GiaQuinta, Porter look forward to legislative input on stimulus spending
INDIANAPOLIS - House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) and State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) today stressed the importance of providing much-needed legislative input on the spending of American Rescue Plan dollars.
“Now that the General Assembly is in session, we expect a seat at the table when decisions are being made about the $3 billion that Indiana can expect to receive in new federal dollars,” GiaQuinta said. “More than the governor and his selected committee, we know what matters most to our communities and where aid is most needed.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that we’re putting money in the right places, and that we’re doing this as efficiently as possible. House Democrats have continuously advocated to get more funding to our schools, small businesses and families who are struggling to recover from the ongoing pandemic.
“There is too much at stake to let what happened with our CARES Act dollars happen again, nor should it. We are here, we are ready and we are eager to do the work to lift a little weight off of Hoosiers' shoulders.”
As the Ranking Minority Member on the House Ways and Means Committee, Porter has relentlessly pleaded with the Governor to include the General Assembly’s expertise on the distribution of federal relief money.
“We need to act quickly to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and get resources to the Hoosiers who need it most, which is why it would be a mistake to turn over another blank check from the federal government to Governor Holcomb,” Porter said. “Distributing an aid package of this size will require robust oversight and legislature involvement to ensure benefits meant for the people do not end up going to a state slush fund again.
“The legislature and its budgeting entities, like the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee and State Budget Committee, have proved their ability to collaborate for the betterment of the state’s fiscal health. We are a part-time legislature that is conveniently in session and ready to help the Holcomb administration distribute the largest stimulus package in our nation’s history. I will continue to urge my colleagues in the House to speak up for our right to represent our districts and their needs.”