Whitcomb
The two candidates seeking the Indiana House of Representatives District 69 seat in the Nov. 5 general election have different takes on some of the issues facing Indiana.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, who is seeking a seventh term representing the district. Lucas is being challenged by Democratic nominee Trish Whitcomb, the daughter of former Indiana Gov. Edgar D. Whitcomb.
House District 69 encompasses a small portion of southern Bartholomew County and a portion of Jackson County, including Seymour and Brownstown.
Q: What would be your priorities for District 69 and the state of Indiana if you are elected?
Lucas: The main focus for the General Assembly next session will be the budget, and with a new governor, determining what the states priorities will be. Education receives about half of our state budget and Medicaid and infrastructure costs are exploding. These issues will obviously have to be addressed in depth. Locally, our district is struggling with huge and unknown numbers of immigrant migration into our communities. This brings with it severe challenges with school overcrowding, multiple different language barriers, and greatly increased housing, insurance and healthcare costs all specifically related to this issue. Driving without a license is a major problem and I am currently developing legislation to address this issue. I will also be working closely with the new administration to ensure that Indiana remains one of the best states in the nation to start a business, and we must take a close look at property taxes.
Whitcomb: The greatest needs for people living in (House District) 69 are housing people can afford, child and elder care, and all forms of health care, including mental health care. Our communities and their economies cannot grow and thrive without them. Unless we increase the number of students who graduate college, skilled trade apprenticeships or certificate programs in health care and other areas, and then return to our communities, we will fall farther behind. It takes leadership, working with local elected officials, business leaders, and the nonprofit community to create a place where young people want to live. We can’t expect educated or highly skilled people to move here or come back if the cultural atmosphere is divisive and chaotic. To quote Ball State economist, Michael Hicks, “Indiana must become a place where education and skills of people form the central mission of state and local economic development policies.” I would add a few parks and things for young people and their families to do need to be in the mix.
Q: A report from Prosperity Indiana this year found that there are 34 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households in the state. What should the state legislature’s role be in encouraging more affordable housing in Indiana?
Lucas: Affordable housing is a supply and demand issue and one that deserves a deep dive into our regulatory structure, which can add unnecessary costs to the price of building a new home. Another major issue is developing and enforcing rational occupancy codes for homes and apartments. In our district, and throughout the state, many people from different cultures are moving into our communities and are used to having multiple families/individuals living in a single residence. This drives up housing costs and puts the price of a once affordable home out of reach for many because a young family or empty nesters wanting to downsize simply cannot compete with the purchasing power of multiple families or individuals buying a home. Our society demands excellent schools, police and fire departments. These social services are expensive and are funded by property taxes. Multiple families or individuals living in a single residence puts a tremendous strain on our schools, police and fire departments. This living arrangement greatly deprives the community of much needed funding by not paying their share to fund these services.
Whitcomb: I support the Indiana Affordable Housing Council’s advocacy that $50 million of the Indiana Housing and Community Development’s (IHCDA) bond underwriting capacity be devoted to multi-family housing. That amount is under the existing cap for IHCDA to develop low-income housing but is presently dedicated to single-family housing. There would be no tax increase to fund this change of focus. We need to eliminate excessive regulations that account for nearly 40% of the cost of a typical apartment complex development. Delays in issuing permits add to the cost of construction and project completion, which is a problem at all levels of government. Indiana needs to find a way to assist local governments fund streets, sewer systems, and utilities needed to support building low- and moderate-income housing. These costs are currently barriers to development. Support is also needed to develop 2.2 million skilled trade workers in the next three years to meet the demands for construction.
Q: Local Technical Assistance Program, a partnership between the Indiana state government and Purdue University, has estimated that the state would need to spend an additional $2.4 billion per year for a decade to eliminate poor and failed roads and bridges across the state. The program also estimated that the annual funding gap to just maintain the state’s roads and bridges is nearly $1 billion. What should the state legislature do to address the funding gap?
Lucas: Infrastructure is absolutely vital to an economy. Recently, Indiana was voted the No. 1 state in the nation for infrastructure and thankfully, we have a solid funding plan. Our main revenue source for road funding has been gas taxes. This revenue goes directly to infrastructure, which makes it as close to a user fee one could get, and because of this funding structure, Indiana is able to get approximately 20% of our road funding from out-of-state drivers. Unfortunately, due to the irresponsible spending by our federal government and suicidal printing of money, states and individuals are forced to deal with the horrible consequences of inflation. Our infrastructure costs have almost doubled in just the past few years, and this will force the General Assembly to look at not only our current funding structure but (also) consider other funding possibilities as well.
Whitcomb: We are the Crossroads of America, which means semis and other heavy freight vehicles cause more wear and tear on our highways than in other states. Most of these vehicles are passing through Indiana and we need a way to capture funding. A toll system on newly constructed lanes would accomplish that. Hoosiers who use the toll lanes would pay the lowest rate. A system like the one on the bridge between Indiana and Kentucky at Louisville would identify vehicles owned by Hoosiers by their license plates. The amount charged can be further reduced by a subscription for vehicles traveling on a toll road on a regular basis. These charges would only apply to vehicles traveling on toll roads. The assessment on electric vehicles needs to be reviewed to assure that their owners are paying their fare share to maintain our highways. The state of Virginia includes an annual assessment based on miles driven when purchasing license plates. The fewer miles driven, the smaller the fee. Our interstates link with our neighboring states to form a freight corridor. Federal legislation redistributing federal gas tax funds from states with low or no freight traffic like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to Indiana and neighboring states along the corridor would make up some of the gap we currently experience.
