INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday said he will continue launching new projects even as he enters his final 12 months in office.

Holcomb, who is term-limited after nearly 8 years in office, said it’s “sentimental” to think about entering his final year in office.

“When you kind of sit back and think, I’m writing my last State of the State address, or this is the second to the last scouting luncheon speech, or this will be the last time I go to fill-in-the-blank, there, it becomes extra special, I guess you could say,” he said.

2024 session plans

Holcomb said he will wait for his State of the State speech on Jan. 9 to provide details about his 2024 legislative agenda but said he will continue to focus on economic development, workforce development, and community development. He said he wants to focus on landing projects and launching new ones, particularly in the mobility, life sciences, and defense industries.

“There’s an awful lot of new to do and I don’t want anyone thinking this is going to be about a year of ribbon cuttings,” he said.

The 2024 legislative session is not a budget session and is only scheduled to last until March 14, about two months. House and Senate leaders have said they want to focus on ways to improve Indiana’s reading comprehension scores and reduce chronic student absenteeism. Numbers from the Indiana Department of Education show nearly 1 in 5 students were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year and a similar proportion of third-graders can’t read at grade level.

Holcomb said his legislative agenda will address those issues as well. He said he suspects the absenteeism rates contribute to the reading score problem, though it’s not the sole cause. The governor said Indiana has improved its math scores in recent years and that experience, coupled with the implementation of Science of Reading techniques, means the state should see some improvement.

The LEAP District

Perhaps Holcomb’s largest project this year was the LEAP District, a high-tech research park planned for Boone County. Holcomb and economic development officials broke ground for a Lilly research facility there this spring. Since then, landowners and local officials along the I-65 corridor have complained about a lack of transparency surrounding the project and have raised concerns about its impact on water quality and availability. Holcomb said the controversy doesn’t surprise him given the sheer scale of LEAP.

“There’s growing pains that go along with unprecedented new ways of thinking and doing,” he said, “We’re punching way above our weight class. We’re starting to get deals that would have gone to Arizona or Texas. That requires having sites that are conducive to those types of investments.”

Holcomb said land for the LEAP District was acquired voluntarily, not through eminent domain, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has been communicating with landowners throughout the process. He said the state will continue to work with landowners and local officials to ensure everyone is on the same page on the LEAP District and similar such projects in the future. As for the water issue, Holcomb said the Indiana Finance Authority will continue to review how much water Indiana has available and state utility regulators will monitor its use.

Looking ahead

Asked if there are any unfinished projects he wants to get to, Holcomb said he still wants to work on regional community development of the type encouraged by the READI program, such as outdoor amenities and healthcare initiatives. He said citizens and community leaders are expressing unprecedented interest in those issues.

Holcomb said he has not yet decided who, if anyone, he will endorse in either the gubernatorial or presidential primary. He said he doesn’t believe endorsements carry the same weight with voters they did 20 or 30 years ago. Holcomb said if he does make any endorsements, they will be based on who he believes has the best ideas for moving the state and the country forward.

.An extended interview with Gov. Holcomb will air Sunday on “All INdiana Politics” at 9:30 a.m.