Gov. Pete Shumlin (D)
Date of Speech: Jan. 8
Gov. Shumlin’s fourth State of the State address focused on one topic: drug addiction. The governor mentioned education only once, and then only in a general way, in the opening lines of his 30-minute speech to lawmakers.
Characterizing heroin addiction as a public-health crisis, Gov. Shumlin called for a stepped-up emphasis on treatment and support for people with addictions to drugs, to pair with the state’s prosecution of drug-related crimes.
His nod to education came as he painted an aspirational picture of a state that provides all the things its citizens deserve, including good jobs, a good quality of life, and schools that are “among the best in the country.”
