Sen. Young talks technology, spending and tax credits in Muncie

MUNCIE, Ind. − U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said that local officials need to prepare for fewer federal dollars coming from Washington, D.C.

"It's going to be tighter for awhile," Young told his audience at the ECI Regional Planning District quarterly meeting in the Innovation Connector building Tuesday.

Young noted that the large amounts of money made available to local governments during the COVID pandemic are coming to an end. Money will still be available but a case showing the need will have to be made going forward.

Young came to Muncie Tuesday to discuss issues he and the U.S. Senate are addressing and also hear from constituents. The Planning District leadership asked prearranged questions of Young regarding some of his efforts in the Senate, including efforts to return the manufacture of microchips to the United States.

He said the United States needs to have ready access to a sufficient number of semiconductors that keep the manufacture of everything from automobiles appliances to national defense and weapons systems functioning. The U.S. relies on Taiwan for much of it's microchips now. China, which Young said was this generation's primary national security threat, also produces the chips.

The senator said Congress was looking at ways to develop more technology driven production so the United States does more than arrive at a technological break through, but also manufactures the resulting product, so we "don't have to go to Asia to scale up production."

Young noted that too often when the United States goes to produce products in China, the intellectual property behind the product is stolen.

The development of synthetic biology is where genes are manipulated to create different living products.

"We ought to own that," Young said.

He also told the District meeting that artificial intelligence would be a boon.

While right now people are afraid of the potential abuses of AI, he said, those issues will be overcome and it will be harnessed.

"Think about the incredible opportunities of AI," Young said. "... Right now we are way ahead."

He said that we don't want others to catch up. The United States wants to stay ahead. Change is going to happen rapidly and the world is going to be moving faster, even though the country would like it to slow down, he said.

"All of us are going to have to up our game," Young said.

Yes in My Backyard Act

Young is a Senate sponsor of legislation called The Yes in My Backyard Act, or YIMBY. It's aim is to encourage localities to eliminate discriminatory land use zoning policies and remove barriers that prevent needed housing from being built.

The act would require Community Development Block Grant recipients to report periodically how they are they removing discriminatory land use policies and implementing affordable housing policies that are inclusive.

On the subject of housing, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour told Young that Indiana might be falling behind in a federal program administered by the states that delivers income tax credits to developers of affordable housing.

Ridenour told Young that he had spoken with The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority that developers who work in other states are choosing to go to other states to build affordable housing projects.

Ridenour said Muncie has fared well with the program, one that enables development owners to charge lower rents in exchange for income tax credits. Riverbend Flats at Memorial and Burlington drives is one such development.

But the mayor said developers have been telling him that the program as administered in Indiana is not as flexible or user friendly and one told Ridenour his company was choosing to stop doing business in the Hoosier state.

Ridenour said it would be helpful if the federal government, which finances the program, told the states to make the program more user friendly.

Young encouraged the crowd, which included an assortment of local officials, to make the matter an issue in the upcoming gubernatorial election in Indiana. Indiana will elect a new governor in 2024.

David Penticuff is a reporter with The Star Press. He can be reached at dpenticuff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Sen. Young talks technology, spending and tax credits in Muncie