Boy opposes SB 287: ‘Keep politics out of education’

Today, March 31, State Rep. Pat Boy (D-Michigan City) voted in opposition on Senate Bill (SB) 287 during its final hearing in the House. This bill passed with a vote of 54-40. SB 287, which proposes to make Indiana’s school board elections partisan, mandates that candidates run under party labels such as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a "blank space" next to their name.

Boy issued the following statement expressing her concerns about introducing partisan politics into the education system:

"At a time when our country is already deeply divided, it is baffling to think that we would intentionally introduce more partisanship into something as sacred as education. Our school boards should not be a battleground for political agendas; they should be dedicated to nurturing the minds and futures of our children. Education is about preparing the next generation for success, not about pushing party lines. 

“School board members should be chosen for their expertise, principles, and commitment to building up our students, regardless of political affiliation.

“Partisan politics have no place in our schools and only serve to deepen division, not solve the challenges we face. Keep politics out of education.”

Moseley comments on SB 287: ‘Inserting politics into our education system is foolish’

Today, March 31, State Rep. Chuck Moseley (D-Portage) voted in opposition on Senate Bill (SB) 287 during its final hearing in the House. The bill passed with a vote of 54-40. SB 287, which proposes to make Indiana’s school board elections partisan, mandates that candidates run under party labels such as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a "blank space" next to their name.

Moseley released the following statement on SB 287:

“This bill directly inserts politics into our education system. In no way, shape, or form should it matter if someone’s a Democrat or Republican, or anything in between, when it comes to the integrity of educating our students of our state. School board members should be elected on merit, expertise and their commitment to our students - not their allegiance to a political party.

“Inserting politics into our education system is simply foolish. We must protect future generations of Hoosiers from this kind of foolishness.”

Pfaff comments on bill to make school board races partisan

Today, Monday, March 31, the House passed Senate Bill 287 by a vote of 54 to 40. The bill makes Indiana’s school board elections partisan, requiring candidates to run as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a blank space next to their name. The bill now heads back to the Senate to approve the changes made in the House. 

Under the federal Hatch Act, employees of the U.S. government or organizations that receive federal funding are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activity. Turning school board races into partisan elections would effectively bar thousands of qualified, community-minded Hoosiers from serving in these vital roles.

“During a recent visit to Crane Naval Base—one of Indiana’s largest high-tech employers—I was reminded just how many Hoosiers would be impacted by this change,” State Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) said. “With over 3,800 employees, many of whom are deeply invested in their local schools, this bill would strip away their ability to serve on school boards simply because of where they work.”

“Our school boards should be focused on student success—not party politics,” Pfaff added. “Injecting partisanship into these races opens the door to national political agendas creeping into our classrooms. Instead of picking political fights, let’s tackle the real challenges: improving literacy, strengthening math skills, addressing the teacher shortage, and getting more students into college or prepared for the workforce. These aren’t partisan goals—they’re Hoosier priorities.”

Miller condemns passage of partisan school board bill

Senate Bill 287 passed through the House of Representatives today by a vote of 54-40. The bill makes Indiana’s school board elections partisan, requiring candidates to run as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a blank space next to their name. 

 State Rep. Kyle Miller (D-Fort Wayne) issued the following statement regarding the bill, which now heads to the governor's desk:

"The only thing this bill will accomplish is making our voters lazier and weakening our schools. With an 'R' or a 'D' next to a candidate's name, voters will have little incentive to research their backgrounds and viewpoints. As a parent, I'm more interested in knowing the people leading my children's school board have the expertise to do the job than I am knowing how they vote.

"Partisan politics have no place in our children's schools. Our focus should be on preparing kids for higher education or the workforce and setting them up for a lifetime of success by developing their critical thinking skills and ability to think for themselves."

GiaQuinta decries passage of bill to further insert politics in Hoosier schools

Today, Senate Bill 287 passed the Indiana House of Representatives. The legislation still needs approval from the Indiana Senate on changes made to it in the House, but the House-passed version of the bill turns nonpartisan school board elections into partisan races by allowing candidates to list their party next to their name on the November ballot.

House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) issued the following statement after voting "no" on SB 287:

"I may be an elected official, but I know that Hoosiers want less politics in their lives, not more. Senate Bill 287 further injects politics into Hoosiers' lives by politicizing our school boards. What about teacher and staff retention, building maintenance and school buses requires a partisan viewpoint?

