Fox 59
David Gay
January 29, 2025
https://fox59.com/indianapolitics/indiana-gov-mike-braun-to-deliver-first-state-of-the-state-address/
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.”
To Read The Full Story Click Here
