On the first day of the 2022 legislative session, Senate Republicans spelled out their legislative agenda and House Democrats called for investing in Hoosiers.
Senate Republicans want to make more Hoosiers eligible for the taxpayer refund, stabilize school funding for districts whose populations were impacted by the pandemic, and responsibly end Indiana’s public health emergency so the state can continue receiving the same federal reimbursements for SNAP and Medicaid and maintain the state’s ability to hold voluntary community vaccination clinics.
“Senate Republicans are prioritizing legislation that will have a positive impact on citizens across Indiana,” Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray said. “Our priorities will ensure more Hoosiers are eligible for Indiana’s automatic taxpayer refund, prevent schools that had quarantined students from experiencing unforeseen funding cuts, and responsibly end Indiana’s state of emergency without affecting our most vulnerable Hoosiers. Though this is a short session, there is much to be done, and Senate Republicans are ready to get to work.”
In a speech on the House floor, Democratic leader Phil GiaQuinta said the state should take the billions it is sitting on and invest in people such as child tax credits and paid family leave. “If the State is going to ask Hoosiers to faithfully pay their taxes, let’s make those dollars work to better their lives. Let’s invest in them rather than gloat about how much we have stashed away,” the Democrat stated. “Amid this much suffering, our massive surplus is unconscionable. It is an embarrassment of riches.”
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said the best thing the state can do is cut taxes and give Hoosiers back more of their own money and let them spend it, not the government.
Indiana House Republicans will unveil their budget on Thursday.
You can hear Huston, Bray and GiaQuinta in the Leon-Tailored Audio above.
