INDIANAPOLIS — The Senate Appropriations Committee convened this week to review and amend House Bill (HB) 1001 the State Budget. State Sen. David Niezgodski (D-South Bend), Ranking Minority Member on the committee, released the following statement in response to the proposed amendment:

“The Senate Appropriations Committee Passed Budget is a balanced one of $46.8 billion dollars, maintaining reserves of $3 billion to keep Indiana fiscally responsible,” said Niezgodski. “In a tight budget year such as this, we must prioritize funding wisely to ensure the programs that need support the most receive it. While this proposal is a strong starting point, there’s still room for improvement.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee Passed Budget plan maintains current eligibility levels for the Choice Scholarship voucher program and does not include expansion. This reduces expenses by an estimated $192 million over the two years of the budget period.

“Keeping school choice at its current eligibility rate is a smart fiscal move, and one the Senate Democrats support,” Niezgodski said. “Expanding to universal vouchers would have costed taxpayers $192 million over the biennium, which is a steep price for subsidizing private education. That money is better invested in other critical, yet underfunded, areas of the state budget.”

Additionally, the proposal added increases to special education funding by $208 million over the biennium and non-English speaking program by $9 million over the biennium.

“Special education and Non-English Speaking programs are vital for students and families across the state,” said Niezgodski. “These increases will see improvements in student outcomes and quality of life.

However, the proposal also falls short of fully funding the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) waitlist, PathWays for Aging and Health and Wellness waivers for home and community-based services, school curricular materials, and Community Mental Health initiatives.

“Although I am disappointed that these initiatives are not funded at the levels they require, I will continue to advocate for full funding for the programs Hoosiers depend on,” said Niezgodski. “At the end of the day, that is what we are here to do.”

Senate Democrats discussed five committee amendments to HB 1001, all of which were not adopted.

“Even though our amendments did not pass, our work isn’t done,” said Niezgodski. “I look forward to offering additional amendments on the Senate floor to ensure this budget truly puts Hoosiers first.”