Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., spoke Wednesday about his state’s accomplishments as a model for the nation towards economic and educational achievement. (Tanner Howard/MNS)
WASHINGTON—With an eye toward the 2016 presidential race, potential Republican candidate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence made his case Wednesday for his state’s education system and regulatory environment as a model for the rest of the nation.
“We believe our state has been one of the leading innovators in expanding opportunity for all of our students,” Pence said at a hearing of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “If we don’t succeed in the classroom, we won’t succeed in the workforce.”
It was the committee’s first meeting of the new Congress, and both parties made it clear they had different priorities for improving education and economic growth. Republicans, the majority on the committee, focused on government regulations and their impact on the economy. Pence called overly burdensome regulations “another form of taxation” on Americans.
“We need more resources, not red tape,” the governor said. “We need more freedom and more flexibility to innovate in education.”
Calling Indiana the “birthplace of school choice,” Pence was questioned repeatedly about the state’s school voucher system, currently the largest in the nation. In his remarks, the governor argued that “competitive federalism” — giving states more say in education policy — was the strongest way to improve American education.
Democrats pounced on the governor’s state-based focus on education. Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, said there are still disparities between white students and their non-white peers.
“Historically, the concept of states’ rights has never been beneficial to people of color,” said Fudge, an African American lawmaker from Cleveland.
Pence also faced criticism for his decision last year to not apply for a federal grant that would have brought the state $80 million over four years to fund pre-k education. Pence called the federal funding “premature” as he aimed to roll out a $10 million pilot program to introduce pre-k education through state legislation.
“Indiana very much wanted to pursue this on a pilot basis,” Pence said, “And to internalize those lessons before making any decisions about expanding the program.”
Pence spent much of his time highlighting Indiana’s focus on vocational training. He urged Congress to support efforts to expand vocational education in high schools.
“We want to make sure our high schools work just as well for kids that want to start their career as those that want to start college,” Pence said.
While Democrats largely attacked Pence’s policies, one area of agreement came on the issue of occupational licensing reform. President Barack Obama has proposed spending $15 million to examine whether there is too much licensing and regulation in states for jobs such as bartenders, barbers and dozens more. Pence has offered support for such a study.
“We need to think very carefully about licensing, which presumably exists for the benefit of the public,” Pence said. “In fact it can [become] a barrier to entry for people in a particular profession.”
Pence, a conservative, has not declared his candidacy for the White House in 2016, yet many expect him to run. Before becoming governor in 2013, Pence served in the U.S. House for ten years, leading the House Republican Conference between 2009 and 2011, making him well-known to many Republican strategists.
While potential 2016 candidates such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have come to Washington to begin scouting potential supporters and advisors, Pence said in a brief interview his focus remains “exclusively” on Indiana. His goal, he said, is to pass a new budget in Indiana by mid-April, before he decides his presidential prospects.
“For my family, we believe that our focus needs to be on this session of the General Assembly,” Pence said. “At the conclusion of that, we’ll probably sit down as a family and make some decisions about our future.”
