(file photo of Democrat House Leader Terry Goodin)
(AP) — Indiana Democratic leaders say Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb failed to provide boldness or leadership in his State of the State speech toward fixing the state’s problems.
Holcomb said in his Tuesday night speech that a transparent review of the state’s troubled Department of Child Services would be carried out, but didn’t detail any plans. His former child welfare chief resigned last month, saying the agency was beset by service cuts amid a surge in caseloads fueled by the opioid epidemic.
House Democratic leader Terry Goodin of Austin says it doesn’t seem that Holcomb and other Republican leaders grasp the seriousness of lives being in danger from the child agency’s troubles.
Democrats say they aren’t satisfied with waiting for months for a report about the agency.