DeLaney expresses concern over medical crisis mismanagement in Department of Correction

Yesterday, July 20, IndyStar published an investigation revealing several critical flaws related to healthcare practices within Miami Correctional Facility. State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) is calling on the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) to accelerate the termination of its contract with Centurion Health, the state's for-profit prison medical provider, in response to the findings.

The Star investigation found that after Gov. Mike Braun agreed to house up to 1,000 ICE detainees at the Miami facility, Centurion did not hire adequate staff to handle the influx. Internal company emails obtained by IndyStar showed nursing staff reporting medical backlogs in the hundreds while Centurion reported far lower numbers to the state. Such a discrepancy could allow the company to avoid tens of thousands of dollars in contractual fines. 

Two detainees, Lorth Sim and Tuan Van Bui, died in the months following the facility's expansion. Nurses and fellow detainees say both deaths could have been prevented with adequate care.

Centurion has held Indiana's correctional health care contract since 2021, when it was awarded the deal despite submitting the most expensive vendor bid. That contract, extended annually and now worth more than $1 billion over five years, has continued even as the company has faced similar allegations of substandard care and falsified records in other states.

DeLaney released the following statement:

"IDOC's relationship with Centurion has been troubled for years. Instead of ending it, the state extended this company's contract while looking for a replacement. As long as IDOC keeps partnering with Centurion, problems will persist. Indiana has adequate funds to find a new provider for our correctional facilities. It won't be easy, but we need to get there as fast as possible to stop the unfair treatment of incarcerated Hoosiers and ICE detainees.

"I also want to know why the federal government is so slow to reimburse the state for this ICE detention program. We also need to know why IDOC hasn't been given the resources it needs to manage our usual prison population, plus the influx it agreed to take on. Hoosiers deserve an answer.

"The unexplained resignation of Warden Brian English only adds to my concern. I have met him several times and was favorably impressed. Neither he nor IDOC has said why he left. That kind of silence doesn't inspire confidence. 

"Until these issues are resolved, I don't see how we can expect meaningful improvement in correctional healthcare. It speaks volumes that this administration is prioritizing hot-button political issues like dismantling protections for minority- and women-owned businesses while a billion-dollar contractor tied to two deaths in state custody gets another year on the job."

DeLaney calls on Republicans to use growing surplus to benefit Hoosiers

Today, the Braun administration released its fiscal year-end report. The report revealed that Indiana is closing out the 2026 fiscal year $586.5 million above forecast, bringing the two-year revenue total to $1.14 billion above forecast. 

In addition to the increased revenue, the Braun administration reported savings resulting from not spending $187 million of what the legislature had budgeted, which feeds back into the surplus. 

Those unspent funds included over $60 million from Indiana’s public universities and almost $100 million from the K-12 education budget. The legislature and its research arm returned $3.5 million. Separately, Gov. Braun’s Medicaid office decided to “save” $300 million by declining $1 billion in federal funds (Indiana receives a very high return on investment for its state Medicaid spending from the federal government).

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement: 

“Hoosiers don’t pay the state their hard-earned money to watch politicians sit atop a pile of cash and brag about how high it goes. They contribute their tax dollars with the expectation that the state will use it to invest in making their lives better.

“Instead, we over-budget, just to announce we’re refunding money to the budget so that the governor can do a yearly victory lap about his ability to run the government like a business.

‍"I’m not opposed to a healthy surplus, but we’ve had surpluses in the billions for years, and we still fail to invest in people. 

‍“We rank 45th in public school support. The public is not proud of that, but the governor won’t redirect unspent education funds to our schools. The public doesn’t feel the benefits of an extra $1.1 billion in our coffers when over 18,000 Hoosiers sit on Medicaid waitlists, or see their Affordable Care Act premiums rise, or learn hundreds of childcare centers have closed because of cuts. The Braun administration is determined to weaken state institutions at every turn. He simply will not invest in our people. 

‍“We should be using our surplus to address the problems that Hoosiers elected us to solve. Why not fully fund preschool, shore up health insurance, or return to our previous robust support of public education?  Washington is cutting support for healthcare and education. Are we going to fill those voids? I urge Gov. Braun and my Republican colleagues to use uncommitted funds to help Indiana reach its full potential. Hoosiers earned the cash that funds our state budget. It’s time to start spending it on them, especially at a time when they’re already hurting.

‍“With Gov. Braun, budgeting is a game. He uses it to brag about refunding our own money that he doesn’t know how to spend.” ‍

DeLaney urges Morales to remove himself from Deery’s recount

Today, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) urges Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales to remove himself from any recount involving State Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette). As Indiana’s leading elections officer, Morales would chair the recount commission. 

DeLaney released the following statement:

“Diego Morales has persistently undermined our confidence in elections and the integrity of his office. I’m asking him to step aside from any recount involving Sen. Deery. 

