KEY CHALLENGES:

• Indiana’s labor market is historically tight, with over 18k unique jobs open in the Indy Region alone. 
• Postsecondary enrollment dropped 12% from 2015-2020, falling 10% below the national average (Black students decreased from 50% to 43% between 2019-2020; Hispanic/Latino decreased from 49% to 44%). 
• In two-thirds of Indiana counties, less than half of children 0-5 have access to high-quality, reliable, and affordable early education.

RAISE POST-SECONDARY ATTAINMENT:

Automatically enroll eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars Program to increase higher education enrollment, particularly for low-income students and students of color. 

• 40% of high school graduates are eligible for 21st Century Scholars, but less than half of eligible students enroll. Automatic enrollment would deliver resources to a greater number of eligible students—the state already budgets for the full eligible population. 
• 21st Scholars are nearly three times more likely to attend college than their low-income peers. Across all demographic groups, 21st Scholars are as or more likely to complete college than their higher-income peers. 
• Increase Complexity Index to ensure adequate support to maintain current scholar program requirements, increased FAFSA completion, sufficient counseling resources, and wraparound services for increased student enrollment.

EARLY EDUCATION

Expand access to and affordability of high-quality, early education and childcare to support parental labor force participation:

• Increase the eligibility threshold to allow more Hoosier families to access high-quality early education. 
• Align state investment to expand access and accommodate market rate increases (wage inflation). 
• Support streamlined regulations on early education providers and explore other solutions to address workforce shortages (e.g., direct surplus stimulus dollars to tuition forgiveness, and employee benefits).

KEY CHALLENGES:

• The reality and perception of public safety downtown remain critical to Indianapolis’ competitiveness as a place to live, work, and visit. 
• Mechanisms are required to promote sustained funding to maintain a clean, accessible, and beautiful downtown. 
• Downtown Indianapolis requires transformational investments to catalyze business opportunities, develop attainable housing (at all income levels), and enhance transportation connectivity.

COMPETITIVE LIVABILITY:

Prioritize comprehensive solutions and investments to make Indianapolis the most livable downtown in the United States. 

• Sustain strategies that improve public safety in the Mile Square for residents, visitors, business owners, and those experiencing homelessness. 
• Support organizations and solutions aiming to enhance resources dedicated to maintaining the cleanliness of public spaces and right of way in the Mile Square. 
• Catalyze efforts to enhance Indianapolis’ livability, such as innovative strategies for attainable housing development and redesign of key transportation infrastructure like the Indianapolis Inner Loop.

KEY CHALLENGES:

• Increase road funding to support fast-growing metros throughout the state, while maintaining investment in rural communities.
• Move toward non-fuel tax revenue sources for road construction and maintenance.
• Solve road maintenance problems to allow state and local governments to invest in transformational transportation and infrastructure projects—first take care of what we have, then finish what we started, then build for the future.

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY:

Increase road funding support for fast-growing metros and maintain investment in rural communities by:

• Under the Motor Vehicle Highway-Local Road Streets account, move towards a user fee system to distribute mileage-based dollars to local communities.
• Direct new dollars invested in the funding formula to the Highway Road & Street Fund.
• Raise the Community Crossings grant cap to allow larger communities to leverage more state dollars, remove requirement for 50% of allocation to rural.
• Retire debt obligations, while maintaining current revenue streams, to release additional annual funding—direct to Highway Road & Street Fund.

NEW REVENUE CONCEPTS:

Move state toward non-fuel tax revenues for road construction and maintenance by:

• Consider moderate increases to non-fuel revenue sources:
  • Hybrid/Electric Vehicle registration fee.
  • State-wide vehicle excise tax.
• Explore strategic implementation tolling in high-travel areas around the state.
  • Consider Borman Expressway, I-70, I-74, and I-65.
  • Consider tolling of High Occupancy Vehicles and/or express lanes.
• Pilot milage-based user fee.
  • Ohio, Missouri, Texas, and others have pilots.