STATEHOUSE — State Senator Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) has issued a statement on the awarding of Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grants on Tuesday.
“This program is a great way for the state to invest in our communities and improve housing, infrastructure, workforce, and other areas. The recipients of the READI grants show promising initiative to continue improving Indiana for our residents. Congratulations to the Accelerate Rural Indiana region containing Rush, Shelby, and Decatur counties and Batesville; Southeast region containing six counties, including Franklin and Ripley; and East Central region containing eight counties including Henry and Fayette for receiving a total of $50 million in grant funding. I look forward to seeing what this funding will do for Senate District 42 and our community.
“I would also like to thank Accelerate Rural Indiana for including me in their presentation. As a state senator representing Rush County, parts of Shelby and Decatur counties, and Batesville, I am honored to have played a small part in assisting and supporting their READI grant application. I know these communities will do a great job of fulfilling their goals and helping rural Indiana prosper.”
READI grants were created through legislation passed during the 2021 legislative session and are funded through the bipartisan budget passed by the Indiana General Assembly in April.
Accelerate Rural Indiana was awarded $20 million. The region is made up of the cities of Batesville, Greensburg, Rushville, and Shelbyville plus Decatur, Rush, and Shelby counties.
Southeast Indiana READI, which consists of Ripley, Franklin, Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland, and Union counties, was awarded $15 million.
