Indiana

Governor Braun announced that Indiana now has universal school choice starting this fall, raised starting teacher salaries by $5,000, and reported all-time records in literacy scores and graduation rates. He supported Senator Raatz's bill to limit cellphone use in schools and give parents veto power over their kids and social media, and expressed interest in investing in lowering child care costs during the budget session.

Governor Braun emphasized healthcare affordability, noting his personal experience building a company health plan with no premium increases in 18 years. He highlighted legislation to keep Hoosiers out of 'crushing medical debt' and announced $465 million in savings found through cracking down on Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse, along with plans to codify Medicaid work requirements.

Governor Braun reported Indiana's real GDP is growing faster than the national rate—double Ohio's, triple Kentucky's, and six times Michigan's. He highlighted reducing the cost to bring a job to Indiana from $46,000 to $15,000, with average wages for new jobs up 10%. He emphasized Amazon's $15 billion data center investment, efforts to attract the Chicago Bears, and workforce investments including the Lonnie Camp upskilling story.

Governor Braun discussed data center energy infrastructure, highlighting Amazon's $15 billion data center in northwest Indiana that will pay for its own power needs. He called for policies ensuring data centers don't stick Hoosiers with increased electricity bills and supported legislation to make homebuilding easier by removing government barriers.

Governor Braun highlighted Indiana State Police's drug interdiction efforts, including seizing over 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 84 pounds of heroin and fentanyl (double the prior year), and a single 300-pound cocaine bust worth $7 million. He reported overdose deaths dropped over 60%, from 1,610 in 2024 to 562. He launched Operation Guardian Angel resulting in 48 arrests of child predators and expressed support for constitutional amendments allowing preventive detention of violent criminals.

Governor Braun focused on energy affordability, appointing a consumer advocate (Abby Gray) to fight utility rate hikes, who recommended a rate decrease on her first request. He specifically addressed data centers, insisting they must pay their own power costs and citing Amazon's $15 billion data center as a model. He supported legislation to hold investor-owned utility companies accountable and appointed three rate-payer conscious members to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Governor Braun highlighted that home prices have surged because of insufficient building and unnecessary regulations. He expressed support for Rep. Doug Miller's bill to reduce government barriers and make it easier for Hoosiers to buy homes, stating "I support it 100%."

Governor Braun emphasized affordability as his highest priority, highlighting a historic $1.5 billion property tax cut over three years, cracking down on waste and fraud to find $465 million in Medicaid savings, and neutralizing a projected budget shortfall. He noted most state agencies are operating with 10% cuts while the revenue forecast shows strong growth. He also highlighted holding utility companies accountable and requiring data centers to pay their own power costs.

Governor Braun addressed data centers extensively, insisting they must pay their own way for power rather than sticking Hoosiers with the bill. He cited Amazon's $15 billion data center paying for all its own power needs as the model. He also supported Senator Raatz's bill to limit cellphone use in schools and give parents social media veto power, and promoted workforce upskilling programs.

Governor Braun emphasized running government like a business, finding $465 million in Medicaid savings through cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse. He appointed a new consumer advocate to challenge utility rate increases, appointed rate-payer conscious members to the Utility Regulatory Commission, and noted most state agencies are operating with 10% cuts while the projected budget shortfall was neutralized.

Governor Braun highlighted finding $465 million in Medicaid savings through cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse, and supported work requirements for Medicaid recipients. He expressed interest in investing in lowering child care costs, suggesting a program where businesses have "skin in the game." He supported Senate Bill 1 codifying Medicaid responsibility measures and noted overdose deaths dropped over 60%.

Governor Braun declared affordability his "highest priority," citing Biden-era inflation. He highlighted average hourly earnings rising over 4% and wages growing faster than the national average. He touted historic property tax reform saving taxpayers $1.5 billion over three years, proposed accountability measures for utility rate hikes including appointing a consumer advocate who recommended a rate decrease, supported legislation to hold investor-owned utilities accountable, and called for reducing healthcare costs through transparency and anti-predatory collection measures. He also emphasized data centers must "pay their own way" for power.