With the special session in the rearview mirror, legislators are beginning to preview their priorities going into the 2023 legislative session, which will be a session in which lawmakers propose a biennial budget totaling nearly $40 billion.
On Thursday, those who attended the Indiana Technology and Innovation Association’s annual conference heard from numerous lawmakers including Congressman Trey Hollingsworth (IN-9), Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, state Sens. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne), Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence), and Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), as well as state Reps. Chuck Goodrich (R-Noblesville) and Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo). Even Gov. Holcomb made an appearance via Spokenote, and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness closed the program by emphasizing regional economic growth and collaboration.
In his welcome message, Gov. Holcomb described the conference as a “unique event” that connects tech leaders and policymakers to contemplate key issues impacting the tech and innovation industries. He also highlighted two areas of focus: (1) ensuring funding is appropriately allocated so that venture capital activity is “welcomed and supported in our state,” and (2) prioritizing education initiatives that “integrate technology into the very curriculum of Hoosier public schools.”
Senator Brown discussed in detail the journey of her consumer data protection bill, SB 358, which passed the Senate but failed to make it through the House. Brown stated her intention to introduce the Senate-passed version of the bill in 2023, which earned praise from other data privacy experts on her panel, including Ed Britan, vice president and head of global privacy at Salesforce.
Senator Walker, who is in a tough fight to retain his Senate seat, lauded his efforts to fund the Indiana IoT Lab, which is a one-stop location for innovators to ideate, collaborate and learn from Internet of Things experts. Walker expressed his intent to seek additional funding to bolster the lab’s efforts and replicate its model in other areas of the state.
Senator Qaddoura underscored the importance of pre-K and K-12 investments so that the state’s workforce pipeline starts from the time a child begins his or her education. Qaddoura acknowledged the state’s talent concerns and proposes incentivizing people to stay, live and work in Indiana – especially recent college graduates from other states. Qaddoura proposes offering an incentive package that would offset the higher tuition they paid due to their out-of-state status.
Representative Goodrich articulated the need for public/private education partnerships to increase access to apprenticeships, saying, “Apprenticeships are essential to providing opportunities to students and keeping talent from leaving our state.” He and Congressman Hollingsworth made the same point, which is that Indiana educates a lot of bright students but too often they leave for opportunities in other states – never to return.
Representative Karickhoff expressed his intention to build upon legislation he authored in 2021, which addresses cybersecurity incidents among state agencies and political subdivisions, and he updated attendees on the extensive work accomplished by the Electric Vehicle Commission over the past 10 months. The commission’s work is meant to translate into government investments that will prepare the state for emerging electric vehicle manufacturing and consumer adoption.
Finally, both Lt. Gov. Crouch and Gov. Holcomb voiced their intention to work alongside industry to integrate technology solutions to address government efficiency problems. For example, Crouch asked rhetorically, “Wouldn’t it be nice if all 100 agencies used one software solution and could communicate easily with each other?”
The simple answer is of course, “Yes!” That said, Thursday’s conference offered a small glimpse into the minds of a handful of the 150 Hoosier legislators who will all have 2023 budget priorities. Hence why it will be so important for the Indiana Chamber, supported by our members, to narrow our advocacy efforts and promote legislative priorities that will make a generational difference to our state – with an appreciation that technology will inevitably be part of the implementation process.
Resource: Adam Berry at (317) 264-6892 or email: aberry@indianachamber.com
