Weekly Statehouse update: Braun budget proposal, House GOP and Black Caucus agendas

New Gov. Mike Braun unveils his budget proposal. House Republicans release their agenda. And the Black Legislative Caucus discusses its priorities for 2025.

Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

Gov. Mike Braun’s budget proposal

Braun’s budget proposal includes nearly $700 million in tax relief, inflationary funding increases for K-12 schools and enough money to eliminate child care waitlists. It’s built in part on Braun’s pledge to cut government spending by $700 million over the next two years.

House GOP agenda

The House Republican agenda looks to build on previous initiatives that aimed to bring down health care and housing costs. That includes a measure, HB 1005, to increase funding for a housing infrastructure loan program and a bill, HB 1004, that would revoke the non-profit status of hospitals charging significantly more for services than they receive from Medicare.
 

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Indiana Black Legislative Caucus agenda

And the Black Caucus’s focus for 2025 is physical and mental health care. Several of its bills increase or create new funding for programs such as maternal health care and repayment of medical school loans.

In a year when the state budget will likely be tight, Black Caucus members say investment up front is important to save money in the long run.

Find all the measures we're covering this legislative session on our 2025 bill tracker.
 

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