Budget brings largest increase to education funding in state’s history
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) coauthored the state’s two year budget which passed out of the General Assembly and will now be sent to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. The $31 billion blueprint for Indiana’s finances has a strong focus on three main priorities: investing in education, fiscal integrity and public safety.
“It was a solemn responsibility to help craft and pass our state’s biennial budget,” said Rep. Karickhoff. “All session long, we worked to create a fiscal plan that focuses on the needs of Hoosier students, fund public safety initiatives and ensures a fiscal environment that will grow the Hoosier economy.”
Investing in Education
This year, leaders in the General Assembly declared that this would be an education session, and the state budget reflects that focus. Totaling around $16 billion, nearly two-thirds of the budget is dedicated to education. It includes the largest increase for K-12 tuition support in state history, increasing that investment by $474 million over the biennium.
Focusing on Fiscal Integrity
Along with this historic investment in education, the House also upheld their commitment to fiscal integrity by passing an honestly balanced budget without raising taxes on hardworking Hoosiers. It upholds the economic environment necessary to grow the Hoosier economy and is structurally balanced, ensuring that ongoing revenues do not exceed the state’s expenditures. Protecting Indiana’s coveted triple-A bond rating, the budget also maintains healthy reserve balances which will provide a financial safety net in the event of another economic downturn.
“We worked to strike a balance between funding our state’s priorities and protecting Hoosier taxpayers,” said Rep. Karickhoff. “Indiana’s fiscal integrity is essential to supporting economic growth and creating an attractive environment for future business investments.”
Prioritizing Public Safety
Investing for the future, the House budget funds a variety of initiatives with an emphasis on public safety. It doubles funding for domestic violence prevention each year and dedicates $13.5 million for the Safety P.I.N. (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) grant over the biennium in an effort to reduce Indiana’s high infant mortality rate.
The budget invests $59 million in new money to help local communities provide alternatives to incarceration, working to reduce recidivism. Along with dedicating $1 million per year to the 2-1-1 dialing service, the budget adds domestic violence and infant mortality to the list of issues for which 2-1-1 service providers must provide information and assistance on.
Other provisions, like providing a 13th check for retired teachers and public safety officials, in included in the budget. ¬¬For more information about House Enrolled Act 1001, Indiana’s biennial budget, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Mike Karickhoff serves as Budget Subcommittee Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and on the Natural Resources Committee. He is also the chair of the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Rep. Karickhoff represents portions of Howard and Grant counties, most of the city of Kokomo and the towns of Swayzee and Greentown.
