earned her certified nursing assistant credential. Now she is able to graduate from a community college as a registered nurse with a focus on ICU care.
Governor Stein also wants to lower the costs of both housing and childcare, as North Carolina is the third fastest growing state after only Texas and Florida. Governor Stein believes that there is bipartisan support for this task and that this will allow North Carolina to become a better state to raise families. Governor Stein wants to ensure that parents aren’t making the choice between working and taking care of their kids. He also wants to give middle class families a tax break as an effort to stimulate local economies. Governor Stein wants to ensure that the people of North Carolina’s taxes are well spent, “That’s why I’m directing my budget office to set up the impact center to ensure our government is run effectively and efficiently because people should know that their tax dollars are being well spent! But let’s get this right. Let’s use a scalpel, not a chainsaw,” he said.
Another issue that Governor Stein discussed was education. North Carolina currently ranks third to last for the amount of money spent per student according to the Education Law Center. North Carolina’s starting pay for teachers is the second lowest in the southeast. Governor Stein believes that there is a bipartisan consensus on raising teachers’ pay, “So let’s do it; let’s invest in our kids, and let’s pay our teachers a salary that shows how much we value them,” he said. The Stein Administration wants to ensure that no kid goes to school hungry as it is proven that hunger negatively impacts education. Another priority of his is ensuring that schools are safe and well built. Safety upgrades including cameras, fences around playgrounds, fewer access points and exterior locks will help prevent people from doing harm. According to Stein, schools need to be well-built as a school not having heat shouldn’t be a reason for schools to send students home.
Mental health is another way of investing in students’ safety, “North Carolina has underinvested in school social workers, counselors and psychologists for far too long. Let’s make sure our schools have the support staff they need to improve our kids’ mental health and help them thrive,” he said. Another focus was technology in classrooms, Governor Stein believes that cell phones serve as a distraction in school. When classrooms are free from distraction, that is when real learning occurs and mental health is improved. “They need and they deserve a seven-hour break from the unrelenting pressures of phones and social media. Classrooms should be cell phone-free zones,” Governor Stein said.
Public safety was another key topic of the speech. Governor Stein started this segment by highlighting several law enforcement officers who, when there is danger, run towards it instead of away. There are over 30,000 law enforcement officers in the state of North Carolina. However, while there is a large number of officers there are still many vacancies. In order to remedy this, Governor Stein wants there to be a salary increase and a signing bonus to promote North Carolinians to join these jobs. “Let’s show the nation that we put our money where our mouths are. That in North Carolina, we value our law enforcement. And that we invest in them like they invest in us,” he said.
Law enforcement officers are not the only components to the safety of North Carolina. Ensuring that drugs such as Fentanyl are kept off the streets is a priority for Governor Stein. During the speech he proposed a new plan that would have, “the General Assembly fund a Fentanyl Control Unit of law enforcement and prosecutors dedicated to getting it off our streets,” in order to honor the North Carolinians who have died too soon.
Healthcare was also emphasized in this speech, more specifically the importance of Medicaid. Two years ago, there was a bipartisan effort to expand Medicaid across the state. Now there are more than 640,000 North Carolinians that have access to this healthcare. Governor Stein said, “We know that some in Washington are poised to take aim at our effective, efficient and critical Medicaid program. The cuts Congress is considering would be absolutely devastating to [the] health of our people and our entire health care system.” Just as North Carolina worked together to make Medicaid expansion happen, the state aims to come together and defend it as a united front.
The message of unity and working across party lines was evident in the ending of the speech. While there may be differences on how best to achieve these goals, people can work together to reach these goals. “What we’ve been talking about tonight – they are not red issues or blue issues, they are North Carolina issues,” Governor Stein said. North Carolina can create an environment that works together as the state has done it before.
Governor Stein ended the speech highlighting what makes the state strong, “Our teachers make us strong! Our law enforcement officers make us strong! Our small business owners, our farmers, our vets, our child care workers and our community college students make us strong! You, the people of North Carolina, make us strong. So let’s come together to keep North Carolina strong,” he said.
Governor Stein and the General Assembly will work together to achieve these goals. Governor Stein hopes that achieving them will keep the state strong.