“Diego Morales has deeply involved himself with a branch of Turning Point USA, which endorsed Deery’s primary opponent. The redistricting fight in the Indiana Senate fueled these primary challenges, and Morales has openly stated his stance. He publicly called for our state senators to redistrict and attended rallies supporting Washington’s preferred 9-0 map.

“Now Morales would chair any recount, undercutting the credibility of the results. Surely Republican leadership can find a neutral person to act in this capacity.” 

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DeLaney urges full transparency after man dies in ICE custody at Indiana detention facility

Today, Feb. 18, it was reported that a Cambodian detainee held at the request of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Miami Correctional Facility was found dead in his cell on Monday morning.

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement:

“I have spoken to officials at the Department of Correction and urged them to conduct a thorough investigation of the death of this detainee. We need to ensure that our procedures and medical contractors are up to the task of appropriately caring for people in ICE custody.

“Public trust in ICE is near zero. Since the state of Indiana has decided to allow ICE to use our facilities, it is incumbent on us to ensure that the conditions in that facility are up to standard. Over the last few months, I have visited Miami Correctional Facility three times to see for myself that detainees are receiving proper treatment. I will continue to monitor this situation until we have a full public report of what happened to this detainee and receive proper assurance that there was no systemic failure that could cost another person their life.”

DeLaney comments on national debt posturing by Statehouse GOP: ‘Let’s get serious’

Today, Feb. 16, Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla and the Braun Administration held a press conference with numerous state officials and lawmakers about passing a resolution to raise awareness about the National Debt.  

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement in response:  

“Indiana Republicans have taken a page out of the old GOP playbook and decided to declare their focus on the national debt. It is encouraging to see that this issue still troubles my friends across the aisle. I was beginning to think that they had abandoned their concern for the national debt as they continuously celebrate the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ (BBB) that will increase the national debt by $3.4 trillion while depriving many Hoosiers of health care and food assistance.  

“While Indiana Republicans offered lip service today about lowering the national debt, they have taken steps to import this fiscally irresponsible policy by bringing Indiana in line with the excessive cuts under the BBB. Under the bill passed this summer, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the national debt will exceed $52 trillion in the next decade – over $10 trillion above what the bill accounted for. As of October 2025, the national debt was accumulating at the fastest rate in history outside of the international emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Passing down a $52 trillion national debt to our children and grandchildren is irresponsible and unsustainable. Let’s get serious and prioritize popular programs that help Hoosiers instead of tax cuts for the mega-rich. 

“Let our seven Republican congress members and two U.S. Senators get to work on the debt they vote on.”  

Republicans reject measure to require transparency from state contractor

Today, Feb. 12, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) offered an amendment to Senate Bill 226 that would require state contractors to disclose their campaign contributions as a part of the contracting process. In recent years, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales came under fire for offering no-bid contracts to large donors to his re-election campaign.   

DeLaney released the following statement upon the defeat of his amendment:  

“Plain and simple, this amendment is about fiscal responsibility and transparency. Hoosiers deserve to know who is receiving public funds, especially when contracts are offered without a competitive bidding process. Contracts involving taxpayer dollars should be awarded to the best possible service provider, not to the highest campaign contributor. The only way to ensure this is to require contractors to disclose their political contributions to prevent the possibility of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption.”  

DeLaney amendments to protect Hoosiers from harmful provisions in ICE bill rejected

Today, Feb. 10, State Rep. Ed DeLaney offered a series of amendments to Senate Bill 76 to make hospital police, university police and school resource officers exempt from coordinating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally. The amendments were all rejected. 

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement:

“School resource officers should not be expected to grab children out of classrooms. Campus police officers should not be forced to snatch students on their way to a lecture. Officers protecting hospitals should not be tasked with detaining people seeking health care. This is an outrageous overreach of government that puts local law enforcement in impossible positions. We ought to show our respect for local law enforcement, but forcing a task upon police that is offensive to the people they serve is not respect. 

“These amendments would simply protect peace in places that are meant to be sanctuaries. Unfortunately, chaos and violence seem to be prevailing.”

Additionally, DeLaney offered an amendment that would require violent criminals to serve their sentence in Indiana before being deported to another country. That amendment was defeated. 

“It is against Hoosier values to allow violent criminals to walk free in their country of origin. If someone commits a violent crime against my neighbor, I want them to be held accountable and serve their sentence in the State of Indiana, not shirk responsibility when they get deported. Victims of violent crimes deserve no less.” 

DeLaney inspired by student advocacy

Over the last few weeks, students across the Indianapolis area have acted to protest violence committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota.

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis), a member of the education committee,  issued the following statement:

“Throughout American history, students have been exercising their First Amendment right to be at the forefront of peacefully protesting to bring about social change. I appreciate that young Hoosiers are engaged in issues of consequence to their generation. These Hoosier students have the right to use their voice to stand against the injustice being wrought against our immigrant communities by ICE, particularly when ICE impacts our schools.  

