Gov. Holcomb Issues Op Ed Calling On the General Assembly To Return $1 Billion Of State Reserves To Hoosier Taxpayers
Let’s Not Wait To Spend a Billion Bucks Back to Hoosiers
By Governor Eric Holcomb
When the State of Indiana officially closed our fiscal books on June 30, we collected $1.24 billion dollars more than was last forecasted, which has created over $6 billion in reserves. In short, Indiana’s economy continues an unprecedented growth rate, thanks to employers and employees investing their time and talent right here at home.
You’ll recall our Automatic Tax Refund (ATR) formula kicked in earlier this year and the state began sending $125 to every taxpayer or $250 to those who file jointly, starting with those the Department of Revenue could transfer funds to electronically. Checks will be mailed for the remaining taxpayers beginning in August only because the specific paper supply required was delayed until then. Thank you for your patience.
But that delay could be a blessing in disguise. Â
That’s why I have called a Special Session to give an additional billion dollars back now, which would allow your August checks to read $350 versus $125. A 40-year high national rate of inflation is hitting Hoosiers daily and any tax funds the state holds beyond what is needed to operate state government and address unplanned events should be returned.
Hoosiers have long embraced speed. The General Assembly has the ability to act with swiftness this summer. We didn’t wait for a budget session in 2008 to permanently cap property taxes or earlier this year to cut personal income taxes and eliminate the utility services tax. We acted quickly because the moment called for it.
Indiana’s active fiscal stewardship has positioned us well over the last couple of decades. Our AAA credit rating is a direct reflection of these ongoing efforts. The Pre-1996 Teachers Retirement Fund was originally expected to require state support through 2060. Through the sustained discipline of making good on annual obligations as well as making $3.6 billion in additional contributions over the last two years, those appropriations are now on track to end by 2030 or sooner. In addition, we have paid off 26% of state debt obligations, helping us maintain our place as one of the states with the lowest debt per capita in the nation.
These prudent actions, coupled with the strength of Indiana’s economic rebound from the pandemic, position the state well to address a range of scenarios – including accounting for inflationary impacts on road and capital projects – when the next economic and revenue forecast is presented later this year. I will present a budget next year that calls for increases in K-12 education, state employee wages, our public health system and another round of READI programming because the need and local match is there.
And, contrary to some claims, sending all Hoosier taxpayers an upgraded $350 refund will not add to inflation. This “refund†is not like the trillions of federal dollars that were printed out of thin air and pumped into the national economy for months on end. These funds were already earned by taxpayers. Imagine if an employer said, “I’d give you a pay raise, my profits allow it, but that would just add to inflation, so please wait.â€
Returning $350 this August will help Hoosiers at the pump, the grocery or even sending kids back to school. It is the fairest and fastest way to help. But, if there is a better idea to help Hoosiers now meet their household budgets, my sleeves are rolled up and I’m ready to pass a better plan when we all meet later this month.
Braun Introduces Balanced Federal Budget To Fight Inflation
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Braun is introducing “The Braun Budget†– a balanced federal budget designed to throw the brakes on out-of-control government spending, fight inflation by bringing expenses and revenue into balance over 10 years, and unleash American prosperity by making the Trump tax cuts permanent.
Under to Congressional Budget Act, if the Senate Budget Committee fails to report a budget resolution by April 15th, any Senator can introduce their own budget and receive a vote on the Senate floor. That vote is expected to come sometime this week.
“Record high gas prices. A 9.1% inflation pay cut. Every American is paying for the President Biden’s big spending agenda and D.C.’s budget dysfunction. Americans are tired of it, and it’s clear President Biden has no plan to deal with the inflation bomb he created. That’s why I’m introducing my own balanced budget that fights inflation and unleashes American prosperity.†– Senator Mike Braun
The Braun Budget balances expenses and revenues over 10 years and saves over $4.5 trillion – without raising taxes – by capping total spending and dialing it back to 17.5% of potential GDP (the 50-year rolling average of revenue, regardless of tax policy).
Senator Braun’s budget provides for robust defense and extends the life of the Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid trust funds for the millions of seniors who rely on this program for their health care. The Budget also pulls back over $100 billion of the remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that had nothing to do with COVID in the first place and kicked off the inflation wave hurting American families.
