Indiana House Democrats will push for many of the same priorities Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is advocating for in 2023.

House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) said Indiana must invest in its people. And the first way to do that, he argued, is “adequately” funding public health.

“Good health should be a Hoosier basic," GiaQuinta said. "Health outcomes must rise above partisan fighting.”

The House Democrats’ agenda goes further than the governor’s – they want to fully fund the Public Health Commission’s recommendation at $243 million a year.

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues and throughout the legislative session.

Democrats also want to go further in increasing access to early childhood education, pushing for universal pre-K.

“The more children we have accessing early education, the more benefits Indiana will reap in the long run,” GiaQuinta said.

GiaQuinta said the legislature needs to focus on these kinds of issues and not the “extreme, needless culture wars.”

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.