We live in one of the most exciting and vibrant places in the country. Arizona is a unique place because we’re still growing and changing, and still building our future, even as we take pride in our past and look back at our accomplishments.

As a new year is upon us, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve done as we continue important work to move our state forward.

Arizona's vitality and dynamism were on display with what we’ve been able to do in state government since last January. In education, last year completed the phase-in of voluntary full-day kindergarten, which is now available to every Arizona family. We made major reforms to our high school graduation expectations, setting higher standards for math and science to make sure our students have the tools to succeed in a high-tech, fast-paced future economy. We also made historic commitments to higher education, investing in student financial aid and in universities’ ability to retain top faculty.

In health care, we eliminated the “gag rule” that prevented schools from educating families about their children’s eligibility for health care. This way, we extended health insurance to many more Arizona children. We continued our investment in the world-class Phoenix medical campus, which last year accepted its very first students. We’ve also made quality ratings for nursing homes available online, so families in the midst of tough care decisions can make informed choices.

In planning for our future growth, we passed Arizona’s most significant air-quality bill in a decade to help keep the air we breathe safe even as our population continues to grow exponentially. We also freed up $500 million for accelerated freeway construction, helping to reduce the “time tax” paid by commuters sitting on crowded transportation arteries.

We kept our eye on the ball in building a strong economy for the future, creating an all-new model for economic development in our state. We helped start Science Foundation Arizona to enhance our place in the global economy, and we made a multi-year investment in that institution. We also created the Arizona Economic Resources Organization, which will pioneer a bold new direction for building the future Arizona economy. Amid these new initiatives, we’ve pressed forward in our effort to make state government more efficient and effective, with my Office of Efficiency Review continuing to reduce red tape and use innovative programs to save hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money in the last year.

These are exciting times in our state, and we’ve certainly accomplished a lot in the past year. I look forward to working with Arizonans to keep our state moving forward on these critical issues in the year to come.

As always, feel free to call my office at 602-542-1318 if you have questions or thoughts. Or, please visit our Web site at www.azgovernor.gov for information and news in state government.