Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence will depart on a day-long jobs and economic development mission to the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit tomorrow to strengthen Indiana’s relationships with automotive industry leaders and market Indiana’s business development success story.

“Indiana has a legacy in automotive innovation, beginning with our early days in auto racing and continuing today,” said Pence. “That legacy has helped Indiana become a leader in developing and implementing automotive technologies and is a chief reason why top players in the industry are dedicating their valuable time to meet with our team, providing the opportunity to tell Indiana’s story as a state that works for the automotive industry.”

During the trip, the governor will attend the NAIAS at Detroit’s Cobo Center where he will visit exhibition booths and meet with leaders from the world’s most influential automotive companies, including Honda, Subaru, Chevrolet, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Toyota. He will also visit the NAIAS exhibition booth of Japan-based AISIN. In addition to his visit to the auto show, he will hold a meeting with Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors, as well as meetings with Italy-based companies OMR and Sirmax.

NAIAS is one of the most prestigious automotive shows in the world. With more than 34,000 attendees joining automotive professionals representing 2,000 companies from around the globe, NAIAS previews more than 500 vehicles, providing first looks at new vehicle models and automotive technologies and innovations.

“Indiana-built cars are keeping the world—and Indiana’s economy—moving,” said Pence. “Our state’s automotive industry is the second largest in the nation, creating jobs for Hoosiers at assembly plants and hundreds of companies across the state. At the North American International Auto Show we’ll be meeting with global auto companies and suppliers, strengthening our existing ties and continuing the conversation of why Indiana works for their industry and why our Hoosier workforce has the experience and skills to build the best vehicles in the world.”

Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith and Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) staff will accompany the Governor for the one-day trip, building practical connections and strengthening existing relationships between Indiana and the automotive industry. The cost of the state delegation is being covered through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation.

Home to four original equipment manufacturer assembly plants and more than 650 automotive suppliers, Indiana’s motor vehicle industry is the second largest by gross domestic product in the United States, producing more than $9.8 billion in goods annually. With manufacturers and suppliers across the state, Indiana produced more than 1.1 million cars and light trucks in 2013. In addition, the automotive industry directly employs more than 124,000 workers in Indiana and experienced a 32 percent growth rate since 2010.

The governor will depart for Detroit tomorrow morning and return to Indiana that afternoon.

Indianapolis – In a letter sent today to Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Governor Mike Pence encourages Congress to take on reforming the corporate tax code and repealing the medical device tax.

In 2014, Governor Pence signed into law legislation that will reduce Indiana’s state corporate tax rate to 4.9 percent by 2022, making Indiana’s corporate tax rate one of the lowest in the nation. And thanks to pro-growth and pro-business policies enacted in recent years, Indiana led the nation in manufacturing job growth in 2014 and ranked 6^th in the nation last November for largest growth rate in private sector jobs.

In his letter, the Governor explains, “Our economic success and ability to grow jobs, however, is significantly impacted by policies at the federal level. Indiana cannot compete for investments with other states if companies will not even consider locating in any of our United States due to the federal corporate tax rate.  Reducing the corporate tax rate will allow states to compete more effectively on the world stage and encourage the kind of job growth we hope to see for all Americans.”

In a state that ranks second in the nation in exports of life sciences products at a value of more than $9.7 billion, Governor Pence has worked tirelessly for the repeal of the medical device tax.

“Medical device entrepreneurs should be allowed to innovate and grow without facing an industry specific tax,” writes the Governor. “Repeal of the medical device tax will let these companies expand and grow jobs in Indiana and across the country.  It is the right thing to do, and I hope the Congress will be able to move forward with repeal legislation early this year.”

The life sciences industry provides a $55 billion impact to Indiana’s economy.  Life sciences companies employ more than 55,000 Hoosiers, with 20,000 of them in medical device-related jobs.  Between 2002 and 2009, Indiana added 5,600 medical device sector jobs. In addition, medical device companies pay 56 percent more than the average wage in Indiana, and 53 percent of jobs in the medical device industry do not require a college degree.

The Governor’s letter in full can be found attached.