(STATE HOUSE)-Today, Auditor of State Connie Nass released the following response to the Governor's news conference:

"I am pleased the Governor now acknowledges that there are funds available to help shore up the budget shortfall without raising taxes or firing teachers. I have traveled the state with other Republicans for months telling Hoosiers that state government should look to the money it already has before tax increases or teacher firings are even considered. It would have been fiscally prudent had he reined in spending and properly managed existing balances over the past six years. Instead, he spent the last six months calling for higher taxes.

"The best place to begin, in our estimation, is with monies that can be tapped without crippling or halting existing services. But because the Governor's office did not contact my office until minutes before his news conference began, we have not had time to thoroughly analyze his proposal. After we have had an opportunity to examine the Governor's proposal, a more detailed response will be released later this week."