DeLaney: ‘Republican budget lacks vision for the state’

INDIANAPOLIS – State Representative Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) today issued the following statement on the passage of the 2021 state biennial budget, which was sent to the governor's desk earlier today:

“The new funds from the American Rescue Plan and our updated fiscal forecast changed the playing field,” DeLaney said. “For years, my colleagues and I have been calling for fair investments in traditional public schools and raising teacher pay. I stood on the House floor and proposed a minimum $40,000 salary for our teachers. Now that plan is in the budget. It seems the new funds have left the supermajority short on excuses to ignore the demands of the voters for action on these issues.

“These are all things that we should have done years ago. We're playing catch-up when we need to be looking forward.

“Where is the vision? What is the future that the supermajority sees for Indiana? Nearly two billion dollars in this budget are tucked away for vague future uses. Our constituents deserve to know that we have a clear plan to overcome the challenges we're facing. We have an opportunity and need the will to act.

“The greatest failure of this budget is the decision to tax Hoosier's unemployment benefits while using tax dollars to replace employer contributions to unemployment insurance. We could have boosted the finances of Hoosiers in this trying time. Instead, we're clinging to the same old policies that hold them back. It's time for new ideas.

“We need to strengthen our public health systems. We need to tackle the threats to our environment. We need to invest in our colleges and universities and the infrastructure of the future. The world is changing at a rapid pace. The people of Indiana deserve a government that reflects that and can lead our state into a better tomorrow.”

DeLaney voted for House Bill 1001.