GiaQuinta: House Democrats fought for Hoosiers this session, Republicans fought for corporate interests
Today, April 25, the Indiana General Assembly concluded the 2025 legislative session. House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) issued the following statement regarding the legislation passed this session:
"I'm proud to say that House Democrats fought for Hoosiers this session, while Republicans fought for corporate interests. At the beginning of the year, House Democrats promised to fight for working Hoosiers by advocating to lower the cost of living, health care costs and utility costs for Hoosiers. Throughout session, we lived up to those promises by offering legislation to rein in corporate middlemen that drive up health care prices via prior authorization, pause utility rate hikes to put more money in Hoosiers' pockets and fully fund public schools to relieve pressure on local property taxes. We yet again set out to make pre-K universal and affordable for Hoosier families, and to secure resources for police, fire and EMS by retaining local control and local funding sources.
"Unfortunately, our colleagues across the aisle spent this session prioritizing culture wars over the needs of everyday Hoosiers. Senate Bill 287, which requires school board candidates to state their political affiliation on the ballot, didn't receive a single vote from House Democrats. This legislation only serves to insert partisan politics into Indiana classrooms, which does nothing to help our students or educators thrive. While House Democrats advocated all session for policies to help folks from all walks of life, House Republicans sought to divide Hoosiers.
"We heard a lot of promises from Indiana Republicans this year to lower property taxes, and they failed to deliver. Senate Enrolled Act 1 offers minimal property tax relief while forcing local governments to ramp up local income taxes to ensure proper funding for emergency services and public schools. As State Rep. Gregory W. Porter, ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, said, this is a tax hike. While Republicans tried to disguise SEA 1 as tax relief, they're hoping Hoosiers don't look behind the curtain to find their local schools being forced to do more with less and their EMS services taking longer to get to their loved ones in the event of an emergency. All the while, they're possibly only saving a few hundred dollars a year in property taxes while experiencing a much-larger income tax hike. Is that worth it? House Democrats didn't think so, and that's why we continue to speak out against this fiscal irresponsibility from Indiana Republicans. The majority party wants you to be thankful for being given scraps, and Hoosiers deserve so much more.
"Indiana Republicans spent an awful lot of time this session helping utility companies pass costs on to you, the consumer. State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) offered two amendments to House Bill 1007 which would have prevented consumers from bearing the cost of failed nuclear power plant projects and prevented utilities from charging customers for small modular reactors not yet in use. House Republicans rejected both amendments. At every turn this session, Indiana Republicans signaled their commitment to protecting corporations over the interests of their constituents.
"It seems to me that Indiana Republicans are constantly testing how many more backroom deals and hyper-partisan scheming Hoosiers are willing to put up with. We in the House Democrat Caucus know folks are tired of being left behind, and we're going to continue to work to lift Hoosiers up.
"All in all, I'm proud of the work House Democrats accomplished this year. We've increased transparency in state government, made our communities safer and lowered health care costs. I just wish that Indiana Republicans had the same dedication to Hoosiers that we do. If that were the case, Hoosiers might be in a better place to thrive, not just survive."