They are. Your name is Sarah
Huckabee Sanders. Do solemnly swear,
do solemnly swear that I will support
the Constitution of the United States,
that I will support the
Constitution of the United States
and the Constitution for
the state of Arkansas
and the Constitution for
the state of Arkansas.
And I will faithfully discharge the duties,
and I will faithfully discharge the duties
of the office of Governor
for the state of Arkansas,
of the Office of Governor for the
State of Arkansas, the official
position, the official position
upon which I'm about to enter.
Upon which I'm about to enter.
So help me God. So help me God.
Congratulations. Thank you, Sir.
Thanks. Ladies and gentlemen.
Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, ladies
and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor
to present to you for the first time
the Honorable Sarah Huckabee Sanders,
Governor of the Great state of Arkansas.
Thank you.
Well. Speaker shepherd.
President Hester,
members of the Supreme Court,
distinguished members of the General
Assembly and my fellow Arkansas.
It is an absolute honor to stand
before you as the 47th governor
and the first woman governor of
the great state of Arkansas.
I was 13 years old when I attended
my first joint address back in 1996.
Some of you may actually recall
it was a pretty chaotic day.
After getting lost in the
surging crowd of the hall,
I actually missed part of my dad's
first big speech in this very chamber.
Today I made sure to get here bright
and early, and much to the surprise
of pretty much anyone who knows me,
I'm actually on time.
I'm grateful to be joined by my family.
My wonderful husband Brian,
our three kids, Scarlet,
Huck and George,
and members of our extended family.
Thank you all for being here.
We are also honored to be joined by former
Governor ASA Hutchinson and the First Lady,
Susan Hutchinson.
Thank you so much for your service to
our state and the example that you have
led with over the last eight years.
I hope I can meet the bar that you have set.
I
also want to recognize former senator and
Governor David Pryor and his wife Barbara,
who said an incredible example of
service and love for our state.
I know how much you loved Arkansas and
what a great job you did as parents
because I had the opportunity as the
Attorney General of Girls State.
To spend an entire day with your
son where he treated me better
than anybody should have,
and I'm very grateful for your
leadership and your service.
Thank you for being here today.
As we gather in these storied chambers.
At the dawn of a new day.
A turning point in the history of Arkansas.
We'll usher in a new era of good jobs,
great schools, safer streets,
and stronger families.
The people of Arkansas, in their vast wisdom,
have entrusted a new generation to lead.
This is our moment, this is our opportunity,
and you and I are the leaders who are.
People have chosen to get the job done.
Our reasons for such high confidence
and boundless optimism are many.
History teaches us that to every
generation comes not only great challenges,
but great opportunities,
and often in quick succession.
After the upheaval of World War Two,
there were decades of
unparalleled economic growth.
And after the turmoil of Vietnam,
stagflation and the gas lines of the 1970s,
there was peace and prosperity
of the Reagan era.
After the financial crisis of 2008,
in years of lingering stagnation,
there was an unprecedented economic boom.
Like the rest of our country,
Arkansas has weathered
its fair share of storms.
A worldwide pandemic shuttered schools,
crippling inflation and rising crime.
But here in Arkansas,
that long night of hardship and heartache
is breaking into a brighter tomorrow.
If we seize this moment together,
if we act on the principles
that each of us hold dear,
we can make Arkansas stronger
than it ever has been before.
I couldn't ask for better
partners in this endeavor.
President Hester, Speaker Shepard,
your partnership is the reason that I know
we will deliver for the people of Arkansas.
I want this legislature to know
that as Governor, I will always
have an open door and an open mind.
And like most of you, take note.
I didn't say most.
I don't care about getting the credit.
I only care about getting results.
So this session, let us think bigger,
let us think bolder and do better
than we ever have before with.
I'll pause.
Be careful, in my last job they
never clapped for me at the podium,
so when it starts now,
I'm going to give you a minute.
With family budgets still battered
by inflation, let's deliver another
historic tax cut and give the people of
Arkansas the pay raise that they deserve.
Let's not surrender the competition
for jobs to other states.
Let's cut taxes and bring
jobs right here to Arkansas.
Let's also cut wasteful spending
so we can continue to phase out
the state income tax altogether.
The challenges that we face in education.
Did not appear yesterday,
and they certainly will
not be solved tomorrow,
but we will get started fixing it today.
I ask you to send me legislation
that expands pre-K,
improves literacy and gives
students real-world skills they
need to succeed in the workplace.
Parents cannot be an
afterthought in education.
Parents are the foundation
of a child's success,
so let's give parents a greater
role in education, including.
Including the right to choose the school
that's best for their child, whether
it is public, private or parochial.
When we give parents a choice.
We give children a chance.
In these endeavors I will be
guided by clear principles,
principles that I know each of you share.
Among these principles is the belief that
the first responsibility of government.
Is to secure the lives,
the liberty and property of its citizens.
Any government that tolerates rampant crime.
Has failed in its most important duty.
As of today, Arkansas will
tolerate crime no longer.
Together, we will build the prison
space we need to keep our citizens safe,
and we will put more of our
courageous cops on the street.
We will shut down the crime wave
that has plagued our cities.
And let me be clear.
We will teach our children.
That the badge is a symbol of justice.
The police are a force for good,
and our officers are heroes who
are worthy of our highest respect.
There is so much more we can achieve
as partners working together.
If you send me legislating legislation,
promoting adoption or improving
foster care, I will sign it.
And if you send me a bill defending
the right to free speech or the right
to keep and bear arms, I will sign it.
And if you send me a bill that rewards our
teachers with higher pay, I will sign it.
But make no mistake, if you send me
legislation that grows our government
at the expense of freedom, I will
veto it without hesitation or remorse.
As a mom of three kids,
I have no problem saying no.
Today, let us reaffirm our
commitment to a timeless
American idea that government
exists not to rule the people.
But to serve the people.
The special interest?
Will speak loudly.
But it is the voice of the people
that we must hear and follow.
They are the men and women who till the soil,
drive the long halls and run the restaurants.
The people who work hard give
back to their communities and help
their neighbors in times of need.
The people who teach their children to
love God and to be proud of their country.
They take responsibility for
their actions and they deserve
a government that does the same.
A government that does a few things
and does them exceptionally well.
That is the government that they voted
for and that is what we will deliver.
Today. Let us each pledge.
That we will not rest until
we have a government.
That is as good and decent and
hardworking as the people of Arkansas.
I ask you to stand with me as
we work for the state. We love.
And for the people that we serve.
Thank you so much for the
honour of being your governor.
God bless you and God bless
the great state of Arkansas.
Thank you so much.