Novak testifies in committee to honor local hero

Today, Feb. 2, State Rep. Randy Novak (D-Michigan City) testified before the House Roads and Transportation Committee in strong support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, a bipartisan measure urging the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to rename the stretch of U.S. Highway 12 between the Michigan and Illinois state lines as the “Chief Marshal James R. Kautz Memorial Highway.”

The resolution honors James Rodger Kautz, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and long-time Chief Marshal for the Town of Long Beach, Indiana, who gave his life in the line of duty after being struck while assisting at the scene of a three-vehicle accident in 1997. Chief Marshal Kautz’s leadership, patriotism and sacrifice left an enduring impact on his community and on all who knew him.

Novak, who personally knew Chief Marshal Kautz and lived in the same area where Kautz served, offered heartfelt remarks during testimony:

“Chief Marshal James R. Kautz was the embodiment of selfless public service — a decorated veteran whose courage, loyalty and unwavering dedication to community made him a guardian not only of law and safety, but of the people he served every day. Naming this stretch of U.S. 12 in his honor is not just a symbolic gesture, it is a permanent reminder that heroes come from our own neighborhoods, that their sacrifices matter and that Indiana will never forget those who gave everything to protect others.”

Novak emphasized that memorializing Chief Marshal Kautz in this way will ensure future generations recognize his service and the risks first responders accept each day.

The resolution, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Mike Bohacek and Sen. Rodney Pol Jr. and co-sponsored in the House by Novak and Rep. Jim Pressel, passed unanimously out of committee and moves to the House floor for further consideration.