Porter: ‘Share for the good of the people’

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, around 50 Republican members of the Indiana General Assembly visited the White House. Legislators discussed a wide range of policy topics, including Medicaid and Medicare, education, immigration and redistricting. Republican leadership attended a private meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. 

State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement: 

“Welcome back to Indiana. Several of you publicly mentioned that the purpose of your trip was to discuss policy, not redistricting. If so, share the information with your colleagues. Knowing the plans of the president will help us make the informed decisions that Hoosiers deserve.

“Maybe you can answer the questions I have with your insider knowledge. Any details on the fiscal plan for the so-called 'Speedway Slammer'? Are we opening a facility even though ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ has been under fire for its harsh conditions? 

“Did the administration promise not to play with funding for K-12 education? Will there be federal cuts to special education and disadvantaged student funding? Should Hoosiers expect to see the National Guard deployed in their cities? What should people do when their monthly payments skyrocket from the expiration of credits on the ACA exchange? 

“What about the impacts of the One Big Ugly Bill? What should Hoosiers do when Indiana loses revenue from Trump’s policies? Will they mess with funding for Medicare and will our seniors be affected? What are we going to do for our families who can’t afford child care? 

“As you can see, Hoosiers and I have a lot of questions that remain unanswered. Please share what you learned at the White House for the benefit of the people.” 

Porter stands with students in the fight against gun violence

Today, Sept. 5, State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) joined hundreds of high school students as they gathered at the Statehouse to demand gun reform legislation. This rally was part of a national walkout organized by Students Demand Action after a school shooting in Minnesota last week resulted in the tragic death of two children and injured 18 others. Firearms are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 17. 

“Today, I had the honor of participating in a rally against gun violence with students from across Indianapolis, including Shortridge, Brebeuf and North Central High Schools,” Porter said. “I am proud of this generation for their spirit and tenacity. They continue to show up and fight for a better world. Even though they’re sick and tired of deadbeat policy makers who fail them, every single time.

“When Columbine happened, they said, ‘never again.’ When Sandy Hook happened, they said, ‘never again.’ When Parkland, Virginia Tech and Uvalde happened, they said, ‘never again.’ But this has continued to happen again and again and again. 

“Our children fear for their lives while they sit in our schools. Young parents are sending their children to school with clear backpacks, and in some cases, even bulletproof vests. They have more active shooter drills than tornado drills. I cannot fathom what it’s like to grow up and see that someone your age was shot and killed in school on social media. 

“It’s past time for common-sense gun laws that protect our communities, to protect our kids. We are called not to love with our words, but through action and truth. Follow your promises with tangible actions.” 

DeLaney joins students in push for gun reform

Today, Sept. 5, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) joined hundreds of high school students as they gathered at the Statehouse to demand gun reform legislation. This rally was part of a national walkout organized by Students Demand Action after a school shooting in Minnesota last week resulted in the tragic death of two children and injured 18 others. Firearms are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 17. 

“Today, hundreds of students from around our city showed up to the Statehouse to hold the adults accountable. Our young people proved that they will not be ignored. The fight against gun violence is deeply personal, and they are demanding a change from their lawmakers. I am proud of their commitment to protecting their lives.

“Students should be in class learning today, not fighting for their lives. How are students supposed to focus on their algebra test while they are flinching at every loud noise that comes from the hallway and thinking that their school will be the next headline?

“Many of the students I spoke to today were asking a question that I would like the answer to as well: How many more children have to die for action to be taken? The fact of the matter is that guns are far too accessible. Indiana’s virtually nonexistent gun laws open the door for a tragedy along the lines of what happened in Minneapolis, or Parkland, or Uvalde, or Sandy Hook, or Columbine or the other communities that have been ravaged by school shootings. We shouldn’t have to wait for an atrocity to strike in our home state to listen to the pleas of our students and pass common-sense gun safety legislation.”

Hamilton condemns child care voucher cuts, points to misplaced priorities

Today, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced via press release that Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) voucher reimbursement rates will be cut anywhere from 10 to 35%, depending on age range.

The reimbursement cuts are as follows:

• Infants (0–12 months): 10% decrease

• Toddlers (13–36 months): 10% decrease

• Preschoolers (3–5 years): 15% decrease

• School-Age Children (K–12): 35% decrease

In the press release, the Braun administration characterizes the cuts as an inevitable outcome of the Holcomb administration's choice to put temporary COVID-relief dollars toward CCDF funding. However, Gov. Braun and Statehouse Republicans still found the funds to create a universal private school voucher program and cut taxes during this year's budget session – both choices that will not benefit the budgets of working families who rely on child care vouchers.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement condemning the provider cuts:

"While Gov. Braun and the Republican supermajority provide private school vouchers to billionaires, they have now put working Hoosier families in the impossible situation of deciding whether to have a job or stay at home and take care of the kids. I reject the Braun administration's claim that they had to do this. They did not. There was no requirement to blow a $200 million hole in our biennial budget this year by opening up private school vouchers to the wealthy. This amount would nearly cover the projected deficit of the child care voucher program, but Statehouse Republicans chose to prioritize the wealthy over working-class families.

