The Indiana General Assembly will convene on Jan. 8 into late April to craft new laws and set various budget items for the next few years.
It will also be the first session that Governor elect Mike Braun will preside over. And according to a few state representatives, this budget session may be a tough one.
Rep. Matt Pierce (D-District 61) said that in previous years, the legislative body had stimulus money to play with from the federal government.
“The last two budget cycles were pretty easy,” he said. “It was kind of fighting over where to spend all the extra money. Now it looks like it’s going to be pretty tight. And my concern is that what’s going to end up happening is people kind of in the lower end of things are going to be the ones who get hurt.”
Listen: 2025 Indiana legislative session starts on January 8
One of the specific issues representatives plan to tackle is funding Medicaid. Over two million Hoosiers are on Medicaid, and Rep. Bruce Borders (R-District 45) said that without those extra federal dollars, it will be difficult to support that many citizens.
“We just can't keep doing that,” he said. “In fact, what Jeff (Thompson) told me was that, again, it will rule the roost of our budget, if we don't deal with it.”
Borders also noted that rebuilding I-70 and adding an additional lane to the highway throughout the state is a priority for him and his peers.
The other priority this session; Pre-K school funding. Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-District 40) said that only three percent of Hoosier families make too much to receive a private school voucher, whereas the Pre-K funding is much more restrictive.
“For Pre-K, a family of four can make no more than about $40,000,” she said. “That is not equitable. That is not fair. And, so, the fight should really be about, let’s make sure that our families are fully supported in getting their kids into Pre-K.”
Other issues that are bound to crop up this session include property taxes, medical marijuana, and abortion rights.
Read more: Outgoing Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb looks back on eight years in office — and at what’s next
