Over the years at your state party chairman, I’ve had the honor of chairing legislative caucuses across Indiana. It’s always a fun process, and it’s fascinating to help facilitate the process as neighbors come together to fill a legislative vacancy and make sure their voice is heard at the Statehouse.

And on Tuesday night this week, we had a first during my time as chairman. After three rounds of voting, we had a tie between two candidates, at 17-17, with one precinct committeeman not completing their ballot. In this situation, party rules say that the state chairman can break the tie. However, for me, it’s important that the caucus chooses their representative – it’s what makes caucuses so special.

So after one more round of balloting, we had a winner, Joanna King of Middlebury. I’m looking forward to witnessing the work that Rep.-elect King will lead on behalf of her Elkhart County community as part of our strong Republican team in the Indiana House.

If you’d like to watch the caucus and witness the excitement for yourself, you can catch the video here!

-Kyle Hupfer

PHOTO: This week, I had the honor of participating in our state's Electoral College vote on Monday, and casting my vote for President Trump and Vice President Pence!

Governor Holcomb's 2021 Next Level Agenda

This week, Governor Holcomb unveiled his 2021 Next Level Agenda, and as he said he is: 
 

“Making sure Indiana remains a state of opportunity to live, work, play, study and stay…for ALL.”

2020 has been one like no other. Daily predictability and certainty have been replaced with hourly adjustments and audibles. Governor Holcomb is keeping his eye on the ball as he continues to navigate our state through the world's worst pandemic in over a century while looking ahead to his legislative and administrative priorities for 2021.

Governor Holcomb's agenda is based on the same five pillars that have put our state in a position of strength over the last four record-breaking years:
 

Economy - Cultivating our ecosystem to help others grow

• Pass Indiana's ninth straight balanced budget and carry a prudent reserve balance 
• Expand Indiana's successful Manufacturing Readiness Grants -- keeping Indiana the nation's top state per capita for manufacturing
• Stay on track to triple defense investment by 2025
• Increase efforts to make Indiana a destination 

Infrastructure - Maintaining what we've got, finishing what we've started, and building the new projects we need

• Grow our nation-leading Next Level Connections broadband program to raise speeds and reach more Hoosiers
• Complete I-69 Section 6 before Gov. Holcomb leaves office
• Obtain record of decision for a new Evansville I-69 bridge
• Continue long-term planning for U.S. 31 and U.S. 30
• Continue Northwest Indiana rail projects - building the West Lake Corridor and double tracking the South Shore Line
• Restart Next Level Trails, subject to funding availability 
• Continue efforts to plant 1 million more trees across the state
• Create a comprehensive overview of our state’s housing supply

Education, Training & Workforce Development - Preparing, recruiting, and retaining Indiana's talent

• Ensure 100% funding for K-12 schools for the second half of the school year
• Increase K-12 funding in next biennial budget, and restore higher education funding cut from the pandemic
• Review and reduce unfunded mandates
• Begin assessment of early learning expansion, accountability, transparency, virtual learning
• Attract top teacher talent, build capacity, improve minority teacher recruitment
• Review and consider recommendations of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission Report
• Increase minority participation in Workforce Ready and Employer Grant programs
• Recruit service members and veterans to become public safety officers and first responders in Indiana 

Public Health - Health is wealth, no matter who you are or where you are in the world

• Protect pregnant workers by providing more workplace accommodations, with the goal of making Indiana the best state in the Midwest for infant mortality by 2024
• Reform long-term healthcare, focusing on outcomes and quality
• Initiating a comprehensive assessment of local health departments and state delivery of public health services, using what we’ve learned during the pandemic

Good Government - Looking ahead how we'll do business post-pandemic 

• Expand telemedicine services 
• Expand virtual options for public meetings 
• Provide businesses and schools with coronavirus liability protection 
• Remove barriers for Hoosiers to reinstate their driver’s license – helping Hoosiers find a keep a job
• Improve services and increase opportunity for Indiana's minority populations
• Equip Indiana State Police with body cameras by spring 2021, and complete the outside review of the state's  law enforcement academy and agencies
• Establish the state’s first equity data dashboard

--> Watch The Full Agenda Rollout Here <--
--> Read the Full 2021 Next Level Agenda Here <--

To stay up to date on the latest developments, please make sure you're following Governor Holcomb on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! 

Vice President Pence:
Operation Warp Speed Comes to Indiana

This week, the Trump Administration delivered – literally – on Operation Warp Speed, the development of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19, as the first vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Our Hoosier health care heroes statewide have started to receive the vaccine, and our own Vice President Mike Pence was in Bloomington on Thursday to highlight Hoosiers’ work at Catalent to produce the Moderna vaccine.

--> Watch the full Indiana roundtable here! <--