INDIANAPOLIS — Senate Republicans have released their plan for Indiana's state budget, which includes a significant deviation from the House's approach regarding education. The Senate does not believe now is the right time to expand school vouchers to all families.
The Senate is proposing a budget of $46.8 billion over the upcoming biennium. State Senator Ryan Mishler, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, expressed his concern about the state's ability to fund universal vouchers.
"We just didn't have the ability, the $117 million we'd have to add in, and we just didn't have it," Mishler (R-Mishawaka) said.
While House lawmakers have made universal school vouchers a priority, allowing any family to qualify for support regardless of income, Mishler did not indicate whether this would be a point of contention between the Senate and the House.
"It's not, you know, that we don't want to do the vouchers; it's just how do we pay for them? I think that is going to be the difference: how do we fund that," Mishler said.
Democrats expressed satisfaction that their Republican counterparts recognized the state's budget constraints.
"It helped me vote for this today because it only makes sense. We are fiscally constrained," said State Sen. David Niezgodski (D-South Bend).
The Senate also proposed changes to the income criteria for the Child Care Development Fund, which provides assistance for childcare. The revised requirements suggest that families must earn no more than 127 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify, a decrease from the House’s version, which allows families earning up to 150 percent to qualify.
"If we are over-spending, we need to take that back down to what it was two years ago, to 127, and it will get those that need it the most at the front of the line," Mishler said.
Niezgodski commented on the changes, saying, "I'd like to see those dollars come back up. It's not asking a lot to bring them back to where they were."
Senate leaders assert the adjusted income threshold will reduce the number of families on the waiting list for childcare assistance. However, advocates worry this could exacerbate challenges for families already struggling.
"127% or 150% of federal poverty is not a big number by any means, and these are families that are working or who are in education or training programs," said Sam Snideman of United Way of Central Indiana.
Currently, approximately 11,000 Indiana families remain on the waiting list for childcare assistance. The Senate budget passed out of committee on Thursday and is now set for further consideration by the full Senate.
Another notable distinction between the two budget proposals is that the Senate version does not eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products and adult diapers as the House version does.
Should the House and Senate pass different versions of the budget, they will need to reconcile them into one final proposal before the session concludes. To review the senate republicans' budget proposal in detail click here.
