Eric Holcomb

Eric Holcomb

Prior offices

Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

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Governor of Indiana

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“	Leading Through the Pandemic As Hoosiers, we’ve come together through this pandemic like never before – helping our neighbors and our communities. Governor Holcomb has taken a steady, data-driven approach as he continues to lead Indiana through these challenging times – and every step of the way, his priority remains the health of Hoosiers, while working to safely restart Indiana’s economic engines. Through his leadership, more than 200 COVID-19 testing sites have launched statewide, millions of pieces of PPE have been procured, and healthcare capacity remains strong. And through Governor Holcomb’s Back on Track plan, we’re following a phased, systematic, data-driven plan for reopening Indiana. Lowering Indiana's Infant Mortality Rate Early in his time as our state’s leader, Governor Holcomb set a big priority – making Indiana home to the lowest infant mortality rate in the Midwest by 2024. That’s because he believes in looking out for the most vulnerable Hoosiers among us. He took action, signing into law Indiana’s perinatal navigator program that connects pregnant women in Indiana’s highest-risk ZIP codes with wraparound health services –making sure all Hoosier kids have a right to life, no matter where they’re born. And while we still have a lot of work to do, we’re making progress. In 2019, Indiana saw its largest drop in infant mortality in six years. Indiana: The Fiscal Envy of the Nation Balancing budgets. Paying bills. Living within our means. That’s the motto of working Hoosier families, and it’s Governor Holcomb’s charge in leading our state. Under his leadership, Indiana is maintaining its AAA credit rating (the best in the nation!), and our healthy rainy day fund is keeping Indiana in the black during this pandemic while we maintain essential services. And, of course, that’s while taxes in Indiana continue to drop! Indiana’s personal income tax rate dropped to 3.23% in 2017, which is among the lowest in the nation. That’s while taxes for businesses continue to go down, and Indiana enjoys the benefits of permanently capped property taxes and no inventory tax. It’s an environment built for growth and opportunity! Attracting Record Job Commitments Indiana has built the Midwest’s best climate for business. And when it comes to attracting great new jobs, Indiana is continuing to break records. Since 2017, companies have committed to create more than 100,000 new Hoosiers jobs across Indiana in high-growth industries like advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics, life sciences, defense, technology, and more. In 2019, the average wage for those job commitments was $28.60/hour! Whether it’s new jobs created at homegrown small businesses or international companies choosing Indiana for their next big investment, Indiana is on the map! Supporting Indiana Schools For Governor Holcomb, making sure that every Hoosier student has a safe place to learn and grow is a top priority – whether that’s safety from COVID-19, or other threats. That’s why since 2017, Indiana has made over $1.6 billion in NEW investments in Indiana education – and next year, that commitment will continue with a scheduled increase of $183 million in 2021. Schools across the state have been provided with reopening guidance – as well as necessary tools today like masks, hand sanitizer, and grants to support remote learning. But it’s not just invisible threats. Other new resources include a program that’s now placed more than 3,200 handheld metal detectors in Indiana public, charter, and private schools at no cost to them. They’ve gone to more than 370 schools – including 94% of all traditional Indiana public schools – to help them track what’s coming into school buildings. In addition, schools have expanded access to school safety grants and access to a $35 million low-interest loan program for making school updates. And Indiana isn’t stopping until all schools have the tools they need – it simply cannot wait. Making Record Road Investments Indiana is home to one of the nation’s only fully-funded infrastructure plans of its kind – Next Level Roads. Without borrowing money from future generations of Hoosiers, Indiana is investing $32 billion into our state’s roads and bridges over the next 20 years. In the first five years alone, Hoosiers can expect to see 122 new lane miles, 1,300 bridges, and 10,000 miles of re-paved roads. That’s rolling in the right direction! Expanding Rural Broadband Now more than ever, it’s critical that ALL Hoosiers have access to reliable, high-speed internet service – whether that’s for health care, education, commerce or more. That’s why Governor Holcomb is leading Indiana’s largest single state investment in broadband in our state’s history – Next Level Connections – with multiple grant rounds totaling $100 million! Millions of dollars in grants have already been awarded for projects spanning 18 counties – and more to come soon to bring broadband access to rural Indiana. Skilling Up Hoosiers Across Indiana, companies are looking to hire hardworking Hoosiers to fill great jobs – jobs in high-demand industries like manufacturing, life sciences, technology, and logistics. Through Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Jobs plan, more than 10,000 Hoosiers have built the skills needed to fill these in-demand, high-wage jobs – helping them earn larger paychecks and open new doors of opportunity. Next Level Jobs provides Hoosiers with free classes and access to certificate programs through partners like Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University. There, Hoosiers are gaining the in-demand skills needed to begin their next big job! And as we continue to get Back on Track this year, Next Level Jobs is expanded its eligibility, offerings and funding caps – providing Hoosiers with even greater opportunity to build a brighter future. Next Level Jobs also helps Hoosiers already on-the-job by providing employers with grants to skill-up their workforce! To learn more about Next Level Jobs, visit https://www.nextleveljobs.org/. Helping Hoosiers with Recovery When it comes to attacking the state’s opioid epidemic, Governor Holcomb has made an all-hands-on-deck call. We’ve made progress, with a 13% decline in overdose deaths – but Hoosiers across the state are still struggling with addiction. Together, we’re working to help Hoosiers achieve and maintain recovery – bettering our communities, economy, public safety, and quality of life for all Hoosiers. And we’re making progress with a focus on prevention, treatment, and enforcement, which includes: • Providing communities with training and funding for naloxone, which is saving lives by reversing overdoses. • Expanding drug take-back programs – reducing the number of drugs available for misuse. • Increasing the number of opioid treatment sites statewide – placing nearly all Hoosiers within one-hour’s drive of help. • Strengthening felony charges for individuals whose dealing of illicit drugs leads to the death of a fellow Hoosier. Connecting Indiana to the World Connecting Hoosiers with the world around us doesn’t stop with roads and bridges. That’s why Governor Holcomb announced plans to invest $1 billion into Indiana infrastructure! This includes: $600 million to accelerate the completion of I-69 to 2024 $190 million for improvements along U.S. 20 and U.S. 30 in Northern Indiana New interchanges to speed up the trip between South Bend and Indianapolis on U.S. 31 $100 million to bring high-speed, affordable broadband to rural Indiana $90 million to expand connectivity of Indiana’s hiking, biking, and riding trails $20 million to attract additional international non-stop flights to Indiana And that’s in addition to Indiana’s fully-funded roads and bridges program over the next 20 years, Next Level Roads. Indiana sped up road construction earlier this year statewide – and we’re not slowing down now. Completing I-69 For more than a decade, Indiana has been building I-69 – one continuous road connecting Evansville to Indianapolis and the rest of the state. I-69 is now complete between Evansville and Martinsville. And construction of the final section is now underway, which is upgrading State Road 37 to interstate standard all the way to I-465. Through Next Level Connections, Indiana will invest $600 million to accelerate the completion of I-69 by three years…connecting Evansville and Indianapolis by 2024.[9]	”
—Eric Holcomb’s campaign website (2020)[10]