The bill text can be accessed here.
Senator Braun announcing his budget plan on KUDLOW:
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Read the guide to Senator Braun’s balanced budget:
The Braun Budget is endorsed by the following organizations so far:
- ALEC Action
- Americans for Prosperity
- American Consumer Institute
- American for Tax Reform (ATR)
- Foundation for Government Accountability
- FreedomWorks
- Heritage Action
- National Taxpayers Union
- Taxpayer Protection Alliance
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- TPPF – States Trust
- R Street Institute
- Students for Life Action
Support for The Braun Budget:
“In just short two years, the socialist Democrats lead by Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi have turned our economy upside down with outrageous deficit spending and wasteful policies. Now, Bidenflation is at a 40-year high and hardworking Americans are feeling the pain in all aspects of life. It is time for strong conservatives to take a stand and push back against these failed policies. Senator Mike Braun is leading the charge to relieve the pain Americans are feeling. The Braun budget brings real relief by cutting spending and not raising taxes, all in an effort to combat the Democrats from causing more rampant inflation.â€Â – Matt Schlapp, CPAC Chairman,
“We thank Senator Braun for leading this fiscally responsible budget. This budget balances, cuts $2 trillion in taxes over ten years and implements reforms that will turn our country back toward the values and principles that have made us the freest and most prosperous nation in history. We desperately need selfless and bold leadership in Washington to empower individuals and pare back the government. Senator Braun’s budget does exactly this by outlining a positive vision for the future of our nation through free markets, decentralization of power, and choice.†– Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks
“American families are suffering from excessively high inflation not seen in four decades and a faltering economy due to Washington’s irresponsible policy choices. It is clear that Congress needs to change course and address the government spending that is fueling inflation. Senator Mike Braun is taking an important first step in that direction by putting forward a responsible budget resolution. Sen. Braun’s budget is a blueprint for rolling back excessive deficit spending, providing accountability, and growing our economy once again. Congress must then reject reckless spending bills and instead enact the legislation to carry out this budget.†– Garrett Bess, Vice President of Heritage Action
“Senator Mike Braun’s budget resolution lays out an alternative path to our current unsustainable course. His plan would balance the budget and limit spending to GDP growth, a policy that would encourage lawmakers to focus on pro-growth policies like extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Braun’s budget also makes important reforms to strengthen budget enforcement and improve scorekeeping at the Congressional Budget Office.†– National Taxpayers Union
“For far too long, the federal government has engaged in irresponsible overspending and with the latest inflation numbers, taxpayers are feeling the impact of these inflationary policies. Senator Braun’s sound budget proposal will not only balance the budget, but add transparency back to the budgeting process that has been absent for too long. We applaud Senator Braun for his commonsense solution to reign in the nation’s debt and hold elected officials accountable in serving the American taxpayer.†– Patrick Hedger, TPA Executive Director
“America desperately needs responsible Congressional budgeting. For too long, the federal government has engaged in reckless fiscal spending that has left the economy in a dire state. We welcome Senator Braun’s proposal to roll back excessive deficit spending, increase accountability, and lower inflation. Taxpayers need a fiscally responsible budget proposal that puts the economy back on its feet and holds the government accountable for its spending. Braun’s plan seeks to do just that.†- Krisztina Pusok, Research and Policy Director for the American Consumer Institute
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“We applaud Senator Braun for putting forward a budget that would move our country toward a path of fiscal sustainability. Lawmakers have a basic duty to put forward a fiscal plan for our country. Budgeting is about tradeoffs. If other lawmakers have a different vision for our country, they should put forward their budgets showing their priorities. Then, Congress should debate and enact a real governing budget, something they have failed to do for years. †- Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
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“The congressional budget resolution is supposed to set the stage for managing all aspects of the federal budget, including controlling the debt that has helped create today’s high inflation. Senator Braun deserves a lot of credit for bringing a responsible budget resolution to the Senate floor, an opportunity created by the failure of the Senate Budget Committee. Senator Braun’s framework would encourage Congress to control spending, adopt pro-growth tax and regulatory policies, follow a glide path to primary balance, strengthen budget practices and program authorizations, and put major entitlement programs on a sustainable path. We urge all senators to support consideration of this budget resolution.†- Kurt Couchman, Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy, Americans for Prosperity
