In my State of the State address in January, I spoke about the big areas where Arizona needed to invest: in education, in our human and physical foundation, and in innovation.

A few days ago, I signed into law a state budget that delivers in all those areas.

The new budget is a big win for Arizona. By investing in our children, our cutting-edge economic initiatives, and our infrastructure, we’re creating a path for greater prosperity in the 21^st century. This budget emerged from a bipartisan process, and I’m thankful to legislative leaders of both parties who worked with me to help get it done.

The budget included crucial funding for areas I spoke about in my State of the State address. Some of the most important elements include:

• $46 million for increased teacher pay, to ensure the best teachers in our children’s classrooms
• $100 million over the next four years to grow Arizona’s research institute, Science Foundation Arizona, to create high-tech jobs for tomorrow’s economy
• $25 million for the new Downtown Phoenix medical campus, to improve Arizona’s health care and make Arizona a center of innovation in biotechnology
• $500 million for accelerated highway construction, so our roads keep up with our growth
• $29 million for universities to increase graduation rates and retain top-notch faculty
• $4.7 million for increased math and science education
• $1.2 million for water conservation and $1.2 million to the Arizona Water Institute, which will lay out plans for the stewardship of our most precious natural resource