INDIANAPOLIS – Criticized for entering the legislative session without a plan, first-term Governor Eric Holcomb and Statehouse Republicans hit the halfway point with little to show for it. Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody lamented that taxpayers will be hard-pressed to identify even one policy that will put more money in the pockets of working Hoosiers, help reduce the cost of living or take on the crisis at the Department of Child Services.

“Indiana is facing critical challenges. Why waste taxpayer dollars to meet if Republicans aren’t going to act on kitchen table priorities until 2019?” said Zody. “The cost of living is on the rise and Hoosiers’ incomes aren’t keeping up. But Hoosiers won’t find a single bill designed to raise wages or reduce the cost of the living on the move. Working Hoosiers can rest assured though, special interests are taking full advantage of the vacuum Holcomb’s lack of leadership has created. More than a decade in power may give Holcomb and Republicans a sense of entitlement, but Indiana voters expect their leaders to rise to confront the real issues. To date, Holcomb looks more comfortable hiding.”

Zody also questioned why Statehouse Republicans aren’t taking immediate action on the crisis at the Department of Child Services.

“That the Department of Child Services is on the verge of collapse has been the worst kept secret in state government,” said Zody. “Republicans admit it’s been a crisis brewing for years. So why don’t Holcomb and Republicans have a clear plan? This crisis demands urgency but Statehouse Republicans are content to run out the clock and remove themselves from any solution. Systemic issues require an all-hands-on-deck approach. The clock is ticking.”

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