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“The American people are currently grappling with the grave economic consequences of the disastrous Biden Administration. Every American has been harmed in the process, especially those who are trying to raise healthy, thriving children. In order to create a society that values life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we must produce responsible economic policies that empower American families. While President Biden and radical pro-abortion legislators focus on facilitating the genocide of innocent preborn babies, the pro-life movement is working to strengthen families, especially through economic means. The majority of Americans do not want to be made complicit in the violence of abortion by paying for it, which is why the people deserve a budget that includes the Hyde Amendment. Students for Life Action supports the Braun budget because it respects the will and hard-earned resources of taxpaying American families.†- Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life Action
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“Three cheers for Senator Braun’s budget, which ends the Democrats’ reconciliation threat to the American economy and forges a new path forward to American prosperity: low taxes, spending restraint, sensible regulations, unleashing American energy production, and securing the border.†– Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment
Mileposts In A Divided Land
Mileposts In A Divided Land
More than 60% of us—62%, in fact—are dissatisfied with the current array of political choices and think we need a third party.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Signs of disaffection for the political system are all around.
Poll after poll reveals that President Joe Biden’s standing with the public has plummeted. The most recent of them—a New York Times survey—pegged him at 32%.
Biden’s predecessor in the White House, Republican Donald Trump, spent all four of his years in the Oval Office underwater. His public approval rating never climbed above the middle 40s and the percentage of Americans who disapproved of him almost always was above 50%.
The most recent surveys show that 55% of Americans have a negative view of Trump. More troubling for him is the fact that roughly half of all Republicans think their party needs to move on from the twice-impeached former president.
Democrats also are far from enthralled with their leader, Biden. They, too, hunger for new blood and fresh options.
What accounts for all this alienation from our process of self-government?
It’s hard to know definitively, but there are several possible answers to that question.
One is that we Americans now define ourselves more by what we are against than what we are for.
Trump and his supporters base their fraudulent claims that he “won†the 2020 presidential election on the premise that there was no way Biden could have aroused wide and fervent support on his own.
There’s a sliver of truth in most great cons—just enough to make it plausible.
In this case, their argument that Joe Biden long ago had all signs of charisma surgically removed is accurate. He is not a figure who can make masses march.
But Trump’s analysis—such as it is—overlooks Trump’s own divisive magnetism.
A huge swath of the folks who voted for the Democratic ticket in 2020 didn’t do so because they supported Biden. No, they cast their ballots for Biden because they couldn’t stand Trump.
This led Biden and the Democrats to arrive at their own misguided conclusions. They thought the resounding popular vote victory Biden racked up was a mandate for their agenda.
It wasn’t.
Biden’s only real mandate was for him not to be Donald Trump. When he began to push a more specific agenda, Biden quickly found himself in political trouble.
But the disconnect in our political system is larger than the personalities of two leaders and the fleeting challenges of this moment in history.
That’s what the Gallup poll’s finding that nearly two-thirds of Americans see the two-party system as a kind of self-applied straitjacket, one they wish to escape.
They aren’t wrong.
The reality is that both the Democratic and Republican Parties have resembled Frankenstein monsters for years. They are creatures grafted out of disparate parts that move in ungainly fashion through a world that has come to fear both factions.
The truth is that we have had at least four real political parties in this country for much of this century—and perhaps even longer than that.
The Republicans have pushed social conservatives who are animated by issues such as opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage with free-market devotees who pray at the altars of low taxes and deregulation into an unholy union. For much of the 20th century, the economic conservatives held the ascendancy over the social conservatives, but the rise of Trump upended that pecking order.
Democrats are just as divided, as their dysfunctional relationship with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, demonstrates. They are split into factions of progressive Democrats who are driven by desires to craft a more diverse, equal and inclusive society and more traditional liberals who think in terms of preserving labor rights and a social safety net.
