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(INDIANAPOLIS) – Governor Holcomb is prepping a second request for extra spending from legislators.

Holcomb has already asked legislators to dip into a $300 million surplus windfall from the last state budget to put up five new buildings without floating bonds as originally planned. Now budget forecasters expect another quarter-billion dollars to work with over the next two years, and Holcomb says that changes what he’ll seek from legislators. 

Holcomb’s not offering specifics until next week’s State of the State address. House Speaker Brian Bosma isn’t revealing Holcomb’s plans either, but says he’s satisfied it won’t mean reopening the current budget.

Even before the rosier forecast, teachers’ unions were calling for what they call a $75 million “down payment” on plans to raise teacher pay. Holcomb’s not commenting one way or the other on whether that’s an option. He’s said in the past he doesn’t want to tackle that issue piecemeal, and Bosma says legislative Republicans remain opposed to adding ongoing spending before the next budget is written in 2021.

Holcomb’s proposed construction spending would come in the current budget cycle, but involves projects already included in the budget — it converts them to straight cash instead of borrowing. Holcomb says that’ll save $5 million a year. 

House Republicans are moving quickly on that proposal, with a hearing Tuesday morning, but they’ve already made some changes. Instead of paying for a new swine barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the House plan pays for repairs at IU as part of the school’s bicentennial this year, and renovations to Indiana State’s Dreiser Hall communications building.

The House plan does include Holcomb’s requests for buildings at Ball State, Purdue, the University of Southern Indiana, and Ivy Tech’s Columbus campus.