[media-credit name=’AJ Maclean’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Gov. Jim Doyle addressed the state of Wisconsin Wednesday night, discussing an agenda which included job-growth measures and funding for the University of Wisconsin System.

“With new jobs, new ideas and growing confidence that our brightest days lie ahead, Wisconsin is on the move,” Doyle said in his third State of the State Address while in office.

Doyle covered four main points in his speech: Wisconsin’s growing economy, children and childcare, fiscal responsibility and health care.

Doyle also devoted a significant portion of the speech to his education agenda, including increasing math and science requirements for high school students from two years to three years, reducing class size, increasing financial aid to students and investing in the UW System.

“Let’s never forget: the UW System is the best in America. And we need to keep it on top so Wisconsin can continue to compete with anyone in the world,” Doyle said.

Doyle said he plans on expanding the tax deduction from $3,000 to $5,000 for families paying college tuition in an effort to make education more affordable.

Doyle proposed a $750 million plan for public and private biotechnology and stem-cell research, with $3 million earmarked for Alzheimer’s research.

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin P. Reilly said he was pleased with Doyle’s intentions to reinvest in the UW System, which took a large cut in the last budget.

“The governor recognizes the UW System’s unique capacity to further the state’s economic development and job-creation efforts,” Reilly said in a release. “The state must reinvest in the people and ideas of this university for Wisconsin’s success.”

Several planned parts of Doyle’s speech concerning state money for UW were cut from the speech.

In a copy of his speech released to the press, Doyle previously planned to say that this year, for the first time in 10 years, the state would provide more money for UW and for financial aid than for the corrections-facility budget. However, Doyle omitted this statement in his speech.

Doyle’s spokesperson, Melanie Fonder, said those several lines were not supposed to be in the final copy of the speech.

“[It] is something we would like to be able to use as a principle, but we had to wait for the revenue numbers to come in,” Fonder said.

Doyle acknowledged the creation of nearly 70,000 jobs in the state in the past year, including a recent announcement that 1,000 new jobs are currently being created in the Milwaukee area due to the development assistance the government has given to Kohl’s.

Doyle also urged the state Assembly to take a vote this month on a state increase in minimum wage to $6.50 an hour.

“All over Wisconsin, I see people who are working so hard to support themselves. And they deserve a chance to get ahead,” Doyle said.

In his speech, Doyle said this year’s budget, due out in February, will “fulfill the state’s responsibility to the taxpayers by living up to our commitment to local governments and our schools.”

In reference to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, Doyle stated Wisconsin should not follow Colorado’s lead in making a constitutional amendment to cap state spending. Doyle said Wisconsin should not trade its education system for this.

State Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Bellevue, and author of TABOR, said he was happy the governor spoke about the legislation.

“I don’t think the governor understands that people want long-term tax relief — I believe many [Wisconsin] citizens want to take … the government [back into their own hands],” Lasee said of TABOR.

Doyle said he also plans to lower health-care costs, increase health-care access and make prescription drugs cheaper for Wisconsin citizens.

“I think Gov. Doyle is really stepping up to the plate in trying to help uninsured and underinsured state residents,” UW senior Joe Schwantes said. “Rising prescription prices have really hurt many who depend on their medication, and Doyle’s plan should help to alleviate some of this pressure.”

Doyle will deliver another speech detailing the 2005-07 state budget next month.