Governor-elect Mike Braun has revealed the pillars of his agenda for his upcoming first year as governor of Indiana.

Braun is calling it his “Freedom and Opportunity Agenda.” Braun said during his post-election address with media that he want Indiana to emulate other states like Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

“To me, those are states that emphasize freedom and opportunity,” he said. “I just want to pick out the practicality that’s out there, which means you are facing the issues, but you are doing it without borrowing money from future generations.”

His agenda centers around five main tenants.

1. Providing tax relief to address inflation and reduce the burden for everyday Hoosiers.

Braun said he intends to push legislation to provide comprehensive tax relief for Hoosiers. This will include his plan to cap annual property taxes at at least 2-percent in an effort to protect homeowners and farmers.

He also seeks to eliminate the state tax on retirement income and institute strategic sales tax holidays for back-to-school supplies, outdoor recreation equipment, and youth sports gear.

2. Delivering a leaner, more responsive government that runs efficiently and provides excellent constituent services.

Braun is pushing to eliminate and rework a few things he sees as bogging down the state government. For one, he looks to consolidate some state leadership into eight cabinet secretaries, which he announced last week.

This tenant also includes streamlining some services within the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Finally, he plans to conduct a systematic review to eliminate outdated regulations and reduce administrative burden.

“Other states have the basic core that we get by with less government and we run that government more efficiently,” Braun said. “When you can’t be smart enough to spend less than we take in and you are willing to borrow money from your kids and grandkids, that is a bad business plan.”

3. Equipping Indiana’s next generation through education, workforce development, and economic development.

Universal school choice is a big focal point of Braun’s agenda. He intends to implement universal school choice for all Indiana families regardless of income while also increasing the base salaries for Indiana teachers.

This also includes looking into pushing tax credits involving workforce development.

4. Investing in a healthier Indiana by driving down healthcare costs, increasing access, and increasing transparency.

Healthcare has been a point of contention among politicians of late and Braun intends to help drive down the cost of healthcare in Indiana by enhancing price transparency requirements, reforming prior authorization processes, and regulating pharmacy benefit managers.

He also wants to expand access to quality healthcare in rural areas of the state and protect coverage of pre-existing conditions. Finally, he wants to reform mental health treatment to reduce the burden on the criminal justice system.

5. Improving the quality of life for every Hoosier through public safety, affordable energy, and clean water.

Braun has been a long-time proponent of promoting good environmental practices. But, his main focal point in pushing this is to also keep it affordable for Hoosiers. Braun intends to ensure that Hoosiers always have access to affordable and reliable electricity and heat through “a comprehensive all-of-the-above energy strategy.” This includes investing in new types of nuclear energy.​