Porter comments on Braun defunding multiple essential commissions
On Thursday, Jan. 16, Gov. Mike Braun presented his “Freedom and Opportunity” budget proposal to the State Budget Committee (SBC). The budget includes eliminating funding for the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission (INAIAC) and the Indiana Commission for Women (ICW). State funding for the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) would be cut by $600,000 over the biennium.
State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:
“I’m truly disappointed and flabbergasted that Gov. Braun eliminated funding for these commissions without explanation. The INAIAC and the ICW will receive no funding, and the ICRC will have its funding cut by $600,000. These cuts will only save $1 million–basically pocket change in the billion-dollar budget game. This isn’t based on financial austerity, especially since Braun’s budget proposal would raise our estimated state surplus by $300 million. It’s not about saving money; it's about proliferating the various culture wars tearing America apart.
“Defunding these commissions rubs more salt into the wound of eliminating DEI. All three of these commissions serve people of various backgrounds with specific interests. The ICRC is our alarm system for discrimination in housing, employment and so much more. We know discrimination still exists in Indiana even if my Republican colleagues continue to bury their heads in the sand. Thankfully, federal civil rights laws remain in effect no matter what Braun does in our state.
”Hoosier women still lack equal pay, paid maternity leave and equal access to health care. The ICW is essential to progressing these issues and improving the lives of our daughters, wives and mothers. Our state name reflects the history and bloodshed of the Miami Nation and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. The INAIAC ensures we celebrate their cultural contributions, and that we remember their brutal, forced removal. By defunding this commission, Indiana will deny these nations’ validation but continue to profit from their existence. Our state makes tens of millions of dollars from the Pokagon Band’s execution of the 2021 Gaming Compact. With the Braun budget, not a single penny will be devoted to the benefit of Hoosier Native Americans.
“These moves are ill-timed, imprudent and downright embarrassing. Indiana is diverse, and the General Assembly represents men and women of all colors and ethnicities. As the Governor's budget is filed, the author of House Bill 1001 must show common decency in restoring these programs and funding to the previous level.”