Long Highlights Session’s First Half
Long says the Senate has also approved legislation "modernizing" funding for high school Career and Technical Education courses.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-16) says the measures passed by the chamber in the first half of the legislative session will "build on our state’s positive momentum." He cites multiple bills targeting the state’s opioid abuse epidemic and an expansion of the state’s pilot pre-k program as highlights.
The Senate pre-k bill provides an additional $4 million to the state’s On My Way Pre-K program, which is less than half of the $10 million increase requested by Governor Eric Holcomb. The program currently serves nearly 2,300 low-income students in Allen, Lake, Marion, Jackson and Vanderburgh counties.
Long says the Senate has also approved legislation "modernizing" funding for high school Career and Technical Education courses. The measure makes state CTE grants available to institutions that provide CTE instruction, including schools, cooperatives and apprenticeship programs.
Other bills passed through the Senate include measures allocating additional funds to the Veterans’ Affairs Trust Fund to pay for veteran housing, job training and health programs as well as legislation that "fixes the unintended consequences of Indiana’s laws on e-liquid (vaping) manufacturing.
Long says career and technical education was also a key first-half focus for the Senate.