"Hoosiers overwhelmingly took time out of their busy schedules to come to the Statehouse to oppose this bill, and House Democrats have received lots of constituent correspondence asking us to vote 'no.' This bill reduces the pool of potential school board candidates by limiting federal employees' ability to run because of the federal Hatch Act. Community leaders want to serve local families and students, not get mixed up in the politics of declaring a party. This bill will make it more difficult and expensive to run for local school board and will open local school board races to big DC politics and dark money associated with campaign finance.

"Nothing about SB 287 solves our teacher retention or student literacy crisis – which is what the General Assembly should be focusing on instead of finding new ways to make our lives more exhausting and divisive."

Dant Chesser denounces partisan school boards

Today, March 31, the House passed Senate Bill 287 with a vote of 54 to 40. The bill makes Indiana’s school board elections partisan, requiring candidates to run as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a blank space next to their name. Since the bill underwent changes in the House, it heads back to the Senate for a concurrence or dissent vote.

State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser (D-Jeffersonville) released the following statement: 

“I’m sad that we took this vote today. Only 27% of families support partisan school boards. I can unequivocally say that our parents and teachers in Clark and Floyd Counties do not want partisan school boards. When I was elected to this position, no one asked me to bring more politics into our community. 

“Our public schools are excellent community unifiers. This weekend, the boys basketball team from Jeffersonville High School won the state championship, and close to 500 people welcomed our players home in the middle of the night. I would hate for this bill, which inserts politics into schools, to jeopardize that sense of community. 

“It’s about putting our kids and their futures before any party ideology or agenda. Our classrooms, where our children learn, shouldn’t be used for political posturing. Inviting politics into our elections will create more division, further dividing our communities. 

“It’s about serving our kids–not about serving a party.”

Bill to prevent misuse of taxpayer dollars heading to the governor

Today, Monday, March 31, House Bill 1518 is heading to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. HB 1518, authored by State Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), would require state entities to only purchase non-luxury vehicles. 

“I can’t believe I have to clarify this, but taxpayer dollars should not be used to buy luxury vehicles. My bill merely codifies this common-sense policy to help eliminate government waste. 

“Many Hoosiers are struggling to keep the lights on in their home or the doors open of their small business. The hard-earned dollars of our taxpayers should be used responsibly and for legitimate purposes. If the average Hoosier can’t afford the vehicle, their tax dollars should not be used to purchase it for a public official. Period.

“Reigning in irresponsible and unnecessary government spending is a bipartisan effort. I want to thank Rep. Miller, Rep. Pressel, Rep. Smaltz, and Sen. Doriot for working on this legislation with me. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues across the aisle to protect taxpayers.” 

Republicans kill amendment from Campbell to pause groundwater withdrawals for the Wabash River

Today, March 31, State Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 4. The amendment would have created a two-year moratorium on major groundwater withdrawals from the Wabash River Basin if adopted. The amendment would have also established the Groundwater and Aquifer Preservation Task Force. House Republicans struck down the amendment with a vote of 25 to 66. 

Campbell released the following statement: 

“The potential LEAP pipeline has been an issue of concern for my community for almost two years. They’ve chosen to ignore the pleas of our community once again. 

“West Lafayette is one of the fastest-growing communities in Indiana. We have to be properly prepared for the future so that our community, businesses, farmers and Purdue University have what they need. Recent water studies show that Indiana will have a scarcity problem soon. We need a state moratorium. We need state leaders to take the time to come to our county and listen to our community.  

“We still have no water regulations or water plan. The majority refuses to listen to our community, but they’re also refusing to prepare for the future. We should act in the best interest of Hoosiers–not in the best interest of a secretive agency that’s spent $1 billion on a project knowing their chosen location lacked the resources they needed.”

Hamilton opposes bill to make school board elections partisan

Monday, March 31, the House passed Senate Bill 287 by a vote of 54 to 40, with only Republicans in support. The bill makes Indiana’s school board elections partisan, requiring candidates to run as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a blank space next to their name. The bill now heads to the Senate to approve the changes made in the House. 

State Rep. Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement upon the passage of the bill: 

“Forcing school board candidates to declare a political party affiliation invites the culture wars of Washington, D.C. into Hoosier classrooms. This change risks transforming these local races in a way that ultimately harms our schools and communities.

