INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Indiana Technology & Innovation Association (ITIA) today announced its policy agenda for the 2019 legislative session.

ITIA, which is made up of more than 100 technology companies across the state and represents Indiana’s fastest growing industry, launched in November on Organization Day.

ITIA’s policy priorities center around three core pillars critical to the success of Indiana’s technology industry – Talent, Capital and Place.

TALENT
ITIA supports the following policies to educate and train Indiana students in technical trades, skill up our current Hoosier workforce and attract technically trained workers to Indiana to fill the growing demand for tech jobs:

• Provide funding for computer science training in schools to help every Indiana school meet the goal of providing computer science education by 2021.
• Give schools more flexibility to develop partnerships with employers to advance career and technical education and encourage credential attainment before graduation.
• Provide 50% tax credits for contributions to 501c3 entities that provide and coordinate workforce training and industry credentials.

“One of the biggest challenges facing Indiana’s tech industry is finding qualified candidates to fill technical roles,” said TechPoint CEO Mike Langellier, who serves on the ITIA Board and co-chairs the Policy Committee. “It’s critical that we provide more opportunities for technical education and retraining in Indiana, as well as incent experienced technical workers to relocate to our state.”

CAPITAL
ITIA supports the following policies to increase access to capital for tech companies at all stages, make Indiana more competitive for national venture capital investment, and encourage Indiana tech and non-tech companies to modernize and innovate:

• Make the Venture Capital Investment tax credit transferable to increase investment by out-of-state investors without Indiana tax liability.
• Update the Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit to allow targeted incentives to small companies with high growth potential.
• Exempt purchase of data warehouse equipment and electricity use from state sales and use tax.

“Many Indiana technology companies lack the necessary capital to grow and succeed at all stages,” said ClearObject CEO John McDonald, who serves on the ITIA Board and co-chairs the Policy Committee. “We need to do more to incentivize venture capital investment in our state. Making the VCI tax credit transferable, increasing the amount of investment that qualifies and raising the overall cap are important steps to expand access to funding for Indiana’s growing tech industry.”

PLACE
ITIA supports the following policies to make Indiana a more attractive place to live and work in an effort to draw more technology and innovation-based investment, jobs and talent to our state:

• Support Governor Holcomb’s proposed $100M investment in high-speed broadband internet to unserved areas.
• Approve a bias crimes law.
• Allow Certified Tech Parks to capture up to $500,000 annually in order to continue making investments encouraging innovation at the CTP after the $5M cap has been reached.
• Add more non-stop international flights.

“For Indiana to compete with top tech hubs across the globe, we need to be able to attract top talent,” said 120WaterAudit CEO Megan Glover, who serves on the ITIA Board and Policy Committee. “Our focus is ensuring Indiana remains a thriving and welcoming environment for our industry to grow.”

For ITIA’s full 2019 Policy Agenda and future areas of focus, click here.