“It is not the place of the school to stymie student expression, but study is important. I urge students and school administration to collaborate to minimize academic disruption while students continue to pursue these complex topics. This is an opportunity to find creative solutions that encourage civil discourse and civic engagement amongst this upcoming generation. Let’s use this opportunity. 

“I am inspired by the student activism I have seen from high schoolers in my district and throughout the state. Young people being this engaged is worthy of applause, not scolding.”

DeLaney attempt to protect taxpayer dollars, investigate IEDC struck down

Today, State Rep. Ed DeLaney offered an amendment to House Bill 1003 to investigate the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) for corruption and for failings around the LEAP Project. His motion would establish the House Select Committee on Accountability and Handling of Economic Development Appropriations. This House Select Committee would be formed to investigate the practices of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and its affiliated entities and to release findings and recommendations for improved transparency and stewardship of public funds. This comes after a report from the governor on the IEDC revealed that there was every opportunity for misuse of taxpayer funds to occur, but stopped short of saying if that misuse happened and how much money was involved.

Last week, DeLaney put forward House Resolution 12 to form this House Select Committee. HR 12 was adopted on Tuesday of this week before House Republicans suddenly reversed that action yesterday. In response, DeLaney forced a vote on the proposed investigation.

DeLaney released the following statement after his amendment was defeated on the House floor today: 

“While the governor started the process of determining if wrongdoing occurred at the IEDC, the result of the forensic audit was limited at best. I am not satisfied with knowing that powerful people were given every opportunity to steal. Hoosiers deserve to know if their tax dollars were indeed misused and, if so, how much money was lost. As the House of Representatives, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of public funds and therefore owe it to our taxpayers to uncover the truth.

“We need a thorough investigation to ensure transparency and accountability for the IEDC and to make sure that this type of potential for corruption never happens in the future. I am disappointed that this amendment was killed based on a campaign of misinformation amongst the majority.”

DeLaney amendment to reverse changes to IU Trustee selection process rejected

Today, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) offered an amendment to House Bill 1408 that would reverse changes slipped into the 2025 budget bill at the last minute that allowed the governor to have sole appointing power of all nine Indiana University trustees. The amendment also aims to restore the IU faculty’s role in university policymaking to its former level. The amendment was defeated.

“One of the reasons that IU has seen so much success is that we have the nation’s largest living alumni network," DeLaney said. "This body stripped away their power to influence university policy with no debate in a midnight budget vote.

“Aside from taking power away from alumni, my Republican colleagues also robbed IU’s faculty of their ability to influence university operations and added on a system where professors must submit to 'productivity reviews.' This isn’t a factory—it’s a university. People should be able to turn on their TVs and hear Pam Whitten say, ‘Google us, we have great football and great academics!’ Only one of those things can be said right now.

“We should be rejoicing in IU’s athletic achievements while giving their academics the same type of support that we give the football team. This amendment is an opportunity to right last year's terrible legislative wrong. From Eugene, Oregon, to Pasadena, California, to Miami, Florida, IU alumni showed up for the Hoosiers. It's high time we showed up for them.”

DeLaney astonished by Republican refusal to take ratepayers’ side

Today, House Democrats offered an array of amendments to House Bill 1002 to give Hoosiers financial relief and expand protections for their utility services. One of those amendments would have prohibited utility companies from passing on the costs of lobbying and political activities to customers. House Republicans chose to block this amendment on procedural grounds instead of allowing it to be voted on.

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement after speaking out on the House Floor against a ruling to not allow a vote on the amendment:

“It seems straightforward to me that consumers should not be footing the bill for utility companies to lobby directly against the interest of consumers. However, when my colleague State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) offered an amendment to prohibit utilities from passing along the cost of lobbying to ratepayers, the Republicans chose to block the measure in order to duck a yes or no vote. This could have been an opportunity to prove to consumers that the general assembly is looking out for their best interest. However, the supermajority is unwilling to go on the record about whether they are on the side of the utility company or the ratepayers.” 

DeLaney amendment to protect communities from unwanted military presence rejected

Today, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) offered an amendment to House Bill 1343 that would require local authorities to agree before military police from the National Guard be deployed to their city to enforce civil laws. Currently, this bill gives the governor authority to send a paramilitary police force into any part of the state whenever he deems necessary without the consent of the community or its elected officials. 

“Our citizens do not expect military police to come into our communities against their will to enforce the law,” DeLaney said. “Minnesota is a prime example of what happens when different law enforcement agencies are thrown together without being on the same page. In a scenario where National Guard members are sent into a city without the consent of the local officials, they are likely going to have differing directives and even be put directly at odds with each other. These crossed wires do nothing but sow chaos. As we saw in Minneapolis over the weekend, that chaos can have deadly consequences. 

“Giving the governor sole authority to send soldiers trained in combat, not as civilian law enforcement, into communities against the will of local leaders goes against everything I thought Indiana stood for. The people best equipped to police and protect their communities are the local law enforcement agencies and local officials. Full stop.”