“Our schools deserve the most qualified leaders. This bill would significantly reduce the pool of candidates by excluding federal employees—including military members and others whose roles are funded wholly or partially by federal resources—due to restrictions under the Hatch Act that prohibit them from engaging in partisan political activity.

“In addition, many of today’s school board members serve because the role is nonpartisan. They want to give back to their communities—not engage in partisan politics. Requiring a party label will discourage these dedicated individuals from stepping forward.

“Our communities are already facing deep divisions. We should be focused on uniting people to improve education, not politicizing it further. This bill does nothing to help our schools—it only limits who can lead them.”

Miller reacts to state ending emergency housing program amid state-wide crisis

The state of Indiana announced recently that the Indiana Emergency Rental Program (IERA) has been cut six months ahead of schedule. The fund, created during the COVID-19 pandemic to address housing instability, was funded through the U.S. Treasury and set to expire in September of this year.

According to reporting from IndyStar, IERA has stopped taking applications. The program offered rental assistance and assistance for utility bills.

State Rep. Kyle Miller (D-Fort Wayne) issued the following statement regarding IERA's abrupt closure:

"Ending this program with federal dollars available for another six months while Hoosiers struggle to keep a roof over their head is not only cruel, it's a dereliction of leadership. Indiana's housing crisis started well before the COVID-19 pandemic and it's still a reality for too many Hoosiers.

"I've heard from constituents that they're having trouble getting any status updates from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. This leaves people guessing in whether they'll receive much-needed assistance to remain in their homes.

"Right now, for every 100 low-income families in Indiana, there are only 38 affordable rentals available. My hometown of Fort Wayne was just ranked the least renter-friendly city in the country. This is not a situation we can wish away. Forcing vulnerable people to rely on 2-1-1 to find resources – a system that is not regularly updated or easy to use – when we could have continued giving them federally funded assistance for another six months puts an unnecessary burden on these individuals and their families. Keeping the IERA up and running until September would have given folks half a year to get back on their feet. Instead, the state is leaving them behind under the guise of 'government efficiency.' A truly efficient state government would do everything in its power to keep people in their homes, not cut off vital funding for those in need.

"Luckily, there's still time for us to address this in the state budget. I'm calling on my colleagues in the majority party to take a stand for Hoosiers by setting aside state dollars to make up for the loss of these federal funds. We have the means to help Hoosiers. Republicans just need to find the will to do it."

Bill to expand military income tax exemption heading to the Governor

Friday, March 28, House Bill 1280 is heading to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. HB 1280, authored by State Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), extends the individual income tax exemption for military pay to cover members of the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.

“Since I was elected to the General Assembly, supporting Hoosier service members and veterans has been a top priority for me," Gore said. "Last year, I was proud to pass legislation that established the Green Alert to protect the safety of Hoosier veterans. Now, I am proud to support our service members financially by allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. 

“The women and men who have dedicated their careers to service to our state and nation as members of the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps deserve to be supported by our state. This bill extends the state income tax exemption as well as military retirement and survivor’s benefits to members of these organizations. This action will also boost Indiana’s military recruitment and retention efforts. 

“I want to thank my co-authors and Senate sponsor, all veterans themselves, Rep. Bartels, Rep. Pack, Rep. Commons and Sen. Tomes. Supporting Hoosier service members is something that all lawmakers can get behind. I look forward to working with my friends across the aisle to enact policy that supports our troops year after year.” 

House Republicans strike down amendment to lower health care costs

Today, March 27, State Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) proposed an amendment to lower the cost of health care for Hoosiers. Her amendment to Senate Bill 3 would have restored language in the bill that requires health insurance middlemen, including pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), to provide a fiduciary duty for beneficiaries. These middlemen determine coverage and premiums for companies. Campbell's amendment was struck down by the House majority. 

Campbell released the following statement:

“SB 3 provides health care transparency and accountability. But we need to restore the language in the bill that provides fiduciary duties to beneficiaries of employers’ health plans: Hoosiers. This amendment puts Hoosiers first by prioritizing lowering health care costs, not padding the pockets of insurance companies and their shareholders. 

“Fiduciary duties ensure that providers act in the best interest of patients. It means that Hoosiers have access to potentially life-saving medications and services at the lowest available cost. Hoosiers deserve protection from bad actors in the health care industry. It’s time to put people over profit in Indiana. By striking down this amendment, the majority voted to leave Hoosiers out in the cold.

“The majority blocked an opportunity to provide much-needed savings for people who are drowning in health care expenses.”