The spending plan includes the additional $286 million per year requested by the Indiana Department of Child Services, covers increases in Medicaid costs, and hikes K-12 spending by 2.1 percent in 2020 and 2.2 percent in 2021, which is slightly higher than the 2 percent annual increase suggested by Holcomb.
Supporters are fighting for continued public funding of the Indianapolis-to-Chicago rail service—even as they acknowledge the route’s travel times and ridership levels need improvement.
One of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s top priorities for the legislative session passed the Indiana House on Tuesday afternoon with nearly unanimous support.
On Tuesday night, Holcomb said in his State of the State speech that the state will use $150 million from its surplus to pay off a teacher pension liability that schools have been gradually paying down.
The goal for school districts would be to use 85 percent or more of their state funding for instruction-related costs, such as teacher salaries.
Members of the General Assembly return Thursday to the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis for a session expected to last until late April. Budget issues are expected to dominate the session.
The Capital Improvement Board of Managers will ask lawmakers for more long-term funding that could be used in part for improvements at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The governor says he’s ready to listen.
State fiscal leaders heard some good and bad news about the state budget Monday morning in a highly anticipated revenue forecast that predicted tax receipts for the next two years.
Republican Statehouse leaders say they want to increase funding for Indiana's embattled child welfare agency and find a way to pay teachers more, but that money will be tight when they craft the state's next two-year budget.
Under an agreement with the state, FFA will receive $500,000 annually over the seven-year extension, which will help pay for convention-related expenses.
The proposed budget from the troubled Indiana Department of Child Services would include $965 million from the state’s general fund per year for the next two fiscal years.
Lawmakers have expressed support for increasing teacher pay in the next two-year budget, but the size of Jennifer McCormick’s request could be much more than what’s available.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced his decision Thursday afternoon after the Indiana Department of Transportation released a strategic plan for interstate tolling that was mandated by a transportation infrastructure funding law passed in 2017.
The statewide business group announced its lobbying agenda Monday—and it includes support for passing a hate-crimes bill and increasing the cigarette tax. Another priority involves the state’s superintendent of public instruction.
The amendment would prohibit the Indiana General Assembly from adopting a budget that spends more than the state earns in revenue.
The Indiana Institute for Working Families’ report also found that the average Indiana worker, who makes $35,422 annually in wages, makes nearly $2,100 less than the average Midwesterner.
The announcement follows a unanimous City-County Council vote to approve $14.5 million in emergency funding to address potholes.
House Speaker Brian Bosma said Thursday that the idea in House Bill 1002—part of a larger proposed retooling of the state's workforce development system—hasn't garnered enough support.
Pushing the discussion to next year is likely to frustrate advocates in the business community who believe lawmakers have toiled long enough on the workforce development system, making incremental changes year after year.
Holcomb on Wednesday announced he signed an order providing up to four weeks of paid leave for parents after the birth of a newborn or adoption. The policy was part of Holcomb’s 2018 agenda.
