Weekly Statehouse Update: State Of The State, Holcomb Shuts Down Government Buildings

Gov. Eric Holcomb delivered a very different State of the State address, while legislative activity was halted all week over security concerns. 

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

Holcomb’s State Of The State Address

Holcomb’s State of the State largely focused on the agenda and budget proposals he’d unveiled over the last several weeks: spending hundreds of millions of state budget reserve dollars to pay off debt; increasing K-12 education funding by $377 million over the next two years; more money for worker training programs; continued infrastructure improvements and more.

The speech’s sole new announcement was a regional development program, focused on improving quality of life across the state, aimed at helping boost recovery after the pandemic.

Holcomb’s speech looked and sounded different, though, because, for the first time, it was pre-recorded away from the Statehouse. That was after FBI warnings about armed protests at all 50 state capitols around the presidential inauguration.

READ MORE: How Do I Follow Indiana's Legislative Session? Here's Your Guide To Demystify The Process

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Sunday ‘Stop The Steal’ Rally

No one showed up Sunday for a “Stop The Steal” rally at the Indiana Statehouse despite FBI warnings of armed protests planned for all 50 state capitols.

There were flyers posted on light poles around the Statehouse advertising a daylong “Stop The Steal” rally across downtown Indianapolis, with the event beginning at the Statehouse at noon.

But more than an hour later, the only person around the building (other than several journalists) was a lone man with a sign advocating an end to the “War on Drugs.”

Legislative Session, State Government Buildings Shut Down

Gov. Eric Holcomb shut down state government buildings in Indianapolis for most of the last week. He said it’s out of “an abundance of caution” surrounding threats to other state capitols related to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and the recent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The governor’s office said there are still no credible threats against the Indiana Statehouse.

The state government complex – already closed Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday – will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday. In a statement, Holcomb said he wants to “err on the side of caution.”