Dant Chesser files 2026 bills focused on improving family and community well-being
To start the 2026 legislative session, State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser (D- Jeffersonville) has filed five pieces of legislation to improve family and community well-being.
Two pieces of Dant Chesser’s legislation aim to improve Indiana’s lack of affordable, quality child care. House Bill 1401 would cut costs for parents by creating the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program. This public-private partnership program would share child care costs between the state, employers and parents. House Bill 1400 would establish a Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) for Indiana's child care facilities. A MEWA allows multiple small businesses to pool their resources to reduce overhead costs and maximize employee benefits.
“If Indiana is going to be a great place for families, we need to support working parents,” Dant Chesser said. "We’re failing to meet that expectation. Parents are struggling to find affordable, quality child care, and it’s pushing them out of employment. They’re staying home because child care costs can run $1,200 to $1,600 each month. It’s a crisis for many Hoosiers. We need to lower the cost of care and support providers. That’s my goal with HB 1400 and HB 1401.”
Another bill authored by Dant Chesser focuses on the well-being of her community. House Bill 1402 would prevent a vape or smoke shop from opening within 3,520 feet of a school. The ECHO youth group, which is organized by the Community Action of Southern Indiana Agency (CASI), generated the concept and helped craft the bill's language.
“It is estimated that 75% of Indiana teens who vape were exposed to e-cigarettes through ads,” Dant Chesser said. “It’s a huge concern. We know these companies purposefully target teens, and the kids in ECHO want to protect their peers by maximizing the distance between smoke shops and their classrooms. Kids shouldn’t be exposed to predatory ads that promote addictive, harmful substances.”
A full list of Dant Chesser’s legislation is below:
Supporting Indiana’s child care providers by allowing them to pool resources to offer employee benefits (HB 1400).
Creating the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, allowing the state, the employer and parent to share the cost of child care (HB 1401).
Protecting teens from predatory marketing practices by ensuring smoke shops are a certain distance from schools (HB 1402).
Making homeownership more achievable with the First-Time Homebuyer Savings Program (HB 1403).
Defending individuals from violence or threats of violence from a coworker by allowing courts to issue Workplace Violence Restraining Orders (HB 1404).
“This year I’ll be working across party lines to improve our community,” Dant Chesser said. “I’m focused on cutting costs and supporting Indiana’s families. From reducing child care expenses to protecting teens from addictive substances, these are common-sense bills that will improve people’s lives in Southern Indiana.”
The community can contact the office of State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser by email at h71@iga.in.gov or by phone at 1-800-382-9848. Members of the community can also subscribe to her newsletter at repwendydantchesser.substack.com.