Tuesday evening, Governor Mike Pence delivered his first State of the State address. In it, Pence stressed fiscal restraint on the part of the state and an environment that will create more Hoosier jobs. Pence did pledge to invest in key priorities such as education while keeping state spending under control. Agriculture and transportation were also mentioned as top priorities. “Because Indiana is agriculture, we envision our state becoming a hub of food and agricultural breakthroughs by supporting an Agriculture Innovation Corridor,” said Pence. Lt. Governor Ellspermann has made this a top priority of ISDA.
Pence also pledged to invest in improving the state’s transportation system, something also very vital to a growing agriculture sector, “Since roads mean jobs, we’re investing nearly $347 million in excess reserves on Indiana’s roads, bridges and infrastructure.”
The Governor also stated that his administration wants to keep a tight lid on regulations that slow business growth and have unintended consequences for farmers, “That’s why, on day one of our administration, I signed a moratorium on any new regulations — to ensure that Indiana is not burdening Hoosier employers with unnecessary red tape.”
Pence also gave strong support to vocational education saying that the time has come to make career, technical and vocational education a priority in every high school in Indiana, “Even as we encourage every student to go to college, we recognize not every student is college bound. But they all deserve the same opportunity for success. Since all honest work is honorable work, our schools should work just as well for our kids who want to get a job as they do for our kids who want to get a college degree.” Pence added career and technical education can provide our students with a pathway to success.