STATEHOUSE (Feb. 19, 2019) — State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) unveiled the Indiana House Republicans’ two-year state budget proposal, which includes substantive funding increases for education, school safety and the Department of Child Services.
Huston presented the budget proposal to the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday at the Statehouse. Indiana’s $34.6 billion budget provides the fiscal blueprint for state operations for 2020 and 2021.
“Our conservative plan is responsibly balanced while funding key priorities and maintaining healthy reserves,” said Huston, co-chair of Ways and Means. “We continue to strengthen our commitment to Hoosier students and educators, and to those in the state’s child welfare system. Our budget also funds key workforce initiatives while promoting Career and Technical Education to better prepare Indiana’s next generation of Hoosier workers.”
“Indiana ranks among the top states in the nation for its fiscal stability and that’s a result of years of strong leadership,” House Speaker Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis) said. “We plan to continue this trajectory with our conservative budget proposal that’s structurally balanced and protects our coveted AAA credit rating while still funding our state’s critical priorities. We look forward to working with our House and Senate colleagues, and Governor Holcomb as we move forward.”
House Republicans increase K-12 school funding by 4.3 percent – 2.1 percent in 2020 and 2.2 percent in 2021, which equates to a $461 million boost to local school tuition support over the biennium. Since 2010, annual tuition support has increased by $1.07 billion or 16.7 percent.
The budget also includes funding the governor’s plan to use $150 million from reserves to pay off a teacher pension liability, which will result in $70 million in annual savings for local schools. Huston said schools are encouraged to use their savings exclusively toward increasing teacher pay. In combination with the increase to K-12 tuition support, the proposed budget provides a total state investment in K-12 education of $611 million over the biennium. With this additional funding, Indiana school districts will receive over 3 percent in new money in each of the next two years.
House Republicans include $30 million a year for Teacher Appreciation Grants to reward effective and highly effective educators. To support new and veteran teachers, the budget provides $5 million for Teacher and Student Achievement Grants included in House Bill 1008, and $1 million for the Teacher Residency Grant Pilot Program included in House Bill 1009.
The budget proposal increases funding for the Secured School Safety Grant Program by $5 million a year and allows funds to be used for student mental health. To date, more than $53 million in matching grants have been provided to Indiana school districts across the state to address potential safety threats.
House Republicans fully fund DCS at the governor’s request by appropriating $286 million in new funding each year, which will align with the agency’s current spending levels. According to a report by the Child Welfare Group, Indiana has more children in the child welfare system than its surrounding states. Huston said major agency reforms are underway through administrative changes and a comprehensive legislative fix included in House Bill 1006.
The proposal increases funding for Indiana’s First Steps program by $12 million a year. In 2018, the program served over 26,000 young children experiencing developmental delays and disabilities. To address infant mortality by helping more at-risk mothers and babies, the budget includes $3.3 million a year for the Perinatal Navigator Program, which is included in House Bill 1007.
Huston said the budget makes key investments in the state’s workforce programs that were endorsed by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. House Republicans also double the funding for Indiana’s successful Workforce Ready Grants and Next Level Employer Training Grants. Last year, these programs resulted in more than 10,000 Hoosiers enrolled in high-wage, high-demand job training programs, and more than 450 employers trained nearly 7,000 workers.
To help communities address aging water infrastructure, House Republicans’ budget includes a historic commitment of $20 million per year for local water infrastructure improvements. The public funds will be used to leverage up to $2.1 billion in capital funding over the life of the program.
Huston said the proposal also significantly increases funding from $18 million to $30 million a year for local jails that house Level 6 offenders. The budget includes $500,000 in additional funding a year for the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, which annually graduates hundreds of local and state police recruits, and certifies other officers from across the state.
Indiana’s general fund includes funding for K-12 education, higher education, Medicaid, health and human services, general government, corrections, public safety and capital projects.
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State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) represents House District 37, which includes portions of Hamilton County.
