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Governor Mike Braun: State of Indiana is ‘strong’ in first address to Indiana
General Assembly




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Fox 59
David Gay
January 29, 2025

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Just weeks into his tenure as Indiana’s new Republican governor, Mike Braun
highlighted the strength of Indiana and its residents as part of his first
State of the State address Wednesday evening.



“The state of the state is strong because Hoosiers are strong,” Braun said in
remarks provided to FOX59/CBS4.



As Indiana’s former U.S. Senator, Braun highlighted his travels to each of
Indiana’s 92 counties, stating that in that time, he saw many families impacted
by rising prices.

During Braun’s gubernatorial campaign, he released his Freedom and
Opportunity Agenda, something that was developed through his conversations with
Hoosiers and learning about their circumstances. Braun said that Indiana
residents have connected with that agenda, already declaring wins that he says
have been made weeks into his tenure.



Property Taxes



At the center of that agenda is tax relief, a topic that Braun focused on
extensively throughout his campaign.



“Hoosiers from all over the state told me these tax bills keep rising, but
wages aren’t keeping pace,” Braun said. “This is not sustainable.”



During the speech, Braun featured the experiences of a couple from Greenwood,
stating that their property tax bill on their home has more than doubled since
2021. Braun said that his property tax plan is built on three priorities,
including:



Cutting property taxes for Hoosier families, including new homeowners and
seniors

Capping the annual increase to protect homeowners and farmers

Reforming the system in the long term through transparency.

Braun also highlighted the importance of providing seniors with tax relief on
their retirement income, as well as the creation of tax-advantaged Farm Savings
Accounts for farmers, two items that Braun spoke about during the campaign.



In the 2025 session, Senate Bill 1, written by Indiana State Senator Travis
Holdman, centers around property tax relief. The bill, in Braun’s view, helps
bring forward some of his property tax proposals, including amending homestead
standard deductions, providing a maximum property tax liability credit on all
taxable real property and developing a property tax transparency portal.



According to the Indiana General Assembly’s website, Senate Bill 1 went
through its first reading on Jan. 14 and was referred to the senate’s Committee
on Tax and Fiscal Policy.



Ultimately, Braun believes the Indiana government should focus on the needs of
the taxpayers, stating that “all governments need to do more with less.”



“Every Hoosier family and business had to tighten their belts over the last
four years,” Braun said. “It’s time the government did more with less.”



Governmental Efficiency



During his time in office, Braun has already called for governmental agencies
to “find big cuts in their departments” and to “cut at least a quarter of
government regulations.” This includes Braun’s revamped cabinet structure,
which he said makes the government operate more like a business and adds a new
level of accountability.



According to previous reports, the cabinet under the executive branch includes
eight offices led by a secretary who reports to Braun. The eight offices
include:



Secretary of Management and Budget

Secretary of Commerce

Secretary of Health and Family Services

Secretary of Public Safety

Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources

Secretary of Education

Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure

Secretary of Business Affairs


In this portion of the speech, Braun also highlighted two executive orders he
signed earlier this year, one of which ended work-from-home policies and
required employees to return to the office to help “improve productivity and
collaboration.” The other order eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion
initiatives from the state government, something that Braun said will be
replaced with a “level playing field of MEI: merit, excellence and innovation.”



“Diversity and equality are hallmarks of what we believe as a country,” Braun
said during the speech, “but these top-down DEI mandates led to division and
inefficiency. MEI puts merit and results at the forefront, and everyone has the
chance to get ahead with hard work.”



Public Safety



While Braun said it was important to make government more efficient, Braun
said it was important to protect vital services, including police, fire and
schools. During the speech, Braun said that police recruitment and retention
for the Indiana State Police needs to be improved, including:

Competitive salaries

Cost of living adjustments

More comprehensive benefits.



Braun also highlighted Senate Bill 324, a piece of legislation written by
Indiana State Senator Aaron Freeman, that would increase penalties to crimes
related to fentanyl and methamphetamine, increase penalty levels of cases
involving multiple battery cases and add minimum bail requirements for the
release of a “repeat violent arrestee.”



According to the general assembly’s website, the first reading for Senate Bill
324 initially occurred on Jan. 13 and was referred to the senate’s Committee on
Corrections and Criminal Law. On Tuesday, the committee passed the bill and
reassigned it to the senate’s Committee on Appropriations.



Braun also took some time to speak on the immigration-related executive order
he signed on Tuesday. According to previous reports, the order directed law
enforcement agencies throughout Indiana to fully cooperate with the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE.



At the time, Braun’s office said that the order “protects the public from the
threats posed by illegal aliens” in the state, specifically those with criminal
histories. During Wednesday’s speech, Braun said that Indiana will do whatever
it can to help secure the southern border and “end this crisis.”



“Let me be clear, Indiana will not be a safe haven for illegal immigration,”
Braun said during the speech. “As the Trump administration begins to return
illegal aliens with criminal records to their home countries, we will assist. A
state should always put the safety of its own citizens first.”



Economic Development



In relation to economic development, Braun said that the state is “taking a
new approach,” focusing on building workforce skills for Indiana residents to
help match the high-value and high-wage jobs that need to be filled.



Braun said that one of the ways the state will aim to achieve that is through
the Hoosier Workforce Investment Tax Credit, something which Braun said would
provide employers with a strong tax incentive to invest in skills training and
development.



Braun also said that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will be
restructured to “spread the benefits of economic development programs across
the state.” Braun said the IEDC will also focus on “existing employers” and
build on what other agencies are doing, including the newly established Office
of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.



Healthcare



Along with property taxes, the other topic that Braun focused the majority of
his gubernatorial campaign on was healthcare, an issue seen by some as “too
tough to tackle.”



“Hoosiers pay some of the highest healthcare costs in the country,” Braun
said, “but we don’t get the best healthcare results. Based on experience taking
on this issue in my own business, I developed by Freedom and Opportunity
healthcare plan to lower prices, improve access and promote innovation in the
industry.”



According to previous reports, Braun said in his agenda that he aimed to
address healthcare costs by enhancing price transparency requirements,
something that Braun addressed in a series of healthcare-related executive
orders he signed earlier this month.



Some of Braun’s other healthcare executive orders include orders that direct
the Indiana Department of Health to release terminated pregnancy reports, as
well as orders to tackle surprise billing and high drug prices, as well as
assess waste, fraud and abuse.



A series of bills, including House Bill 1003, Senate Bill 3 and House Bill
1004, have already been filed as part of this year’s session, covering topics
like price transparency, fighting fraud and making sure nonprofit hospitals
“actually act like nonprofits.”



“Hoosiers should be able to see what they’re going to have to pay before they
receive care, and a medical bill… should never come as a surprise,” Braun said
during the speech.



Education



The last topic that Braun covered during his speech was the importance of
universal school choice in the state of Indiana, stressing his belief that
parents are in charge of their own kids’ education.



“Let’s put parents in the driver’s seat and kids first with universal school
choice,” Braun said during the speech. “My budget proposal has the plan to get
it done and with your help, we’ll win this historic victory for Hoosier parents
and kids.”



Braun also highlighted two bills, Senate Bill 146 and House Bill 1637, which
covered two items that Braun spoke about during his campaign: the importance of
increasing teacher pay and the establishment of the Office of School Safety.



To conclude the speech, Braun said that his overall message to the Indiana
General Assembly, as this year’s session continues, is “one of unity.”



“We were all elected by Hoosiers to get results,” Braun said. “Will we treat
this moment as a plateau, or as a foundation to build something truly
exceptional? Now is the time to be bold and think out of the box. We can do it
through big ideas, collaboration and above all: action.”

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