Terry Spradlin, the executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association, listens to a Ways and Means committee member on Feb. 6, 2025. Photo by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Whitney Downard
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly 100 Hoosiers trekked to the Indiana Statehouse Thursday, many seeking to convince lawmakers to restore funding lost under Gov. Mike Braun’s budget proposal.

With tight forecasted revenues, Braun opted to curtail agency expenses in favor of state tax relief. Testimony on Thursday responded to Braun’s budget; House lawmakers will introduce their own version next week.

Dozens pitched a bevy of programs slashed or eliminated by Braun, from dual-language classrooms and juvenile recidivism prevention to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the direct flights program. Testimony lasted six hours before the House Ways and Means Committee.

Moderately wealthy Hoosiers pushed for the expansion of the state’s voucher program for non-public schools. The program currently excludes only those earning more than roughly $220,000 — about three times the median Hoosier family income of $70,051. Families making more than $200,000 are the fastest-growing segment of voucher growth.

Braun’s budget would remove all income caps.

Other families with disabled children praised the state’s Education Savings Accounts, which fund education expenses for those families. Braun has been a vocal proponent of expanding school choice.

“I knew … this was going to be a very challenging year for all of us,” summarized Denny Costerison, who spoke on behalf of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials.

Costerison said he’d testified on the budget each year since 1981. He kept his comments brief, recognizing the few publicly available details on school funding, but promised lawmakers he’d continue advocating on behalf of Indiana’s schools.

Others said they were “grateful” for their flat funding, like Emily Bryant with Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, who said that food banks would continue to receive $2 million under the proposed budget.

In the face of grim revenue projections, some pointed to untapped opportunities: such as increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol purchases to fund mental health shortfalls.

Other topics included salaries for Indiana State Police officers, funding for the CHOICE Board and tourism dollars.

Conservation Efforts

Several groups made the case for increasing dollars dedicated to the Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust Fund and trails.

Environmentalists said trust funding of $10 million in the last budget cycle had been used in the past to leverage matching funds to further stretch dollars. Pushing that fund to $15 million — up from the $10 million in the budget proposal — could do even more, several said.

“When you invest public dollars in the Harrison trust or the Next Level Trails program, you’re getting a good return on (your) investment,” said Tim Maloney on behalf of the Indiana Conservation Alliance. “So when you think about what’s the best way to spend state money — these programs have a track record.”

Outdoor programming supporting trails and other amenities can spur economic development and encourage Hoosiers to exercise, improving quality of life, supporters said.

Investing In The State’s Military Bases

Several Hoosiers advocated for a new line item in the proposed budget: a military base infrastructure grant program.

As outlined in an accompanying bill, which hasn’t yet received a hearing, the annual $25 million fund would be administered by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., which houses the Indiana Defense Task Force.

Matt Craig, the director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana, urges House lawmakers to invest in military base infrastructure improvements. Photo by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

“The aging infrastructure of our Indiana military bases threatens mission readiness and sustainability,” said Matt Craig, the director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Martin County focuses on engineering and technical support, offering higher-than-average salaries for the area, continued Craig.

Aside from the economic development boost, Craig warned that not investing in such facilities could put Indiana at risk of “Base Realignment and Closure,” a process where the Department of Defense may close select military installations.

Nearly half a dozen other states had created such infrastructure funds, despite the fact that most such buildings are owned and operated by the federal government — a flag for committee Democrats.

“It seems to me, our first step has to be to ask our federal friends to do their jobs,” quipped Rep. Ed DeLaney, an Indianapolis Democrat.

Supporters from around the state pointed to these military bases as key community partners, despite struggles with utilities like water and electricity.

Veterans advocate Lisa Wilken also flagged the movement of money from the Veterans Trust Fund, a savings account funded by private donations. Wilken said the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs had been permitted to take a combined $2.25 million in the last budget cycle for other programming — now up to $2.5 million in the budget proposal.

She asked lawmakers to directly fund the agency, rather than allowing it to use funds from the trust, which she said had roughly $11 million left.