Supporting Hoosier Farmers

From supporting the state’s economy to putting food on our tables, Hoosier farmers are invaluable. Did you know? There are over 94,000 farmers in Indiana and over 56,000 operations through the state. As these farmers work hard, it’s important to support them, their families and the agriculture industry.

A new law could soon be on the books tasking the Indiana State Department of Agriculture with conducting a statewide inventory of Hoosier agricultural land lost from 2010 to 2022, and reporting on the causes for the loss of the farmland.

According to the American Farmland Trust, reported acreage of Indiana farms in 1950 was over 19.6 million, making up 84.8% of the state’s total land area. Based on the last census in 2017, Indiana’s total farm acreage was 14.9 million.

Agriculture contributes an estimated $35.1 billion to the state’s economy, and Indiana is the eighth-largest agricultural exporter in the nation and the 10th largest farming state, according to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. With this legislation, we can take stock of our valuable farmland and make sure we continue to protect this great asset.

To help honor Indiana’s rich agricultural heritage, 56 longstanding farming families recently receive Hoosier Homestead Awards at a Statehouse ceremony. These awards are given out twice a year, and to be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year. The award distinctions are centennial, sesquicentennial and bicentennial – for 100, 150 and 200 years, respectively.

We congratulate our state’s newest Hoosier Homesteaders, like the Peter D. and Barbara Moser Farm in Adams County, in operation since 1838, and the Risk Farm in Putnam County, in operation since 1870.

To learn more about our Hoosier Homesteaders, visit in.gov/isda.

As the nation’s breadbasket, House Republicans are committed to supporting Hoosier farmers. To learn more about House Enrolled Act 1557, visit iga.in.gov.

Boosting school safety in Indiana

School safety remains a top priority and that’s why House lawmakers recently supported a bill boosting school resources to keep students and staff safe.

House Bill 1492 invests in the state’s successful Secured School Safety Grant Program, which awards dollars to Indiana school districts to improve security. Currently, state funding from the grant program can be used by school corporations to employ a school resource officer, conduct a threat assessment, purchase equipment, support firearms training in districts that choose to implement such programs, and create a student and parent support services program or an active alert warning system.

The bill would expand the grant’s uses to include digital mapping of floor plans that can be shared with first responders, multi-disciplinary threat assessments, and technology to detect fire, chemical, and visual and audible threats. The bill would also ensure safety plans for public, private and public charter schools meet certain standards.

If signed into law, the measure would create a school safety team in every school corporation in Indiana, comprised of safety specialists like law enforcement, school resource officers, counselors and social workers. The group would provide guidance to students, staff and teachers, along with individualized plans for their school corporations. The bill would also make law enforcement agencies eligible for the school safety grant program to better coordinate efforts between schools and public safety officials.

This legislation was referred to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee. Click here to learn more and visit beta.iga.in.gov to learn more about what’s happening at the Statehouse.

Returning Money to Taxpayers

This session our state budget plan includes nearly $625 million in tax cuts for Hoosiers.

Thanks to more than a decade of following fiscally conservative principles, our state is in the position to responsibly cut taxes while maintaining healthy reserves, paying down debt and investing in the future.   

Last year, we led the charge to cut the individual income tax rate from 3.23% to 2.9%.  When fully phased in, Indiana will have one of the lowest income tax rates in the nation.

This session, our budget proposal would speed up the phase-in of this tax cut by three years. Accelerating the income tax rate cut would save Hoosier taxpayers $470 million over the next two years and $1.6 billion between now and 2030.

The budget proposal also contains more than $155 million in additional tax cuts, including increased income tax deductions for homeowners and renters, additional tax deductions for new parents, an increase to the earned income tax credit, and exemptions for active-duty military members and civil service annuity recipients.

Hoosiers should keep more of their hard-earned money and that’s why we’re hopeful these proposed tax cuts will become law. House Bill 1001 is now being considered in the Senate Committee on Appropriations where the bill could change. To learn more about the House Republican budget plan and our efforts to cut taxes, visit IndianaHouseRepublicans.com or click here.

Helping Foster Care Alumni

Indiana House lawmakers recently teamed up to support foster care alumni who face many challenges when moving out of care and into their first apartment or dorm room.

In January, the Indiana House of Representatives joined the IARCA Institute for Excellence, an organization dedicated to supporting services for foster care children and young adults, to launch a donation drive at the Statehouse to collect essential household items for foster care alumni. Recently, the House hosted a volunteer day where legislators packed the donated items into new home starter kits, which are being distributed to foster care alumni throughout Indiana.

Through the “Fostering Hopeful Futures” charity initiative, the Indiana House of Representatives collected items like plastic plates, bowls and cups, kitchen utensils, oven mitts and bath items. House lawmakers assembled 150 kits, exceeding our goal of donating 100 kits.

Several representatives from IARCA member agencies visited the Statehouse during the volunteer day and met with House legislators to share more information about what they do to serve vulnerable children. Geminus Regional Health System, Firefly Children & Family Alliance, George Junior Republic, Gibault Children’s Services, United Methodist Youth Home, Open Door Youth Services and Benchmark Family Services – all IARCA members – help young Hoosiers in need and attended the event.

Foster care is designed to provide temporary housing and care for children and adolescents until they can be either reunited with their family, taken in by relatives, adopted or emancipated as an adult. According to the National Foster Youth Institute, approximately 20,000 young adults leave foster care in the U.S. with no legal parental relationship.

Recently, IARCA launched a Foster Alumni Team, which is made up of individuals with firsthand experience in the foster care system. To learn more about services available to older foster youth, contact the IARCA Institute at 317-849-8497 or email iarca@iarca.org.

Keeping Our Promise to Fiscal Responsibility

With the House Republican budget plan, we are keeping our promise to fiscal responsibility.

Under House Bill 1001, now with the Senate for consideration, Hoosier taxpayers could save nearly $625 million over the next two years through responsible tax cuts.

The budget proposal also makes significant investments supporting infrastructure, economic development and K-12 education.

Under the plan, student funding would increase by $1.6 billion – a nearly 11% increase over the next two years. To support parents, fees on school textbook and curriculum fees would be eliminated. Eligibility for Indiana’s top-ranked school choice program would also be expanded to include more students. With school choice, parents are empowered with choosing the learning environment to best meet their student’s unique needs.

To continue record-breaking economic development statewide, the House Republican budget plan would expand our state’s successful READI program. The Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI, helps advance community amenities, infrastructure and workforce development to support talent retention and attraction.

With House Bill 1001, we are keeping our promise to fiscal responsibility by paying down debt, maintaining prudent reserves, cutting taxes and investing in the future.

Want to learn more about House Bill 1001? Visit IndianaHouseRepublicans.com or click here.