When it came to Governor Eric Holcomb’s final State of the State address., Republicans gave the governor high marks, while Democrats say he missed the mark on issues like wages and child care.
You can hear House Speaker Todd Huston, Senate Pro Tem Rod Bray as well as Senate Democrats Shelli Yoder and Greg Taylor in the Leon-Tailored Audio above.
House Democratic leader Phil GiaQuinta released the following statement…
“I am heartened Gov. Holcomb agrees with House Democrats that Indiana needs to do more to deliver on affordable and accessible childcare. Families shouldn’t go broke paying for daycare. As always, the devil is in the details, but it’s good the governor and House Democrats agree that a substantive conversation about childcare needs to happen.
“As part of our caucus’ Economic Freedom Agenda, we will be working to ensure that Hoosiers from all walks of life have the tools they need to build a quality life for themselves and their families. From raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and creating pathways for more young Hoosiers to obtain a union job and all the benefits those entail to giving Hoosier homeowners a break on their property taxes, I’m excited to work with my colleagues to make the Hoosier experience truly next level.
“However, there are a few things the governor left out in his speech.
“It’s true the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has brought in millions of dollars in projected investments this year. But trust has been broken by not first working to gain community buy-in on the LEAP project. Given that Gov. Holcomb is the person ultimately responsible for repairing that trust, I am disappointed that he did not commit to providing more transparency on LEAP and other large-scale IEDC projects. House Democrats will be offering legislation this session to bring much-needed oversight on IEDC.
“It’s troubling the governor failed to mention that the state’s Medicaid program is underfunded by a whopping $1 billion. This unacceptable budgeting error could devastate the one-third of Hoosiers who rely on Medicaid for vital medical care. Before this error was brought to light last month, critical programs such as applied behavioral therapy for kids with autism and pediatric dentistry were underfunded. Now, many providers will likely have to limit the care they’re able to provide or close their doors all together. It will take hard work and dedication to fix this, but I can assure you tonight that House Democrats are ready and willing to do our part to not just fix the budgeting error, but to protect and expand Medicaid at all costs.
“Finally, from teacher and state police pay raises to broadband investments and READI 2.0, these investments were all made possible by the work of federal Democrats to deliver real results for communities across Indiana and the nation.
“As I mentioned in my opening day speech yesterday, it would be a failure on our part if we in the legislature didn’t focus on the big issues Hoosiers face every day. This may be a short session, but the people elected us to work on their behalf, and House Democrats are committed to getting the job done.”
