Indiana road funding, education issues also priorities in upcoming session

Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, and House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, both said they reject Democratic Party assertions that the state, under complete GOP control since 2011, has been underfunding its infrastructure.

"Indiana is not suffering from some sort of crisis from lack of investment in its infrastructure. Far from it," Long said.

He noted Indiana invested nearly $4 billion in new roads following the 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road, and has dedicated $1.3 billion to maintenance since 2013.

Bosma pledged that House Bill 1001 — traditionally the most significant measure of the session — will be the House Republicans' answer to Indiana's short-term road funding needs, and that tax increases are not off the table.

Long said a long-term infrastructure funding plan will have to wait until the 2017 budget session.

House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, said it's all fine and good to throw around big numbers from the past, but Hoosiers drive on Indiana's roads every day and they know the state needs to invest more.

"The road situation, certainly in my part of the state, is nothing to celebrate. It's complained about frequently, and it is a severe limitation on our future economic growth," Pelath said.

Pelath has proposed spending part of the state's multibillion-dollar budget reserve and prioritizing road funding in future state budgets to dedicate $2 billion to infrastructure over the next four years, with nearly half that money going to roads maintained by local governments.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence similarly has proposed using part of the state's surplus, redirecting money from other uses and borrowing $240 million to pay for $1 billion in road improvements over four years. Local governments get nothing under Pence's plan.

On education, Bosma and Long both said they will act quickly when the Legislature begins regular meetings Jan. 5 to adjust Indiana's school accountability system, for one year, to ensure teacher performance pay is not affected by poor results on the new ISTEP standardized exam.

They were less clear on whether schools will be assigned an A-F grade that reflects the new test, which up to 40 percent of elementary school students are believed to have failed, or if they will support a proposal by state Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, that maintains last year's school grades through next year, unless the grade increased.

"We're working on an answer; I think we will get one, that hopefully parents and citizens and our schools can understand," Long said.

Bosma said House Bill 1002 will be a plan to reverse the state's practicing teacher shortage by "attracting some of our state's best and brightest young people to the educational profession," along with one-step licensing and incentives to lure teachers from neighboring states.

The House and Senate leaders both said statewide expansion of Indiana's pre-kindergarten pilot program, up from the current five counties, including Lake, will have to wait until 2017.