Education, rural issues top agenda

Education, rural broadband, agriculture.

Those were the three topics on J.D. Prescott’s mind midway through his first legislative session representing District 33.

Prescott, a Republican from rural Union City, was unable to attend last weekend’s Third House Session in Portland as he was attending to his wife Brooke and their newborn son Graham.

For that reason, his interview with The Commercial Review was set up to allow him his own chance, of sorts, to meet with his constituents. He was given time for an opening statement to talk about topics of his choice from the first half of the legislative session. He was asked the same questions that local residents posed to Sen. Travis Holdman at the Third House Session.

Prescott, who represents all of Jay and Randolph counties and part of Delaware County, said education was a key part of this year’s budget process.

While Holdman, R-Markle, noted last week that much of the extra available budget funds will go to the Department of Child Services and Medicaid obligations, the version passed by the Indiana House includes 2-percent increases in funding for schools both this year and next year. The hope, Prescott said, is that those dollars go to educators.

“We’re trying to streamline that and make it easier for school corporations to get those dollars back into the classroom,” he said.

On rural broadband internet access, which was one of the key issues Prescott campaigned on, he is hopeful that there will be progress this year. 

While noting that two bills addressing the issue failed to get out of committee on the House side, Senate Bill 460 would eliminate some of the hurdles toward expanding broadband, including that the department of transportation may not charge a fee for necessary communication infrastructure. He said the bill doesn’t go as far as he would like it to, but that it could be a good step in the process.

In terms of agriculture, Prescott said he is looking forward to hearing testimony about industrial hemp after a bill on that topic was passed through the Senate. He’s said he’s in favor of allowing the product in Indiana as long as it is regulated so that the level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, is negligible and that there are adequate plans for processing the crop.

He also noted House Bill 1044, which would have tightened restrictions on confined feeding operations, including with a variety of steback requirements.

“That would have really devastated Jay County agriculture if that bill would have passed,” he said.

In response to a question posed by Nick Miller at the Third House Session, Prescott echoed Holdman in saying there is little new legislation this year.

He said he would like to see tougher penalties for drug dealers and advocated for the federal government to provide funding for the wall at the Mexican border, which he said would help stop the flow of drugs into the country.

To Jay County High School agriculture teacher Brittany Kloer’s concerns about career and technical education changes, he said the legislature’s goal is to provide more flexibility for how CTE dollars are spent. He added that a change to the amount of professional experience required for non accredited teachers to lead certain classes is an effort to give schools options, saying the state is dealing with a shortage of teachers.

Prescott didn’t have strong feelings on Rick Gibson’s push for redistricting reform, for which no legislation is imminent this year. He said he feels the system that is in place works well, but that he would follow the lead of his constituents if there was a strong feeling one way or the other.

On the hate crimes bill that has been in the news statewide, he reiterated the opinion he had offered during the campaign. He said he does not believe such a bill is needed because judges already have the ability to increase penalties for aggravating circumstances.

The 27-year-old said he’s learned a lot in his first session in the General Assembly since knocking off Democrat Shon Byrum and Libertarian Dale Arnett in the November general election. On top of that list is that it’s vitally important for residents of District 33 to share their thoughts with him as the session continues.

“For our rural district, the best thing constituents can do to help me do the job is to either send in emails or (make) phone calls to our office and let me know your feelings on the issues that we’re addressing. Because that’s what I’m there for,” said Prescott. “I’m there to work for the people, and I want to do that.”