By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Despite a two-year pandemic, Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday said Indiana is in a position to take full advantage of its economic successes.
Holcomb
The Republican governor’s Tuesday night address marked a return to the traditional format for State of the State addresses, with the chief executive speaking to a joint session of the state House and Senate.
Holcomb gave a studio-based speech last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He focused mainly on economic wins, such as Indiana leading all bordering states in GDP growth and personal income growth from 2015 to 2020, and a population gain of 20,000 over the past year.
The governor also pointed to ongoing road and bridge repair projects, rural broadband installation and investment in K-12 education. He said 99 percent of Indiana’s school corporations will have raised teacher salaries by the next school year.
“Color me an optimist, because there has never been a more opportune time to realize our true potential than right now,” the governor said.
Holcomb did not mention some of the legislation that has driven Republican lawmakers in the first weeks of session, notably restrictions on how teachers approach social justice issues, permitless concealed carry and a ban on employer vaccine mandates. House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican from Fishers, said afterward this simply reflects different priorities.
Huston
“We’re going to consider a lot of different issues, and the governor’s got some that are high priorities for him, and my caucus members in the House have issues that are important to them,” Huston said. “I think that’s just part of the legislative process.”
Democrats said while they appreciated Holcomb’s avoidance of social issues in his speech, they felt he glossed over issues that matter to Hoosiers still trying to make ends meet. Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, a Democrat from Indianapolis, said he was disappointed not to hear anything on raising the minimum wage or legalizing cannabis.
“The governor’s address was alarmingly silent on those realities,” Taylor said.
Democrats also said many of the state’s recent projects, including the READI Program, resulted from federal funding through the American Rescue Plan, which was written and passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress and signed by a Democratic president.
Toward the end of his speech, Holcomb saluted the efforts of Hoosiers to assist Afghan refugees who were brought to Camp Atterbury. He said about 500 of the roughly 7,500 refugees who went through the facility chose to remain in Indiana.
“I commend everyone involved in this tremendous, uplifting effort,” he said. “To me, it’s a great example of what Hoosiers are all about and what we’re capable of accomplishing when we work together.”
Holcomb closed with a plea to Hoosiers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they haven’t already. He said those who have received the vaccine are the reason the state’s health care system hasn’t collapsed under the weight of the surge of the omicron variant. The governor also thanked the state’s health care workers for two years of unending work.
“No words, salary, or earthly awards will ever be enough to repay you for the lives you’ve cared for and saved,” he said. “The ultimate judge will be kind to you for living your love for your neighbor.”
State Sen. JD Ford responds to Governor’s address
Submitted
Editor’s note: Following Governor Holcomb’s State of the State Address on Tuesday evening, State Senator JD Ford (D-Indianapolis) released this statement:
Ford
I appreciate Governor Holcomb’s address tonight and the progress our state has made over the last year. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, Indiana’s economy is growing, school funding and teacher pay are up, and we have a growing surplus.
I also want to compliment the Governor on being the sane one in his party when it comes to COVID-19, although I believe we need to be doing more to combat the current uptick in cases. There is room for bipartisan support for parts of the Governor’s agenda; however, given our state’s growing surplus, we must do more to invest in Hoosier families. If we can open the budget for business tax cuts, we can open it to invest in Hoosiers and their quality of life.
In recent polling, 80 to 90 percent of Americans said they believe that our country is in the middle of a mental health crisis. This session, we ought to pass my SB 174 to address student mental health needs and work together to pass the biggest investment in mental health services in our state’s history. Considering that Indiana ranks 48th in public health funding and 44th in the prevalence of mental illness and access to care, there’s no doubt we need to do more.
We also ought to be investing in the rapidly expanding electric vehicle industry and ensuring that our workforce is able to fill those jobs and other good-paying positions. The funds are available for us to continue investments in K-12, early childhood and higher education as well, as we rank 38th in higher education attainment and 51st for early childhood education. These poor rankings should clearly show us the roadmap to our solutions.
Sen. Ford represents Indiana Senate District 29, which encompasses Boone County’s Eagle Township, Hamilton County’s Clay Township, and Marion County. Marion County communities include Pike and Wayne Township. For more information on Sen. Ford’s legislative agenda or other State Senate business call 1-800-382-9467 or visit indianasenatedemocrats.org/s29.