Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb rolled out a robust Next Level Agenda for 2023. He made the announcement Wednesday, January 4.
In the plan, he proposed investing another $500 million in the successful READI program.
Five key categories were included in his agenda including health and wellbeing which involves increased investment of emergency preparedness through EMS training and readiness and maintain a state strategic stockpile of supplies, among other initiatives.
Better access to mental health services continues to be a priority in the 2023 Next Level Agenda.
Governor Holcomb also wants to increase K-12 tuition support by six percent in FY2024 and two percent in FY2025 equaling $1.157 billion, and continue increasing the average teacher salary pay. He also proposes to prohibit textbook and curricular material fees for Indiana K-12 families. Indiana is one of seven states that allows families to be charged for textbooks. The state would fully fund the cost of textbooks and other curriculum materials for more than 1 million K-12 students at a cost of approximately $160 million per year.
The governor will also expand eligibility for Child Care and Development Fund vouchers and work with legislators to expand On My Way Pre K eligibility by raising the income eligibility limits for the programs from 127 percent to 138 percent of the federal poverty limit.
Governor Holcomb is committed to providing Hoosiers with more opportunities to obtain the skills they need to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. The agenda proposes more investment in adult education to reduce the number of working age adults without a high school diploma or workforce training.
To build upon the record-breaking year of capturing $22.2 billion in committed capital investment, the agenda focuses on diversifying the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) toolkit to remain competitive for future growth.
Supporting public safety to maintain safe communities and schools will continue to be a priority in 2023. The governor will work with legislators to improve school safety by increasing the Secured School Safety Grant Fund to $25 million, expanding the ways schools can use the grants, and aligning policies across all public schools. Indiana has invested nearly $133 million in grants to improve school safety in the past nine years.
To support Indiana State Police and other agency law enforcement officials Holcomb will propose raising the starting salary of state police troopers to $70,000. The current starting salary of $53,690 is significantly below other law enforcement agencies in the state according to a study completed by the Indiana State Police Alliance.
The governor will also propose a $24.2 million investment in a regional firefighter training infrastructure to provide a consistent and standardized firefighting training model across the state. The governor is directing the Department of Homeland Security to enhance existing training sites and create new ones to help cover the training gaps that exist in some areas of Indiana. In addition, the state will invest $10 million over the next five years to purchase needed equipment and gear for volunteer firefighting organizations.
