Fighting coronavirus tops Gov. Eric Holcomb’s 2021 legislative agenda
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday unveiled his legislative agenda for the 2021 legislative session.
Fighting the coronavirus pandemic is what Holcomb said is the biggest issues he wants to address.
“Managing through the surge and safely accelerating out of this pandemic will remain priority No. 1,” Holcomb said. “Our response and recovery efforts are all geared toward protecting lives and livelihoods.”
To keep that momentum, Holcomb wants to start a comprehensive assessment of state-delivered public health services and local health departments.
“This is just an honest assessment that ‘Hey, what are we learning through this crisis? What happens in the future? Because we don’t know and we want to be prepared for that. We want to make sure that in terms of communication, in terms of resources, in terms of nimbleness,’” the governor said.
Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 79 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 6,860. The department also said 6,458 more Hoosiers tested positive for the virus. A total of 447,190 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19.
Also on the legislative agenda for 2021 is teacher compensation. Last year, thousands of teachers marched on Indianapolis, demanding action. The Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission report released this week calls for boosting Hoosier average teacher pay to $60,000 annually. State leaders said it would have to come up with about $600 million to do that.
“What I’ve said in the past is I think that there needs to be an average, you know, beginning and an average teacher salary in the state of Indiana that is equal to or better than all of our competition in the Midwest,” Holcomb said.
The governor said he has read the report and will read it again. It outlines dozens of suggestions for state leaders and local school districts to consider, to reach that goal.
“As we continue to put more and prioritize increasing dollars to the top of that funnel, we want to make sure it gets into teacher paychecks. We will have to continue to partner, as we have, with Superintendents, with principals, with teachers, to realize that,” Holcomb said.
The Governor’s Office launched an online dashboard Thursday where you can compare average full-time teacher salaries and compensation, among the state’s school districts.
Infrastructure is another focus of Holcomb’s legislative agenda. The governor said he wants to take care of the roads Indiana has and finish what the state has started. His agenda calls for finishing the final section of the Interstate 69 extension, which is 26 miles from Martinsville to Indianapolis.
Holcomb says he wants the infrastructure momentum to keep driving forward.
“Building the new road projects we need in all 92 counties. Like completing I-69’s section six before I leave office. And finishing the process to obtain a record of decision for a new Evansville I-69 bridge. And making progress on an Indy to South Bend cruise control US 31 and major corridor improvements on US 30. We are full speed ahead on building out 2 of America’s biggest public transit rail projects.” Holcomb said Thursday.
Responses to Governor Holcomb’s 2021 legislative agenda
“Hoosiers are struggling across our state right now. It’s imperative that any policy agenda recognize this and provide real solutions that Hoosiers can access immediately. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t even know we were in the middle of a public health crisis when looking at the governor’s agenda. This pandemic brought to light many of the ways Indiana is lacking in its support for our residents.
Where is the support for working Hoosiers? We should be pushing for better workers’ compensation benefits for those who get sick on the job and finding ways for all Hoosiers to have access to paid leave to take care of their families. We certainly shouldn’t be giving businesses liability protections for not following basic safety measures to keep their workers healthy.
Where is the help for Hoosiers who have lost their jobs or seen their wages reduced due to the health pandemic? The governor made no mention of fixing the months-long delays in Unemployment Insurance payments for folks who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The governor made no mention of helping the hardest hit in our communities not lose their homes. Where is any assistance with rent or mortgage payments? Where is any mention of state support of foodbanks that are stretched incredibly thin right now? There is nothing in this agenda that gives our neighbors the real help that they need now.
Where is a concrete commitment to Hoosier teachers? Our educators can’t stand another year of half-truths or false promises. Democrats in the Statehouse have long proposed many of the recommendations the governor’s own teacher pay commission shared. There needs to be a firm effort to approve our creative and fiscally-responsible ways to guarantee teachers are paid a living wage. The governor’s promise to just read a report isn’t good enough.
Where is the governor’s promise to pass police and justice reform measures? This past summer, the governor told Hoosiers he would listen to civil rights leaders and communities of color to create a plan that ensures our justice system treats everyone fairly, no matter their background. There is not one single mention of his commitment to racial justice after a year where we saw clear problems in the ways law enforcement treats our citizens.
Where is the priority to give more Hoosiers access to their vote? COVID-19 showed how important policies such as no-excuse absentee voting or secure ballot drop boxes are to supporting our free and fair elections.
The governor may feel these issues are not priorities, but I can assure you that Senate Democrats will listen to the real needs of all Hoosiers. We will demand more support for our state’s working class. We will demand increased access to your right to vote. We will demand real teacher pay increases. We will demand that all Hoosiers find equal representation under the law.”
Greg Taylor, (D) Indianapolis
“Two issues immediately stood out to me in the governor’s next agenda. First, I am pleased that the governor continues to put emphasis on the protection of pregnant women in their workplaces.
However, I would remind him that it was his own Republican party members in the Senate who killed the bill that would have provided those necessary workplace protections. Hopefully, his commitment to this issue is strong enough to rally his party around that legislation this session. Democrats are ready to protect pregnant workers if he can get his party in line.
In addition, we can all agree that finding long-term solutions to providing teacher salary increases is a must right now. Just look at the resourcefulness and dedication our teachers have shown during this pandemic.
Previous proposals by the Senate Democrats provide some of the solutions to these issues. For years, we have offered both immediate and long-term teacher pay legislation.
I will once again be offering my own teacher pay bill that will provide for sustainable pay increases for many years to come. My teacher pay plan checks off lots of the boxes that the governor’s own compensation commission suggested.
Once the state budget bill makes its way to the Senate, I will offer my comprehensive teacher pay package. We have the money, and we have the mechanisms to provide competitive wages for educators.”
