The vote came Monday after several failed attempts by House Democrats to amend the legislation and use the money for teacher pay bonuses and other “human capital” proposals, such as pre-kindergarten education and school safety.
Like Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana Senate and House Republicans are focused on health care, education and spending one-time dollars on capital projects this year. But lawmakers have slightly different views on how those surplus dollars should be spent.
The state is expecting an additional $531 million in revenue over the next biennium, according to a forecast released Friday. The additional dollars would bring reserves up to $2.4 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2021.
Indiana ended the fiscal year with record-high reserves, it reported Thursday, prompting Gov. Eric Holcomb to propose spending nearly $300 million on five one-time projects.
The mayor’s office says the strategy is a way to meet the city’s growing infrastructure needs—which amount to $160 million per year—without raising taxes. But the proposal would create winners and losers among area counties, even as it addresses what’s considered a regional problem.
Jennifer McCormick, the state superintendent of public instruction and a Republican, said financial backing for mental health services didn't receive the attention it warranted.
Superintendent Jennifer McCormick said Monday the $19 million annual funding included in the new two-year budget will help, but cast doubts on whether it was adequate to cover costs for safety equipment, school police officers and threat assessment.
State and local leaders seem to agree that Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative was successful—but don’t expect to see another round of funding for the program anytime soon, if ever.
The 2019 legislative session ended April 24—five days ahead of the statutory deadline—with hundreds of bills sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his consideration.
Indiana's governor signed a new two-year budget Monday and pledged to work to restore some of the money lawmakers trimmed from his proposal to boost funding for the state's child welfare agency if the amount ends up being insufficient.
Purdue President Mitch Daniels had urged state lawmakers to approve funding for the new hospital, saying it's vital to Purdue's veterinary college and the state.
The Indiana General Assembly ended the 2019 legislative session Wednesday night after passing a $34.6 billion two-year budget with an emphasis on K-12 school funding.
Republican leaders on Tuesday afternoon released the final version of the two-year Indiana budget, which includes $539 million in additional base funding for K-12 education, and described it as a historic amount of funding for education.
The Senate version of the two-year, $34.6 billion budget allocates $22 million per year for the state’s 21st Century Research and Technology Fund. That’s $8 million less per year than in the current budget.
Supporters of Amtrak’s Indianapolis-to-Chicago service, including Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, rallied at the Statehouse on Wednesday to make a last-ditch appeal for the funding.
Indiana schools aren't being promised much additional money after the latest projections showing slower growth in state tax collections.
Some Indiana teachers don't believe the latest Republican-backed state budget plan does enough to support public schools—and legislative leaders are warning that they might even be faced with tightening up that spending proposal.
The Indiana Senate approved its two-year state budget proposal Tuesday morning, setting up final budget negotiations between both chambers as lawmakers close out the last two weeks of this year’s General Assembly.
A new state budget plan would send some more money to Indiana schools but at a level short of what advocacy groups say is needed for meaningful teacher pay raises.
Amtrak on Monday issued an official notice that it plans to suspend operation of the Hoosier State line, which provides Indianapolis-to-Chicago service, starting July 1. The state hasn’t included funding for the line in its next budget.
