My Bold Vision
My Reform Approach:
Hoosiers are ready for real results. As Governor, without new taxes, we will reform our state budget to promote a culture of life, ensure that funding for economic development reaches all 92 counties and transforms our small towns, and ensure that education dollars keep the best teachers in Indiana classrooms. Our reforms at the agency level will elevate solutions for citizens over bureaucratic inefficiency.
Restoring Downtown Indianapolis - Capital Zone Plan
As our state’s capital and economic engine, Indiana’s future depends on Indianapolis leading and outcompeting peer cities for new businesses and the best talent, not just in the Midwest, but across the country and world. Right now, that’s simply not the case. Indianapolis should be thriving but instead it’s stagnating under the challenges of crumbling infrastructure and widespread crime. Our Capital Zone Plan is a playbook for the state’s role in restoring and revitalizing Downtown Indianapolis by taking responsibility for fixing Downtown’s crumbling roads, establishing a bipartisan prosecutor review board to support our law enforcement, and creating a strong partnership between IMPD and Indiana State Police.
Investing in Rural Indiana - the Indiana Main Street Initiative
Our state cannot succeed if only three or four counties are thriving. In 2023, the State of Indiana is expected to invest more than $1 billion in economic development programs. However, we are missing a strategy that ensures adequate investment reaches rural Indiana communities. As Governor, we will create $4 billion in economic activity in rural communities by dedicating 10 percent of Indiana’s economic incentives to our Main Streets. By restoring opportunities in these historic communities, we can stimulate economic and population growth, enhance small business creation, and restore community pride.
Economic Competitiveness – Regional Cities 2.0
Working for Governor Pence, we passed a bold and transformative economic growth strategy called the Regional Cities Initiative This program helped communities across the state restore their competitiveness through expanded economic opportunities including talent retention, business formation, and job creation. Regional Cities 2.0 will redirect and dedicate 20% of Indiana’s existing economic growth incentives in this proven program – generating $16 billion of economic activity and making each of our regions nationally competitive.
Promoting a Culture of Life – Zero Cost Adoption
As a Christian, I am 100 percent pro-life and will always defend the dignity of all life. As Governor, we will work tirelessly to find permanent loving homes for the 13,000 children who are currently in our foster care system. By implementing our Zero-Cost Adoption Plan, we will reduce both the financial and bureaucratic barriers to potential adoptive families.
Putting Patients First - Transparency in Health Care
The state of Indiana spends billions of dollars each year on health care while providing special tax breaks to health care institutions. As Governor, we will implement a plan to ensure hospitals provide full transparency in pricing and their use of taxpayer funding. We will also incentivize non-profit hospitals to invest a portion of their billions in profits – which are currently on Wall Street – back into the Main Streets of the communities they serve.
World Class Schools - Teacher Investment Program
As a state we must have the goal of retaining great teachers and attracting the newest, best, and brightest. Despite spending billions on schools each year, extreme education ideologies and the rising cost of living for young teachers continue to force teachers from the classroom. We have proposed a Teacher Investment program that will make school teachers exempt from state income tax while also providing them property tax relief. We will do this without new spending or new taxes.
Property Tax Cap Reform
We will implement bold reforms to Indiana’s property tax system. Our plan will create a Hoosier property tax relief fund to allow eligible Hoosier seniors to freeze their out-of-pocket property tax payment levels and defer payment of any increase in property taxes owed until the eventual sale of their home. The fund will be used to provide state support for local governments to ensure priority services like police and fire protection remain fully funded.