RICHMOND — The State Budget Committee met today to review key budget requests from state agencies and hear departmental reports. State Senator David Niezgodski (D-South Bend), a voting member of the committee, issued the following statement after the meeting:
“I am extremely grateful to the community of Richmond for welcoming our committee to their city and giving us a tour of the major establishments in this region,” said Niezgodski. “From Blue Buffalo/General Mills to Indiana University East, we saw firsthand how Richmond is a thriving part of the state.”
Representative Gregory Porter (D-Indianapolis) proposed adding an item to the agenda urging the Governor to take all possible steps to assist Hoosiers if SNAP and EBT benefits are reduced in November.
“I supported Representative Porter’s proposal to encourage the Governor to use his authority to respond to these potential cuts,” said Niezgodski. “It is my sincerest hope that Congress will act to ensure these families are not left without support.”
During the meeting, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) report was received by the committee, highlighting its annual staffing and caseload report. By law, DCS must adhere to the 12/12/13 caseload standard per family case manager: 12 active cases related to initial assessments, 12 families monitored and supervised in ongoing in-home services, or 13 children monitored and supervised in out-of-home placements.
“Seeing that six out of 19 regions did not meet the 12/12/13 standard was disappointing, but instead of being discouraged, we should be motivated to do better,” said Niezgodski. “DCS needs to work closely with the legislature to attract and retain family case managers, especially after losing 789 staff members even while gaining 967 new hires.”
Niezgodski emphasized the importance of supporting family case managers to ensure children across Indiana are protected and families receive the help they need.
“In Region 3, which includes St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, and Marshall counties, DCS is short about 40 family case managers,” said Niezgodski. “These individuals are on the front lines. We need to support them and build a strong pipeline to ensure every county is staffed and meeting statutory requirements.”
