House Democrats' budget priorities focused on boosts to public education, health care funding

Indiana House Democrats say the state budget should prioritize public education, health care funding, and relief for working-class Hoosiers.

House Republicans’ budget increased K-12 education funding by 2 percent each year. But a significant portion of that would go to private schools, via voucher program expansion.

Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) said his caucus’s proposal for HB 1001 increases funding for all public schools by 2 percent.

“A fine line between saving up dollars and funding programs people need,” Porter said.

The GOP budget does not eliminate wait lists with its Medicaid funding. Porter said Democrats want to not only put enough money into Medicaid to clear those waitlists, but add an extra $300 million.

“There’s no way that we can put our heads in the sand and say there’s not going to be cuts. We’re going to have cuts at the federal level,” Porter said. “We have to be ready.”

READ MORE: Cuts to federal Medicaid would 'trigger' end for Healthy Indiana Plan

House Democrats’ budget plan would undo the cut made by both Gov. Mike Braun and House Republicans to the Health First Indiana program, which provided $150 million this year to local public health departments.
 

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Porter said his caucus’s fiscal priorities also include universal funding for the On My Way Pre-K program, an increase of the Earned Income Tax Credit to 12 percent (up from 10 percent) and a boost to the renter’s deduction from $3,000 to $4,000.

To help pay for Democrats’ budget proposal, Porter said the state should increase cigarette and alcohol taxes, scale back the school voucher program, and halt future tax cuts.
 

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.