It has been a whirlwind of a year, and it seems like only yesterday I was elected to my first term as your state representative. My first session at the Statehouse was a memorable experience as we dealt with issues facing our state and community. Looking back at 2013, I can say that I am proud of the accomplishments made to move our state forward and to make Indiana a better place for all Hoosiers.
During the 2013 legislative session, the General Assembly addressed our biennial budget. We focused on tax relief and continuing fiscal integrity. The largest tax cut in Hoosier history was passed and income taxes will be cut by 5 percent over the next four years. We were able to reduce future government spending by paying off several state debts for construction projects while also being able to pay cash for future projects to protect ourselves and our children from additional debt.
I am a firm believer that we as a state should take every opportunity given to us to improve the education climate and make Indiana have a first class education system. We took steps toward this goal by investing in early education and invested $2 million into a preschool matching grant program that will make scholarships available to low-income Hoosier families. We also put aside $300 million in the Tuition Reserve Fund to protect school funding from any unforeseen economic uncertainty.
I was blessed to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee as the budget was developed. In this capacity I was able to make sure the state properly funded roads and infrastructure as this is a key issue for our community and our continued growth. As we continue to attract fellow citizens and businesses into Fishers, it will be vital to continue to maintain and expand the roads to support our growth.
Additionally, I served on the House Education Committee. I was pleased to be the House sponsor of Senate Enrolled Act 189 which provided additional flexibilities to high performing school corporations like Hamilton Southeastern. I look forward to working with our school leadership to continue to support legislation that provides great schools with additional funding and freedoms to continue to provide a high quality education to all of our students.
As we approach another legislative session, I look forward to continuing my work on these two very important committees. Over the past few months, I have been meeting with constituents and have begun to draft legislation for the upcoming session. If you have ideas that will make a difference in your neighborhood, please send it to me. I’m always interested in hearing from you. If you would like to keep up-to-date with these pieces of legislation and more like them, please visitwww.in.gov/legislative, or feel free to contact me atH37@in.gov, or by calling 317-234-9380.
Rep. Huston(R-Fishers) represents portions of Hamilton County.
