The Indiana House Ways & Means Committee rejected amendments added to an education bill last week that would have restored funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The 15-8 vote against both amendments on Jan. 21 fell along party lines.
State Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, added the amendments to House Bill 1266, authored by House education chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis.
That bill changes provisions in 19 areas, including school safety grants, funding for Advanced Placement exams, and summer school funding. It also creates a framework to support low-performing schools, among other measures.
Porter sought the creation of a state tax credit for individuals who donate to the Imagination Library. His second amendment would have appropriated $6 million from the general fund, the amount removed last year in the state budget.
The Imagination Library provides free books to children from birth to age 5. It expanded statewide in 2023 with a $6 million allocation under former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Last year, Gov. Mike Braun and the House left it out of their budgets. After some blowback, Braun drafted his wife, Maureen, to raise money to cover the state’s $6 million share for the program that’s popular in all 92 Indiana counties.
The defunding came as the Indiana Department of Education and lawmakers placed emphasis on literacy in early grades. The DOE ordered schools to follow the science of reading curriculum and lawmakers passed a law calling for the retention of third graders who don’t pass the state IREAD literacy exam.
Despite the lack of state support, parents in Lake and Porter counties can still sign up their children to receive a free book each month through the Lake County Public Library and the Porter County and Westchester libraries. Local libraries are raising money on their own to try to meet the match required.
In a release last week, Porter said he’s still waiting to see how much money Maureen Braun has raised for the Imagination Library since she’s been seeking private donations. No amount has been announced.
Maureen Braun read to young children last October at the Gary Public Library in a visit that marked the expansion of the Imagination Library to every child in Lake County, according to Julie Wendorf, director of the Crown Point Community Library and president of the Indiana Library Federation.
A $250,000 donation from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation allowed libraries in Hammond, East Chicago, Gary and Lowell to be able to participate in the program, launched in 1995 by the Dollywood Foundation.
About 755 children had enrolled by October after the donation.
“What’s going on with Dolly’s Imagination Library?” Porter said. “We heard about a single donation last July, but that’s it. We have no clue how much has been raised, no clue if it’s enough. It’s crickets. It’s a quiet phase-out of the program,” said Porter.
“The argument that we don’t have the money isn’t valid since we’ll have a $5 billion surplus,” he said.
House Ways & Means Committee chairman Rep. Jeffrey Thompson, R-Lizton, said Porter’s amendments called for an appropriation, which is against General Assembly practice in an off-budget year.
“It’s been the practice for as long as I can remember,” said Thompson.
“I can’t argue intent, it’s a really good discussion to have, I think it’s a budget issue,” said Behning.
“I think our highest fiscal priorities should be addressing the Medicaid and childcare waiting lists,” said Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany. “As laudable as this may be, this moves us away from it,” Clere said, adding a tax credit would amount to a reduction in state revenue.
Before voting on Behning’s education bill, the committee approved an amendment adding a one-year state income tax break on overtime and tips for workers to Senate Bill 243. That opt-in measure was part of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed by Congress last year.
It’s expected to cost the state $251 million in revenue. Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, said the money would come from Indiana’s surplus and be examined after one year to determine if it would continue.
Porter asked why funding for the Imagination Library couldn’t come from the reserves, too.
“It’s baffling… the tenor of this General Assembly,” said Porter.
“It is confusing as to why we would vote for 243 and not support this one,” said Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis.
“It’s a matter of our priorities. Is our priority business and making sure they don’t pay any taxes?… I think we ought to put a priority on our kids,” she said.
Copyright © 2026, Chicago Tribune