At this time, largely because they’re terrified of Trump’s often irrational rages, Republicans seem more able to paper over their internal differences than Democrats.
Once fear of Trump no longer unifies them, Republicans too may engage in the same sort of savage intramural strife that has plagued Democrats.
But the reality is that neither party, as currently constructed, can command a majority of the public’s support.
That’s why so many Americans wish they had a wider set of choices.
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The opinions expressed by the author do not represent the views of Franklin College.
How About Giving Me A Break
How About Giving Me A Break
By Dannie McIntire
JULY 20 2022
I admit to being continually baffled by the Washington D.C. mindset of our government.Â
The month June brought bad news for “us†folks on Social Security. The federal government just announced that thru May, the year-to-date inflation rate in America has hit 9.1 percent.Â
Let’s see, the Social Security increase for 2022 was 5.9 percent, which means senior citizens who rely on their Social Security benefit for the bulk of their yearly retirement income, with inflation figured in, have so far taken a 3.2 percent “pay cut†this year.
So while “us†senior citizens are taking a “pay cutâ€, I come upon an article on the Fox News Site detailing that our government has just announced that a $171.7 million taxpayer-funded contract has been awarded to the Vera Institute of Justice, to provide legal assistance to unaccompanied minors who have been apprehended coming into our country illegally.
Let me say that again, the Biden administration is spending $171.7 million taxpayer dollars to give legal representation to a group of people who have no legal right to be in our country.Â
Give Me A Break! Let’s see what else is going on?
President Biden just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, fist bumping Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while there to beg the Saudis to produce more oil for America and the west. Let me think back, before President Biden took office America was oil independent in 2019 for the first time since 1957. Oh, yea, shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline project, it makes more environmental sense to transport that oil using trains and trucks actually increasing the carbon footprint in transporting that oil, while making its transportation less safe, think “rail and vehicle accidentsâ€.
Give Me A Break! Let’s see what else is going on?
Washington D.C. democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser is complaining that it has become a “significant issue†in that the Washington D.C. homeless shelters are being filled with illegal immigrants from the border who are being tricked on to buses in Texas.Â
Mayor Browser wants the federal government to get involved and stop these people from being tricked into getting on buses and sent north.
Hey, I have an idea Mayor Browser, how about asking your democratic cohort in the White House to actually protect our southern border to stop the illegal immigration that is flooding Texas? Do that and guess what? You eliminate those pesky buses coming into your city.
Let’s see what else can raise my blood pressure this morning.
Great news, the University Of Pennsylvania has nominated their transgender athlete, “Lia Thomasâ€, for the NCAA “Woman of The Year†award. How in even the “woke world†can an individual born of the male sex be nominated as the NCAA woman athlete of the year?Â
Women fought hard through the years to equalize their collegiate sports opportunities with the men’s programs, now the easiest way for a male to “win in a sport†is to proclaim you are a woman and compete in their division. Can no one but me see how unfair this is to our true women athletes?Â
Give Me A Break! This next one sent me to add a splash of something stiffer in my coffee.
“Demi Minorâ€, a transgender male prisoner in the women’s only Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey, is being transferred to another facility after impregnating two fellow women inmates.
Now I “halfway apologize†for my next statement, but everyone who was involved with the decision to house a transgender male in a women’s prison and did not foresee this happing should have the word “STUPID†tattooed on their forehead!Â
Enough said, Give Me A Break!Â
Lazor, Looze Named to USA Swimming Duel in the Pool Roster
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Two breaststroke swimmers with ties to Indiana swimming and diving were named to USA Swimming’s 2022 Duel in the Pool roster on Tuesday (July 19).
IU senior Mackenzie Looze and Indiana Swim Club’s Annie Lazor each earned selections ahead of the competition, an international meet between Team USA and Australia set for August 19-21 in Sydney, Australia. This year’s event will be the first rendition of the competition since 2015.
Lazor competed for Team USA earlier this summer at the 2022 FINA World Championships, where she finished 13th in the 50-meter breaststroke (30.89). At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Lazor earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter event.
