Governor Pence Appears Today on Indianapolis This Week

Interview

Excerpts:

On infrastructure plan not raising taxes on Hoosiers:

Well, it's a real testament to the strong fiscal responsibility that Indiana has demonstrated in recent years. Look, we have one of the strongest balance sheets in the country. We have a growing economy. We have record employment in the state of Indiana and the lowest unemployment rate in the Midwest. That's all created an environment where, at the end of the last fiscal year, we actually ended up with near-record reserves in the bank. And so as we were looking at the priorities of the coming session of the General Assembly, I knew it would be possible for us to invest in the kind of preservation of our infrastructure, of roads and bridges across the state of Indiana, by leveraging our fiscal strength without having to raise taxes on Hoosier motorists and taxpayers.

On details of his 21st Century Crossroads plan:

Well, I'm hoping that the legislature will embrace all of our 21st Century Crossroads plan. What we want to do, ultimately, is invest $1 billion over the next four years to take what is already a good system of state roads and bridges -- rates above the nation average -- and even improve that still. And the good news is, we can do that without raising taxes on Hoosier motorists in this state. The way we make that happen is, I believe that it is important that we maintain adequate reserves, but I'll ask the General Assembly to allow me to move dollars that are above 11.5 percent into roads. And also, we have the highest credit rating of any state in the country -- an AAA bond rating. That means we can borrow money at a very affordable rate. So, I'm also going to ask the legislature to give us the ability to borrow dollars over a 20 year period of time to invest in preservation of our roads and bridges. I'm encouraged at the initial response we've received from members of the General Assembly, but I look forward to taking the case of the 21st Century Crossroads plan all across Indiana and into the well of the General Assembly next January.

On accusations from critics against his transportation plan:

Rafael, our administration has invested in infrastructure every year since I became Governor. More than $1.2 billion has been invested since I took the oath of office. This is simply building on that. And frankly, it was born as we closed out our fiscal year well ahead of where we expected to be in our budget reserves. We set a goal of 12.5 percent, which would be very high for any state in the country. But because Indiana's economy is expanding so rapidly, our reserves were over 14 percent. So I sat our team down and I said "what could we do in the upcoming short session of the General Assembly that would have the greatest impact on encouraging more investment and seeing more jobs created in the state of Indiana?" And roads and bridges and infrastructure were just on the top of the list.

The suggestion that Indiana's infrastructure is crumbling or suffering from neglect is just political nonsense. But look, that's okay, it's a free country. People can say what they want to say. I think when you look at the real statistics, you'll see that the investments that are underway today have our roads and bridges in the state of Indiana in fair or even better condition in more than 90 percent of the cases. The $1 billion that I want to invest now in the 21st Century Crossroads plan will take us even higher.

On religious freedom and civil protections:

Well let me say, I abhor discrimination. One of the heroes of my youth was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And one of the greatest experiences of my life was walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge next to John Lewis on the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Hoosiers don't tolerate discrimination against anybody. We are the kindest, most compassionate, most caring people in the world. But Hoosiers also cherish faith and religion and the freedoms that are associated with those things. And so I think as we go forward there are two things that are important. Number one is that as this debate continues in the public square and maybe in the General Assembly; that it be done so in a way that shows respect and compassion for everyone with every point of view. But what we're considering is whether or not those two principles -- the fact that Hoosiers don't tolerate discrimination, Hoosiers cherish faith -- whether or not it's possible to reconcile those two things in the law. We'll be thoughtful about it. Candidly, Rafael, I'm being prayerful about it. We've come to no determination yet, but were listening to a lot of people respectfully. We're taking the matter seriously, and we'll look to resolve our position on that issue and what we think is the best course for Indiana in the weeks and months ahead.

On Colts vs. Patriots:

No surprise by who I'm cheering for. But remember, I was at the AFC championships game. I was out in the cold…and I think we were, the eight of us I think, were the only people wearing Colts blue in the grandstands at Gillette Stadium. So, there's going to be a little payback, and I'm liking the Colts this year. Look, the Patriots are a strong team, but we've got all the horsepower. We'll have Luck back taking snaps, and Brady isn't gonna know what hit him.

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