"It's simple market logic. You reduce the amount of funding the state is paying to child care providers to serve low-income working families, and those providers are either going to close or stop offering their services to those families. Combined with cuts to pre-K voucher reimbursement rates from earlier this year, families with young children are going to be hit incredibly hard.

"I am especially disappointed by the path this will set our state's child care and early education system on. In recent years, we've been increasing reimbursement rates, but now, we're going in reverse. Modern workforce infrastructure, which I thought so-called pro-business Republicans agreed with me was necessary, requires affordable child care so that families are incentivized to have children and both parents can have full-time jobs, if they so desire. This is short sighted and will hurt kids, families and the long-term economic prospects of our state."

Hamilton thanks Braun for concern for utility ratepayers, calls on general assembly to follow suit

Today, Gov. Mike Braun called upon the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor to “evaluate utilities’ profits and find cost-saving measures to ease the financial burden on Hoosiers,” per a news release from his office. He also announced that he appointed a new Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor commissioner.  

Amid pending rate hike requests from Indiana utility companies such as AES, Hoosier consumers have been hit with record-high utility bills this summer, up 17.5% on average. 

House Democratic Caucus Chair Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis), a member of the House Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications, released the following statement reacting to the announcement:  

“I appreciate Gov. Braun’s stated commitment to lowering utility costs for consumers and share that desire with him. I hope he will join me in calling upon House Republicans to support efforts from House Democrats to lower utility bills – which they have resoundingly rejected this legislative session.

“Changing the consumer ratepayer advocate commissioner does little to change the fact that the legal deck is stacked against Indiana utility consumers. Thanks to a slew of new laws championed by the Republican supermajority, utility companies are still allowed to pass on the cost of expensive experimental projects to consumers, and data centers are exempt from paying sales tax.”  

This year alone, House Democrats stood up for utility consumers by forcing House Republicans to reject measures that would objectively lower utility bills via second-reading amendment votes:  

• Prevent utility companies from passing on the development costs of small modular reactors to consumers; 

• Prevent utility companies from charging reconnection fees for the first two reconnections; and 

• Create a one-year moratorium on rate hikes for electricity, natural gas, water or wastewater. 

“I hope that my House Republican colleagues will join us in advocating for consumers over utility company profits in the future, especially as consumers begin to understand that AI companies are passing on the cost of doing business to everyday families,” Hamilton concluded.  

Burton responds to Governor Braun’s new OUCC leadership appointment and calls for utility costs review

Today, State Rep. Alex Burton (D-Evansville) released the following statement in response to Governor Braun’s announcement of Abby Gray as the new commissioner of the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor and his call to review utility company profits:

“Affordability must remain the most prioritized pillar of Indiana’s energy policy. Families in Evansville and across our state continue to raise concerns about the lack of affordability and the constant rise in utility costs. I welcome today’s announcement and look forward to continued collaboration that truly puts Hoosier ratepayers first.

“My priority next session is to protect Hoosiers from the constant and often unexpected strain of increased utility bills. That’s why I will be filing legislation in the 2026 session and will continue working with my colleagues to ensure ratepayers’ paychecks aren’t entirely spent on energy costs. Hoosiers deserve relief and a reasonable path forward – and I intend to make sure they get it.”

Bauer and Garcia Wilburn condemn unprecedented NDAs, Call for transparency on Governor Braun’s ABA working group

Today, State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) and State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers), both members of the Indiana House Public Health Committee, are calling on Governor Braun to end the secrecy surrounding his newly created Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy working group.

The “organized working group," established through Executive Order 25-31 amid rising Medicaid costs, is tasked with reviewing autism therapy service expenses in Indiana. However, lawmakers are concerned with how it is being carried out.

Garcia Wilburn submitted a formal letter requesting to serve on the working group but received no response. In a more recent development, the lawmakers confirmed that members are required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in order to participate — an unprecedented step for such a policy review, effectively keeping the process hidden from both legislators and the public.

“Families across Indiana depend on Medicaid services to access life-changing therapies. They deserve transparency and accountability, not secrecy,” Bauer said. “It is deeply concerning that decisions affecting real people are being made out of the public eye. If the governor truly values transparency, he should immediately remove the gag orders placed on this group and open the process to the families it impacts."

