At his speech to the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 16, Gov. Mike Pence stressed four main points of his administration and how Indiana has to use fiscal stability to keep the economy moving forward.
“It’s a difficult time in the life of our national economy,” Pence said. “I believe our state is strong and growing stronger. Indiana is the fiscal leader in the country.”
As of August, Indiana has an 8.1 percent unemployment rate according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Indiana led the nation in manufacturing jobs three months running,” Pence said. “We were named the best in the Midwest and second best state in America to relocate a business.”
While Indiana is moving forward – especially when compared to neighboring states – Pence said he sees great potential.
“There’s a sense of optimism in Indiana. We’ve got an opportunity in the State of Indiana to keep going, to break through,” Pence said. “I get excited about advancing Indiana during these slow economic times.”
In addition to the recent passing of the largest state tax cut in the history of Indiana, Pence is focused on tax relief and regulatory refund.
“Soon we will be the lowest tax state in the Midwest,” he said. “Eleven thousand pages of regulation pages are too much. We need to roll back the red tape. I want Indiana to have the most friendly regulatory business environment in the country.”
Pence said Indiana will put $800 million in roads and bridges with $200 million for local governments – the first new money for local roads in more than a decade.
“If you are going to be the crossroads of Indiana, you better have the roads to back it up,” he said.
Education innovation was Pence’s final point. The state has provided nearly $200 million in new funding for schools and $30 million in teacher performance funding.
“If we can’t succeed in the classroom, we won’t in the work place,” he said.