Looze had strong performances in the world championships qualifying event, the Phillips 66 International Team Trials, in April. She reached the A final in all four events she swam and earned top-five finishes in the 200 IM (2:13.28) and 400 IM (4:44.95). A five-time All-American, Looze has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her four seasons at IU.
Indiana SANE Project Receives $1.46 Million To Improve Care Of Sexual Assault, Abuse Victims
The Indiana SANE Training Project, an initiative of the University of Southern Indiana and Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), has received $1.46 million in federal and state funding to continue and expand its work training nurses and healthcare professionals to improve care for victims of sexual assault and abuse throughout Indiana.
The Indiana SANE Training Project provides medical forensic education, training, resources, and clinical support to healthcare providers and offers funding assistance to cover the costs associated with this specialized training. Access to a trained medical forensic provider, often referred to as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), improves patient outcomes and aids in successful prosecution of offenders.
In 2018, Southwest Indiana AHEC was the recipient of a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for Advanced Nursing Education for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE). This three-year award, worth more than $1 million, established the Indiana SANE Training Project. Recently, the project was awarded an additional $966,692 to support the ANE-SANE project for two more years and continue its efforts focusing on rural and underserved communities.
In addition, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) has awarded the project $500,000 over two years, which will support education to organizations partnering with IDOH to expand access to medical forensic services at locations beyond emergency departments, including several clinics throughout the state.
“This new funding will allow our project to further expand training opportunities for nurses to improve clinical competence and confidence to ensure high quality forensic medical care to victims of crime across the state,†said Jane Friona, Executive Director of Southwest Indiana AHEC.
Since the project’s inception in late 2018, there have been more than 15 new SANE programs developed at hospitals and other care settings in the state of Indiana, and the project has supported more than 350 nurses receiving medical forensic training, according to Friona.
“The Indiana SANE Training Project has certainly made an impact on the number of SANE programs offered in the state, especially in rural areas,†said Friona. “When looking at the number of counties offering adult/adolescent SANE services, there has been an increase of 40% since starting this project, and the number of counties offering pediatric SANE services has nearly doubled.â€
Southwest Indiana AHEC began as a regional center in 2008 and is hosted by the University of Southern Indiana in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. SWI-AHEC is part of a national network with a mission to improve health by leading the nation in the recruitment, training and retention of a diverse health workforce for underserved communities.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving healthcare to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $966,692. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
For questions, to be involved with the Indiana SANE Training Project or for more information, email Friona at jefriona@usi.edu.
SUSAN G KOMEN-GET INVOLVED
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HOORAY! PEPPA PIG LIVE! PEPPA PIG’S ADVENTURE WILL VISIT OLD NATIONAL EVENTS PLAZA ON NOVEMBER 8
Evansville, IN - July 19, 2022 – Hasbro and Round Room Live are thrilled to announce Peppa Pig Live! Peppa Pig’s Adventure will bring the loveable, cheeky little piggy to live audiences at Old National Events Plaza this fall.
Come join Peppa Pig on an exciting camping trip in the woods with George and her school friends, including Pedro Pony, Suzy Sheep and Gerald Giraffe. With lunchboxes packed and Daddy Pig driving the bus, Peppa and friends are excited about their outdoor adventures, full of singing, dancing, games and surprises. Little piggies everywhere will love this 60-minute live musical experience! Plus, kids big and small can make the most of Peppa’s Adventure by jumping in a mud puddle alongside Peppa Pig & Friends at the one-of-a-kind photo experience
Fans can visit www.peppapigliveus.com now for more information. Follow Peppa Pig Live! on social media for pre-sale access for newly announced cities and exclusive tour content.
 Ticket Information:Â
What:                  Peppa Pig LIVE! Peppa Pig’s Adventure
When:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tuesday, November 8, 2022 @ 6:00pm
Where: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Old National Events Plaza
Tickets: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tickets start at $25 plus applicable fees and tax. Meet and greet is $50 per ticket at any level. Children age 2 and older require a ticket.
Each adult and child (age two and up) in a group must have a Photo Experience ticket to attend. The Photo Experience will start shortly after the end of the show.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the Old National Events Plaza Box Office. For more information about the Aiken Theatre, visit www.oldnationaleventsplaza.com.
