Lt. Governor
Governor Mike Pence appointed Suzanne Crouch as the 56th Indiana Auditor of State on January 2, 2014. Since her swearing in Suzanne Crouch has worked to uphold her oath of office and worked everyday for Hoosiers to make our state government transparent and accountable to the taxpayers.

Conservative Leader
Suzanne served as a State Representative from Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties for seven years. As Vice-Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Suzanne helped craft a structurally balanced budget and the largest tax cut in State history. In 2012 Suzanne voted to repeal the Indiana Inheritance Tax, completely phasing out the death tax. In June of 2013, Indiana closed the books with $1.9 billion in reserves, and a balanced budget. Suzanne is proud to have a record of fiscal responsibility and working to reduce the tax burden on Hoosiers at every opportunity.

Suzanne Crouch has been advocate for school reform and during her time in the House of Representatives voted for increased school choice for Hoosier families. In 2012, she was proud to vote for a budget that fully funded all day kindergarten in Indiana.  Indiana now allocates a larger percentage of our general fund to education than any state in the nation.

Suzanne Crouch is a strong advocate for the unborn and has championed pro-life legislation as a member of the General Assembly. She has been a strong defender of the 2nd Amendment.

Steward of your tax dollars
Suzanne Crouch believes the trust a taxpayer grants to an elected official is a sacred trust and that every dollar should be spent with serious consideration and respect, because every tax dollar that comes into our state treasury has a name and face attached to that dollar.

The Indiana Auditor of State is the Chief Financial Officer for the State of Indiana. The Auditor’s office accounts for Indiana’s $30 billion biennium budget, pays the state employees and vendors. The timely payment of bills is a major factor for the credit rating agencies, and Indiana is one of a 9 states that have an AAA credit rating. Suzanne believes that taxpayers should not have to pay for late fees and will work to keep paying the state’s bills on time.

Indiana’s state government was recently named the most transparent in the nation. This distinction is in large part due to the talented public servants working in the Auditor of State’s office. The award was given as a result of the Transparency Portal that allows citizens to go online and search for an explanation of how every one of their tax dollars has been spent.

The Auditor of State’s office also serves as the State of Indiana’s customer service window to your local County and City governments. As Auditor, Suzanne oversee and distributes $13 billion in taxes to local units of government. Timely and accurate disbursements from the Auditor’s office are essential for local units of government to deliver services to taxpayers. Suzanne Crouch’s experience as a local elected official gives her a unique ability to effectively communicate with local leaders and ensure efficiency for the taxpayer.

The most important responsibility for the Auditor’s is preparing the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. It is used to report the condition of the State’s finances each fiscal year and is watched closely by the bond rating agencies as they monitor the State’s credit rating. The Auditor’s office has earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for Comprehensive Annual Financial Reporting for 20 consecutive years by the Government Finance Office Association which contributes to our AAA credit rating.

Community Leader
Suzanne Crouch has always had a heart for service. As a young mother, Suzanne took on the role of Vanderburgh County Republican Chairman and helped lead her community. She went on to serve two terms as a County Auditor and then went on to serve as County Commissioner. During her time in County government Suzanne learned the value of a government close to the people and understands that local leaders needs to be empowered by state leaders to deliver services to the taxpayer.

Recently Suzanne was able to see a long-term project come to fruition with the announcement of the IU School Medicine program in downtown Evansville. Through years of collaboration with local and state officials and private sector partners Suzanne was able to help bring a major economic development driver to her home community.

Proud Hoosier, Wife and Mother
Suzanne Crouch was born in Evansville, Indiana and grew up in a principled home rooted in southern Indiana values. After graduating high school, Suzanne went on to attend and graduate from Purdue University. Shortly after college, Suzanne met her husband Larry Downs and they have been married 32 years. Larry and Suzanne have a grown daughter, Courtney, and they will soon be adding a son in law when Courtney is married this summer.