Sen. Karen Tallian, (D) Olden Dunes, Ind.
“We are undoubtedly heading into one of our most important legislative sessions. All across the state, Hoosier families struggle to make ends meet during this difficult time. Yet, when you look at the governor’s priorities for 2021, there seems to be a glaring lack of solutions for the Hoosiers who are most in need.
We are on the verge of an eviction crisis, yet there was no mention in the governor’s address about protecting Hoosiers who are at risk of losing their homes during this pandemic. There was no mention of providing Hoosiers with assistance to pay for their utilities as we head into winter. At the moment, our state still boasts $300M in coronavirus relief funds, and I urge the governor to make it a focus to have those funds directed to the residents in need of housing and utility assistance.
The governor’s failure to clearly commit to raising teacher pay this year was also a cause for concern. Simply reading the recommendations from the teacher compensation report will not suffice as a solution. Let’s be clear: we cannot afford to kick the can down the road a moment longer. We need to deliver for our Hoosier teachers, who have extended themselves even more than usual this year as we dealt with this virus. I strongly encourage the governor to urge his Republican caucus to make teacher pay raises a nonnegotiable priority this year.
It was also incredibly disappointing to see no mention of racial justice or police reform in the governor’s agenda. This year, we saw people all across the globe stand in solidarity with urban communities in the fight for racial justice and equality. It’s essential that our state makes progress in this area; requiring body cameras, and only for state police, is not nearly enough.
The fact that police reform is not a top priority for the governor, following the events of this summer and after several meetings with the IBLC, is deeply worrisome. I hope the governor renews his promise to create a plan to address these glaring issues in our criminal justice system. Our state government cannot put this on the backburner, and I hope the governor will show support for the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus’s agenda this year– which was created after speaking with thousands of Hoosiers across the state.
As always, Senate Democrats stand ready to work with the governor and our colleagues across the aisle to ensure every voice is heard in the legislative process and that we address the big issues impacting everyday families.”
Sen. Eddie Melton, (D) Gary, Ind.
“I am extremely disappointed in Governor Holcomb’s failure to address the racial justice issues and disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on Black and Brown communities in our state. He spoke for 15 minutes on completing highways and improving our manufacturing capacity, but didn’t take the time to address his new Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Officer by name.
Additionally, it is unreasonable to suggest that a new Cabinet position, regardless of who is appointed, will be able to adequately address and resolve the abundance of racial disparities occurring in our state without significant support. The IBLC certainly plans to collaborate with Ms. Herring where we can, but the Governor must also make that commitment.
While we join Governor Holcomb in celebrating the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines, we cannot help but wonder how many Black and Brown lives could have been saved if the Governor had heeded our recommendations and seriously tackled the racial disparity amongst cases. The release of the Indiana Health Disparities Task Force’s findings laid it out for all Hoosiers to see, but very little change has come from it. The rare mention of minorities in the Governor’s agenda refers to additional data collection, but no specific action. What use is all this data if we aren’t going to do anything with it?
“In one of the IBLC’s many efforts to resolve the glaring racial justice issues in our state, I will co-author a game-changing, bipartisan bill regarding the hiring and training process for law enforcement officers. This bill has the potential to change the course of the relationship between law enforcement and minority communities, but will fail without the Governor’s support. I urge Governor Holcomb to speak up and keep justice reform alive for the sake of all Hoosiers.”
Rep. Robin Shackleford, (D) Indianapolis, Chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus.
“While there are a number of priorities House Democrats can agree with in Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda, I’m disappointed to see that he has failed to propose a better plan for the financial recovery of struggling Hoosiers amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” GiaQuinta said. “We’re quickly approaching the holidays as well as the end of the national eviction moratorium. I understand the importance of Indiana’s ability to maintain a stable economy throughout this pandemic, but it would be irresponsible to continue neglecting Hoosiers who have been unable to work due to illness or have lost jobs because they needed to stay home with their children. This is not the time to drop the ball when it comes to providing financial security to all Hoosiers.
Not only that, but it also doesn’t look like he has any plans to address the racial justice issues underscored by the events of this year or the disproportionate effects COVID-19 has had on minority populations. The appointment of a new chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer barely scratches the surface of what needs to be done to improve the lives of people of color in Indiana.
That being said, I’m pleased to see that Holcomb has confirmed his commitment to provide 100 percent funding for K-12 schools. House Democrats have always fought for an increase in teacher compensation and public school funding and it’s a relief that the governor is in agreement.
I was also thrilled to see that Holcomb has established his support for providing stronger pregnancy accommodations for Hoosier women. Last year, my colleague, Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis), authored a bill that would have prohibited an employer from discriminating against an employee who has a condition related to childbirth or pregnancy. I am hopeful that we will see legislation like this pass in the 2021 Session.
It’s difficult to take stock in Governor Holcomb’s promise to gain control of the COVID-19 pandemic when he’s failed to install legitimate protections for our families throughout 2020. More than 7,000 Hoosiers have passed away from this virus, and even Holcomb himself admitted the state was ‘on fire’ — but he still chose to put his politics before the facts on the ground.
Democrats in the Statehouse will work tirelessly to ensure Indiana can come out of this pandemic stronger than before, but that effort begins when all parties are honest about the reality of our situation.”
Phil GiaQuinta, (D) Fort Wayne, Ind.
“We face an important and challenging session ahead, and I look forward to working with Governor Holcomb and our Senate colleagues to accomplish our shared legislative priorities while continuing to manage through the pandemic. We’ll be focused on a number of common objectives, including passing a fiscally responsible budget and business liability protections, in addition to supporting our students and educators, and improving our infrastructure. We look forward to having a safe and productive session.”
Todd Huston, (R) Indiana House Speaker