2012 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Civil Rights


John Hickenlooper: 2012: It's time to pass civil unions

Next up [in my state-of-the-state speech] was our major policy agenda item for that session.

I said: "We believe we should legislate what happens inside a church or place of worship, but government should treat all people equally."

I said: "It's time to pass civil unions."

Most everyone on the floor of the chamber rose from their seats and applauded. Each legislator who stood and clapped was an exclamation point on the statement. Many republicans remained notably seated and stoic.

Source: 2012 State of the State, in "The Opposite of Woe," p.284 May 24, 2016

Martin O`Malley: Civil marriage rights for all Marylanders

I'd like to talk about equality of civil marriage rights for all Marylanders. Our State was founded for religious freedom--and at the heart of religious freedom is respect for the freedom of individual conscience. The way forward, the way to sustain and enhance our common life together, is equal respect for the freedom of all.

We all want the same thing for our children; we want our children to live in a loving, caring, committed, and stable home protected equally under the law. It is not right or just that the children of gay couples should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our State. Nor would it be right to force religious institutions to conduct marriages that conflict with their own religious beliefs and teachings.

In Maryland, we already recognize civil marriages performed in other states. It is time to pass a civil marriage law that protects religious freedom and civil marriage rights equally.

Source: 2012 Maryland State of the State Address Feb 3, 2012

Andrew Cuomo: Marriage equality for ALL New Yorkers

For decades, millions of New Yorkers had been treated as second-class citizens by their own government. We ended that injustice. We stopped the discrimination. We made history. We led the nation. We passed marriage equality for ALL New Yorkers and we did it together. With this historic victory, New York is the largest state in the nation to grant same-sex couples the freedom to marry.
Source: 2012 New York State of the State Address Jan 4, 2012

Andrew Cuomo: $200M contract support to get 20% MWBE contracts

Last year, I created a Minority- and Women-Owned Business Task Force dedicated to expanding economic opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises ("MWBE"). The MWBE Task Force has aggressively sought ways to expand opportunities for MWBEs. In this economy, obtaining credit is difficult for almost everyone, especially small and minority-and-women-owned businesses. MWBEs historically have not been able to compete with more established companies on large construction projects because they lack credit and capital. The state will address this problem by extending credit that will give MWBE contractors the backing they need to compete. This program will support at least $200 million in contracting for MWBE firms over a period of years. We will hit our target of doubling MWBE participation in state contracting to 20 percent.
Source: 2012 New York State of the State Address Jan 4, 2012

Andrew Cuomo: Improved services to 2 million residents with disabilities

We must transform the way we deliver services to our over two million residents with disabilities. We spend more than any other state on services and support provided both by our government and a vast array of nonprofit and private agencies. Yet New York ranks in the bottom quartile among states in serving adults with disabilities. This situation is fiscally irresponsible and morally unacceptable.

Many of the problems our disabled residents encounter are not the result of limited resources, but rooted instead in failures in the organization and management of services. We must develop a system that recognizes the potential of and the barriers faced by each individual we serve. We must focus on quality and prevention, and simplify and streamline access to services.

We must erase stigmas and ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are fully recognized and fully protected. In addition, we must do all we can to ensure the safety of those in our care.

Source: 2012 New York State of the State Address Jan 4, 2012

  • The above quotations are from 2012 Governor's State of the State speeches.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by John Hickenlooper on Civil Rights.
  • Click here for more quotes by Mitch Daniels on Civil Rights.
Candidates and political leaders on Civil Rights:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Aug 10, 2019