INDIANAPOLIS — As the 2024 Indiana legislative session kicks off, Gov. Eric Holcomb unveiled his priorities for the session Monday morning for his eighth, and final, year as Indiana’s governor.
Some of the items that Holcomb spoke about during Monday’s speech included:
- Early childhood education access, affordability and expansion, as well as bolstering K-12 literacy efforts;
- Work directly with local communities to help them prepare and recover from natural disasters
- One Start to Stop campaign, an effort to connect Hoosiers with a single source to lead them to education, training and jobs programs and services.
The rest of the 2024 Next Level Agenda included legislative and administrative priorities in five categories, including:
- Education
- Economic and workforce development
- Community development
- Good government
- Health
Education
The majority of Holcomb’s agenda focused on education. Holcomb stressed that it was important for the state to make childcare more affordable and accessible, increasing the workforce by bringing down the cost and increasing accessibility for early learning services and childcare.
In regards to early childhood, Holcomb also aims to:
- Inform ongoing efforts to improve salaries for early childhood educators by conducting a statewide employee compensation study.
- Reduce the minimum caregiver age for infant and toddler rooms from 21 to 18 for certain individuals, with appropriate training, parental notice and requirements for child safety.
- Lower the minimum supervised caregiver age for school-age classrooms from 18 to 16 for certain individuals, with appropriate training, parental notice and requirements for child safety.
For K-12, Holcomb said he aims at working to increase reading proficiency at all levels. Holcomb said that he wants to make sure that people aren’t put at a disadvantage later in their education when they haven’t mastered the reading skill.
“It all starts here, and we can’t gloss over this,” Holcomb said. “We’re going to spend what it takes early on to make sure later on, their prospects and their opportunities are widened.”
This focus on reading proficiency includes:
- Requiring schools to administer IREAD in second grade and to offer summer school reading programs to second grade students who are not on track for reading proficiency and third graders who did not pass
- Continuing to test students who have not passed IREAD through sixth grade or until they demonstrate reading proficiency.
- Strengthening retention efforts for students who have not passed IREAD in third grade.
Holcomb also said that a computer science course requirement will be established for high school graduation starting in 2029 and will aim to ensure that the state’s 2023 promise “that a free public education includes free curricular materials is implemented statewide.”
For higher education, Holcomb said he would pursue legislation to require state universities to offer three-year degree programs when appropriate. Holcomb said he would also propose that four-year institutions would award earned associate degrees.
Economic and workforce development
Holcomb centered the economic and workforce development portion of the agenda on the creation of the “One Stop to Start” campaign.
According to a news release from Holcomb’s office, the “One Stop to Start” workforce development campaign is designed to raise awareness and help connect Indiana residents with “existing workforce- and job-related training programs and resources.”
“This really is an effort to make sure folks are aware… of all of those different programs,” Holcomb said during the speech.
Holcomb said it would offer real-time support that would connect Hoosiers and employers to workforce, education and training programs that can help set themselves up for future success.
“Perhaps it’s a short-term certificate or a two- or four-year degree. There’s a pathway for all Hoosiers, and “One Stop to Start” will help individuals discover various options that fit their needs,” Holcomb said.
This new program will give individuals, as well as Indiana employers, the chance to learn about the workforce and education training programs, as well as grants the state offers. Many of the careers featured through the programs will include those in emerging industries, like microelectronics and semiconductors, electric vehicles, smart manufacturing and robotics, as well as clean and alternative energy production. Necessary industries like healthcare, education, public safety and skilled trades are also included.
“Indiana’s workplace footprint is changing. Our state has long been a leader in industries such as advanced manufacturing, engineering, biopharma and life sciences,” Holcomb said. “As Indiana continues to take workforce development to the next level, we must educate, skill up and train Hoosiers for the economies and industries of the future.”
Community development
In the community development portion, Holcomb focused on communities that need to prepare, or recover from, disasters. During the speech, Holcomb said he aims at streamlining some of the “cumbersome process” of paperwork during these situations, and make it easier for leaders to respond in the present, and not after the fact.
Holcomb said he would streamline how funds from the State Disaster Relief Fund can be used to ensure more expenses associated with disasters are eligible. Holcomb also would like to see a portion of the fund be awarded for disaster mitigation programs to assist in protecting against future damage.
Holcomb said he would also like to see the fund limits increase for individuals impacted in a disaster as well as providing Hoosiers flexibility by taking away he requirement that assistance can only be used when a federal declaration is implemented.
Good government
Through this session, Holcomb said that he would work with the General Assembly to create a task force aimed at reviewing bail reform efforts. The task force would also analyze data to determine how the efforts have impacted public safety, violent crime and recidivism rates.
Health
Holcomb said that he will direct state social services agencies to focus on two issues: the aging population in Indiana, as well as youth in the state who require a higher level of services and supports because of “complex mental and behavioral health challenges.”
Holcomb said that the Family and Social Services Administration will create a multisector plan for aging, including solutions that will “position the state to best address the current and future needs of its growing aging population.” This plan will focus on housing, transportation, employment, income security and health.
“We’ll be working with various social service agencies to come together to look at the aging population in Indiana, not just Medicaid recipients, but an overall 10-year plan contemplating how people are aging in Indiana,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb also discussed a plan that will be developed by various agencies, including the FSSA, the Department of Child Services and the Department of Education, surrounding the improvement of support services and treatment options for youth with “high acuity needs” and their caregivers. Holcomb stressed the importance of developing an infrastructure to best coordinate the delivery of services to these individuals, making sure they are getting the services that they need.
During the speech, Holcomb also unveiled the Hoosier Playbook, a resource guide that he said was born out of conversations with local leaders and partners. Holcomb said that the guide showcases resources and programs that the state has built for individuals, businesses and communities across the state.
“The Hoosier Playbook will assist local leaders locate state resources to further strengthen their communities. From health and wellness initiatives to education and training to cultural amenities and placemaking tools, the state of Indiana seeks to be a partner with our cities, towns, and counties as they work to develop in their own unique ways,” Holcomb said in the release. “This Administration and this year’s agenda, approaches the work ahead as an all-hands-on deck effort to connect Hoosiers with the assistance they need and when they need it the most.”
At the end of the speech, Holcomb said that his goal is to make Indiana the best place to live, work and play, stressing that it was time to “get back to the Statehouse and get to work.”
“I couldn’t be more excited about the eighth of eight years and all we are going to get done,” he said.
In a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4 from Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, Bray said that Senate Republicans share several of Holcomb’s priorities, including expanding access to child care and the focus on foundational reading skills.
“We look forward to another productive legislative session working on behalf of Hoosiers alongside the governor and our colleagues in the House, and we are excited to share the details of our Senate Republican legislative agenda later this week,” Bray said.
According to a news release from Senate Republicans, officials will unveil their 2024 legislative agenda at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. Officials said they will focus on literacy, child care access, fiscal responsibility and Hoosier health.
On Monday afternoon, the House Democratic Leadership will host an event where it will unveil its 2024 caucus legislative agenda. The event will be following the annual speech by House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, and the rest of the day’s legislative session. House Republicans are also expected to unveil its 2024 caucus legislative agenda Monday afternoon.