“Autism services are too important for closed-door politics,” Garcia Wilburn said. “This should be an open, bipartisan conversation, not one limited by NDAs. Hoosier families deserve to know what’s at stake and how decisions are being made. Especially when those decisions are being justified as cost-cutting fiscal conservatism, instead of centered on children’s needs."

“This is not the time to shut out voices or restrict information,” Bauer and Garcia Wilburn said in a joint statement. “We call on Gov. Braun to open the doors of this working group, invite bipartisan input, and put Hoosier families first.”

Dant Chesser celebrates signing of her bill creating Medicare savings for seniors

Today, Aug. 27, a bill authored by State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser (D-Jeffersonville), House Enrolled Act 1226, was ceremonially signed into law. The bill creates cost-saving opportunities for seniors through “The Birthday Rule.” This rule means Medigap enrollees can switch providers without medical underwriting within 60 days of their birthday. This provision protects their options as long as they maintain the same type of lettered Medicare Supplement insurance plan. The bill passed with overwhelming support in both the House and Senate. 

“I was excited to see this bill signed into law for our seniors today," Dant Chesser said. "Avoiding medical underwriting when switching plans is a huge weight off their shoulders. It lowers the risk of our seniors being denied due to their past insurance claims or pre-existing conditions. 

“Indiana is getting with the program by adopting ‘The Birthday Rule.’ We’re joining almost a dozen other states that offer this policy, and it’s worked wonders for our southern neighbors in Kentucky. Seniors have saved as much as $800. HEA 1226 cuts some regulatory red tape and puts some extra money in seniors' pockets. 

“Thank you to those in the community and at the Statehouse who got this bill across the finish line.” 

Porter: We can disagree on policy while showing respect to Medicaid enrollees

Republicans have enacted Medicaid changes with quarterly eligibility checks, work requirements, new waivers and long waitlists. That’s a lot of uncertainty for our 2 million Hoosiers enrollees, half of whom are children. And I want to remind us all of that fact. 

We’re talking about children. We’re talking about our seniors. We’re talking about our medically complex. We’re talking about half of the births in Indiana. We can disagree on the logistics while still talking about enrollees with kindness and respect. Medicaid was never “boring” for the Hoosiers who rely on it. 

Medicaid rhetoric has always been somewhat nasty. Phrases like “welfare queen” have been thrown around for decades. But now it’s bleeding from social media into official meetings. The recent quarterly financial report from the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) is excellent evidence. 

One slide featured a massive steamship, called the "S.S. FSSA," with Secretary Mitch Roob portrayed as its admiral. Another slide characterized one-time federal funding for Medicaid as “the last buffalo hunt.” A third slide shows a photo of conservative economist Milton Friedman with the phrase “very few of our programs have any quality.”  

The final slide pitted K-12 education funding against Medicaid. A dejected child appeared with the caption: Why? Every dollar we send to a hospital is a dollar we don’t send to a school. Every dollar we give to a doctor is a dollar we don’t give to a teacher. This misguided cliché isn’t just harmful, it's inaccurate. Medicaid spending isn't a direct loss of funding for K-12 education. Upcoming property tax changes will be far more financially devastating to our schools than state-funded health care. 

Yes, Medicaid is costing the state more each year. Yes, it’s something the state should discuss. Yes, we can improve the quality of services. But we should have these discussions with dignity. The use of demoralizing rhetoric isn’t just insulting; it buries the facts. 

The S.S. FSSA navigates “the journey ahead,” but the slide leaves out critical facts. Indiana spends $8,813 per enrollee, close to the national average and far below other states. North Dakota spends close to $13,001 per enrollee. Milton Friedman attacks the quality of services but doesn't provide solutions. There are no action items included, like the Accountable Care Organizations model. We’re going on a buffalo hunt and letting other predators join. Middlemen insurance companies will have a hand in pricing, delays and denials. 

Medicaid is not a perfect program. It has its problems that need to be solved. We can have the discussion with respect, without slides that attempt to joke but fall flat. We shouldn’t vilify enrolled or use false constructs. This is a life-saving program for Hoosiers of all ages. These aren’t just numbers on a page; these are Hoosiers we took an oath to serve. 

Bauer: ‘Hoosiers deserve representation, not rigged districts’

Today, State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) condemned the Indiana House and Senate Republicans’ willingness to bend to President Donald Trump’s pressure to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps in the middle of the decade, calling the maneuver “a blatant attempt to cheat Hoosiers out of fair representation.”

Bauer released the following statement:

“Trump isn’t even hiding it. These mid-decade redistricting efforts are about one thing: gaining seats for his party and rigging the system in his favor. What’s worse is that Indiana House and Senate Republicans are going right along with it and abandoning their own claims from 2021 that their gerrymandered maps were ‘fair’, ‘beautiful’ and represented Indiana well. If that was true then, what changed? The answer? Trump told them to do it.

