Porter amendment to responsibly fund Westville Correctional Facility rebuild blocked by Republicans

Today on the House floor, Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis), ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, offered an amendment to House Bill 1290 to responsibly finance the Westville Correctional Facility rebuild. Republicans blocked the amendment procedurally.

Porter's amendment would have capped cash funding of the Westville Correctional Facility rebuild at the amount specifically appropriated in the 2021 budget. Beyond that cash appropriation, any additional costs, which are now estimated to be about $750 million, would be financed through bond issuances.

Porter released the following statement:

“Bonds are apparently the bogeyman of the General Assembly – the supermajority is terrified of them, it seems. I'd like to set the record straight by pointing out that bonds are a healthy tool to use to accomplish our fiscal objectives. Our AAA credit rating is pointless if we don't make use of it by responsibly financing capital projects with bonds.

“My amendment would have freed up close to a half-billion dollars to invest in what matters most: the people. That much money could accomplish a lot, from eliminating the textbook tax and raising teacher pay to investing in public health or cutting taxes for the working class. It's a shame the supermajority would rather pay for a prison in cash than invest in the people.”