Porter comments on budget’s broken promises to Hoosier families
Today, June 18, the State Budget Committee met to discuss appropriations for the biennium. The meeting follows the announcement from the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) that enrollment for the On My Way Pre-K program (OMWPK) will be capped at 2,500 slots due to budget constraints. Pre-K providers participating in the program will have their reimbursement capped at $147.82 per week.
State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement regarding missed opportunities in the biennial budget:
“Obviously, money was tight this budget, but I warned my colleagues about the impact of their misguided priorities. Gov. Braun initially proposed an appropriation of $101.3 million for OMWPK, which didn’t happen. He proposed an appropriation of $2 million for local child care assistance, which didn’t happen. He proposed $392 million for the Child Care Development Fund vouchers (CCDF) to eliminate the waitlist, which didn’t happen either. There were multiple missed opportunities, regardless of the revenue forecast, to prioritize and support our Hoosier families.
“Instead, they moved forward with their $1.2 billion voucher expansion for Indiana’s wealthiest families. Republicans gave additional tax cuts for data centers and continued the individual income tax cuts, with average savings of $50 or less. Is this worth taking away pre-K or child care support for our working families? Indiana is the second-best state to start a business, but it won’t be for long if parents need to stay home to care for their kids because they can’t afford child care or pre-K. With the potential federal changes to Medicaid and Senate Enrolled Act 2, even more Hoosier parents could lose their health care, CCDF vouchers and other support systems.
“Our governor is a successful businessman, so I’m certain he’s aware of the support parents need outside of the workplace. Sadly, Braun didn’t keep his promises and was bulldozed by other Republicans.”