Gov. Eric Greitens gave businesses a promising State of the State address Tuesday night. In his speech, Greitens emphasized having a people’s government and restoring Missourians’ trust. He also made it clear his administration’s priority will be to stimulate economic growth so Missouri may better compete with other states.
One way he plans to stimulate growth is through Right to Work, an initiative supported by Associated Industries of Missouri.
“Since 2009, the country has had 10% private sector job growth. If we had grown just as fast as the rest of the country since ‘09, we would have 120,000 more jobs in Missouri today,” said Greitens. “And if income in Missouri had risen at the same rate as the rest of the country, the average Missouri family would be making $2,400 more every year. Instead, we’ve fallen behind. The people have sent us a message: We must do everything in our power to put people back to work in good, high-paying jobs. That’s why we must join 27 other states and sign Right to Work.”
He also mentioned another roadblock to job growth: Missouri courts. Greitens proposed moving to the Daubert standard for expert witness testimony to keep out trial lawyers who come from other states to engage in murky lawsuits, a move also supported by Associated Industries of Missouri .
“What does this do?,” he asked. “It scares away businesses. It means fewer jobs and smaller paychecks. The companies intimidated by this shady practice have customers here. They could make even more money here. But they’re afraid to expand their business here.”
Another important initiative mentioned by Greitens was to end frivolous regulations.
“I have ordered a complete review of every regulation in the state of Missouri,” he said. “We’re going to reduce unnecessary and outdated regulations so that we can get back to creating good, quality, high-paying jobs. We need an effective government that serves the people and makes it easy to do business.”
Greitens said he wants to be a “friend and ally” to anyone who wants to start or grow a business in the state of Missouri.
You can read the full transcript of Greitens’ speech here.
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