“Let’s not forget, this trip follows Vice President J.D. Vance’s private meeting with Indiana Republican leadership, just weeks ago, where he pushed Trump’s redistricting agenda forward.

“This is not about representing Hoosiers — it’s about representing Trump. And it comes at the expense of taxpayers. If Republicans call a special session to do Trump’s bidding, Hoosiers will be the ones footing the bill. That’s money that should be invested in tackling the real challenges families face every day such as strengthening our schools, lowering property taxes, improving health care and making the cost of living more affordable. Instead, Republicans are tossing Hoosier priorities aside for Trump’s political agenda.

“Indiana Democrats will continue standing up against partisan power grabs and fighting for a government that works for Hoosiers, not politicians.

“Hoosiers deserve fair maps and leaders who are focused on making their lives easier and more prosperous. It’s time Republicans answer to the people of Indiana — not Donald Trump.”

DeLaney offers food for thought for IN GOP lawmakers ‘flight’ to Washington

Tomorrow, Aug. 26, an unknown number of Indiana Republican lawmakers will travel to Washington to meet with the Trump Administration amidst growing pressure to call a special session to rig Indiana’s congressional maps in favor of the White House.

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

“Some, hopefully only a few, of my Republican colleagues in the legislature are preparing to discuss mid-decade redistricting during their meeting with the Trump Administration in Washington on Tuesday. To help them pass the time on their flight to D.C., here is a series of thought-provoking questions to reflect on. 

“While the current Indiana congressional maps are already gerrymandered, up until now there has been an attempt to convince the public they are fair. If we call a special session to deliberately hand Donald Trump another Republican congressional seat (or two), what will this do for public confidence in our elections?  What is wrong with the current maps? Were you lying in 2021 when you praised these maps? What does this do to the credibility of our Congress? Would you allow the 40% of Hoosiers who vote Democratic to have any representation in Washington? What does this say about the value of Hoosier voters? What does this say about the value of voting at all? How will this benefit Hoosiers? How does this further the interests of Indiana? What precedent does this set for elections going forward? What comes next? Is there a limit of what the Trump Administration can ask of you? Who is paying for you to travel to Washington to be pressured?

“The most important question I must pose is: what will your grandchildren think of your actions?

“Safe travels.” 

Pryor dismayed by passage of rigged Texas maps

In the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 23, the Texas legislature passed the newly drawn electoral maps into law that create five new Republican districts at the request of President Donald Trump. This comes after Texas House Democrats' fight to save democracy led them to leave the state earlier this month to delay the approval of these maps. The Trump Administration has set their sights on a number of other states, including Indiana, to rig their electoral maps to artificially strengthen the slim Republican majority in congress. Last week, Indiana House Democrats held an event with Texas House Democrats in Chicago to stand against this power grab.

State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), House Democratic Floor leader, a member of the House Committee on Elections and one of the speakers at last week's press conference with Texas Democrats, issued the following statement: 

“The situation we are in today should trouble everyone who believes in the sacred principle of Democracy. The effort to redistrict in the middle of a decade with the explicit purpose of giving the president more power is not only unprecedented, but morally corrupt. This is behavior you expect to see from nations who live under a dictatorship, not the United States of America. 

“In a single action, Texas Republicans have undone decades of progress and pulled on a thread that could unravel everything America has come to stand for. The Texas maps that passed today don’t only signal to every citizen that their vote doesn’t matter, but they intentionally silence Black and Latino voices. A single white Texan now has the voting power of five Black Texans. This is reminiscent of the days when Black Americans were literally told our lives and our voices were worth less than White Americans. And as this fight expands, this could happen across the country. I live in one of only two Democratic districts in Indiana. Any attempt to eliminate that district will divide the minority community and deny us the ability to elect someone who truly reflects our values and advocates for our best interests.

“Why are they doing this? Because they know their policies are failing. They know that throwing families, seniors and vulnerable people off of Medicaid and gutting SNAP and other vital programs are unpopular. Americans are feeling the impact at their kitchen tables, at the gas pump, in the doctors’ office, in the grocery store and everywhere in between. They know they can’t win with the cards they’ve dealt themselves, so they are trying to reshuffle the deck in their favor. That’s not democracy — that’s cheating.

“While Texas was the front line, Indiana may be next – and the list of states joining this trend is growing. On Tuesday, Indiana Republicans are set to travel to D.C. where they will undoubtedly be pushed to call a special session to rig Indiana’s maps. 

“I am proud of the stand my Democratic colleagues in the Texas legislature took against this attack on our democracy. Indiana Democrats do not have the numbers to break quorum as they did in Texas. However, as the fight comes to our doorstep, Indiana House Democrats plan to follow their lead and do everything we can to defend the power of Hoosier voters. The power must remain in the hands of the people.”