Statehouse Scoop: Our goals for this short legislative session

The Indiana General Assembly returns to work today to kick off the 2024 legislative session. United Way of Central Indiana and our advocacy partners have been busy meeting with legislators, analyzing bill drafts and developing strategies so that we can help our policymakers address our state’s most pressing needs. We see real potential this session to improve the quality of life, education and opportunity for Central Indiana and all Hoosiers. 

Because this is an even-numbered year, it will be a short session. What does that mean? Besides fewer days in session, a short session also means that the legislature will be unlikely to deal with any matters that require new appropriations and spending (due to Indiana’s biennial budget cycle). Because this is an election year for all 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives and 25 members of the Indiana Senate (not to mention an open race for the governor’s office), there is a strong feeling that this session may be shorter than a normal “short session.”  

In addition to the General Assembly’s return, today Gov. Eric Holcomb announced his legislative priorities for his last session as Indiana’s governor. You can find his full agenda here.  

What are our policy priorities in 2024? We want to continue to help our friends and neighbors in Central Indiana live the lives they are capable of living. To that end, we’re prioritizing early care and learning, safe and affordable housing for all, and connections to the resources and programs needed to ensure people and households can move out of poverty and into economic stability.  

Lead: 

We will continue to advance the work of the Early Education Works Coalition in advocacy for increased access to high quality early care and learning. This includes efforts that grew out of last summer’s interim study committee on child care: supporting mechanisms that will grow and develop the child care workforce (like making the children of child care workers eligible for On My Way Pre-K and Child Care and Development Fund dollars and making child care credentials tuition-free under the Workforce Ready Grant program) and building on existing efforts by the Early Learning Advisory Committee to update Indiana’s early care regulatory structure. Legislative leaders have identified child care as a priority this session, and we expect to see a number of bills on this topic. 

We also hope to jumpstart conversations around public benefits cliffs and administrative burdens. While not the flashiest policy area, our community partners know that too many people in our neighborhoods lack access to benefits for which they are eligible and have difficulty navigating Indiana’s complicated bureaucratic systems. We hope to see progress toward studying our state’s public benefits system so that we can ensure systems are aligned and supportive of household economic mobility. 

Collaborate: 

We plan to be active in supporting efforts to ensure Hoosiers have access to safe and affordable housing, including expanding pathways to home ownership, tenant protections and the protection of existing affordable housing in our communities. As a member of the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition, we will work with statewide partners to ensure that housing policy addresses the needs of all types of communities. 

We know that education and training are important components of economic mobility and long-term human flourishing. But for far too long, and for far too many, postsecondary education has been out of reach. To that end, we will be working with statewide coalitions to advance efforts to ensure greater access to education for the marginalized in our communities: those currently involved with the criminal justice system and undocumented individuals who have graduated from Indiana’s high schools. Greater access to education and training means more people will be able to develop their skills, and find economic prosperity, here in Indiana. 

Support: 

We will also work to advance policies that support student parents and to instill new behaviors that promote long-term savings and wealth-building. Focusing on the core area of economic security and mobility, and the benefits of the 2Generation approach, United Way will offer support for policies that benefit households as they engage in efforts to improve their economic mobility. When households are supported as they work to improve their financial stability or pursue work or educational opportunities, the whole household will benefit. 

Work in committees and on the floor will begin in earnest today and continue through the end of session. While the General Assembly has until March 14 to complete its business, the end of session may come a week or so earlier.  

We’ll continue tracking bills, providing feedback and resources to legislators, and finding ways to advocate for the things our communities need for their residents. You can follow along with our bill track list here, which will be updated anytime there is a new bill or a change to an existing bill we are following. 

In the meantime, I encourage you to consider signing up for our advocacy email list for regular updates on what is happening at the Statehouse and how you can help. The health of our politics and the quality of our public policy is shaped in large measure by the willingness of citizens to do the necessary work of engagement: voting, volunteering and making their voices heard. We at United Way of Central Indiana remain grateful for the many ways in which you make Central Indiana a healthier, more vibrant place to live, work and prosper.