Pence’s budget emphasizes education, lower taxes

Gov. Mike Pence’s office announced Tuesday that the newly sworn-in governors’s budget plan places emphasis on economic growth through transportation and education investments as well as lower taxes.

Office of Management and Budget Director Chris Atkins presented the budget to the Budget Committee Tuesday, according to a press release.

The budget outlines policies intended to double K-12 spending and provide an extra $6 million for teacher excellence grants as well as permanent funding for full-day kindergarten.

The additional funding provided for the teacher excellence grants offers pay increases for high-performing teachers.

Pence outlined $3 million throughout the next two years to be used in developing a partnership with the state’s life sciences industry and its universities, according to the release.

The proposal utilizes $300 million in excess reserves and reinvests the money in the state’s roads and infrastructure, also throughout a period of two years, according to the press release.

The budget includes $35 million for the Department of Child Services in order for the department to hire additional caseworkers and expand the emergency hotline system.
“This is a jobs budget,” Pence said in the release. “It holds the line on spending, funds our priorities and allows Hoosiers and most small businesses to keep more of their hard-earned income.”

— Michael Majchrowicz