Governor Pence says he‘ll roll out his legislative agenda sometime between Election Day and New Year‘s.
"We're in the process of crafting first our budget, which will encompass the great deal of the agenda that we bring into this session," says Pence. "We're also developing, in consultation with members of the General Assembly, a broad range of policy proposals. This is a budget session so the budget will really be a priority."
Pence says he "likes what (he‘s) hearing" from House Republicans, who say they want to go beyond the three-percent school funding increase approved in last year‘s spending plan while keeping the budget balanced and maintaining a strong surplus.
Pence said six months ago he‘d call for simplification of Indiana‘s tax code, after receiving recommendations from a special panel studying the issue. He says he‘s still awaiting that report before making specific proposals. House Speaker Brian Bosma says it‘s time to "take a breath" on cutting taxes, but says he‘s open to proposals to make the code itself less burdensome.
