Contact: Kara Brooks, 317-232-1622, kbrooks@gov.in.gov

INDIANAPOLIS, June 1, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Governor Mike Pence today penned an  op-ed in The Elkhart Truth regarding Hoosiers' economic successes on the day of President Obama's visit to Elkhart, Indiana.

Excerpts:

"I believe the people of Elkhart and my fellow Hoosiers have brought our economy back in spite of the burdens that higher taxes, mandates and increasing regulations from Washington, D.C. have placed on them."

"So I hope you will join me in giving credit where credit is due, to the people of Elkhart and north central Indiana whose work ethic, character, and ingenuity continue to make Indiana one of the best states in America to start a business, grow a business or get a job." 

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Welcome back, Mr. President. With your return to the city of Elkhart, people across this country will see firsthand a community and a state in the midst of a great American comeback and we appreciate you focusing the nation on what Hoosiers have accomplished. 

The people of Elkhart are rightfully proud of the economic growth they have experienced since the economic downturn.  The unemployment rate in the Elkhart County area is 3.9 percent and more than 12,000 jobs have been added since January 2013. 

Manufacturing is booming in traditional industries like recreational vehicles, conversion vans and boat manufacturers, along with their many suppliers. The most recent announcement came yesterday when Spartan Motors announced plans to add nearly 150 new jobs and invest $10.9 million in Elkhart County.

Mr. President, we welcome you back to Elkhart since your first visit since 2009. I believe the people of Elkhart and my fellow Hoosiers have brought our economy back in spite of the burdens that higher taxes, mandates and increasing regulations from Washington, D.C. have placed on them. Our state has experienced an economic comeback because the story in Indiana has been very different.

Since I became governor in January 2013, we have worked every day to lower the burden of taxes and regulations so businesses large and small can focus on jobs and growth instead of worrying about the burden of their state government.

We have balanced two budgets, cut taxes every year including the largest state income tax cut in Indiana history. We repealed the inheritance tax, maintained strong reserves and invested more than $2.0 billion in our state's infrastructure to support a growing economy.

We have also made education for our current workforce and the next generation the top priority, with record investments in education while making career and technical education a priority in every high school in Indiana again. The high school graduation rate has reached nearly 88 percent, seventh best in the nation and for the first time in Indiana's history, we invested in early learning programs for disadvantaged kids and have one of the largest school voucher programs in America.

All of these efforts have not gone unnoticed.  Indiana was recently recognized by Chief Executive magazine as the number one state in the Midwest for business, and fifth in the nation.

Indiana's economy is on a roll with more Hoosiers going to work every day than ever before in our state's history.  Since I have been governor, more than 150,000 new jobs have been created by businesses across our state and unemployment has dropped from more than eight percent when I took office to roughly five percent today. 

There are many reasons for the remarkable economic recovery that has been created in Indiana but I believe most of the credit belongs to the hard-working people of this community and the state. So I hope you will join me in giving credit where credit is due, to the people of Elkhart and north central Indiana whose work ethic, character, and ingenuity continue to make Indiana one of the best states in America to start a business, grow a business or get a job. So welcome back to Elkhart Mr. President, a great comeback in a great community in a state that works.