Today, State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago) offered an amendment to House Bill 1032, which would have created a study to determine the true cost of mid-decade redistricting for state and local bodies. The amendment failed along party lines by a vote of 65-28

Today, State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago), chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), led a press conference following the first meeting of the Indiana House of Representatives to discuss mid-decade redistricting. House Republicans did not release their map proposal until the morning of Dec. 1

Today, Speaker of the House Todd Huston and Senate Pro Tem. Rodric Bray announced the Indiana General Assembly will reconvene early for the 2026 session to discuss redistricting, starting Dec. 1.  

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago), chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, issued the following statement on behalf of the IBLC regarding Indiana Senate Republicans not moving forward with redistricting efforts.

Today, Indiana Republicans announced the Indiana General Assembly will convene early for its 2026 session, gaveling in on Dec. 1-12. In his announcement, Speaker of the House Todd Huston said lawmakers can discuss "any time sensitive issues," though he did not specifically mention redistricting. Mid-decade redistricting has gotten significant attention throughout the state following pressure from Washington, D.C.

As a long-time legislator and chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), I know first-hand the issues plaguing Hoosiers. Every day, Indiana residents are struggling with rising costs of living, higher utility bills and sky-high health care costs

Today, Gov. Mike Braun called legislators back to the Statehouse for a special session to redraw Indiana's congressional maps mid-decade

Today, Aug. 7, Gov. Mike Braun met with Vice President JD Vance regarding the possibility of a special session to redistrict Indiana's congressional maps.

When Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order earlier this year banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices and programs in state agencies, we in the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) saw the writing on the wall. As a longtime lawmaker and chair of the IBLC, I know that nothing done in this building exists in a vacuum. This order from Gov. Braun signaled not only his willingness to comply with hyper-partisan D.C. culture wars, but his willingness to put politics over the lives and wellbeing of the Hoosiers he was elected to serve.

On June 30, the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) announced that more than 400 degree programs across six of Indiana's universities will be either eliminated, suspended or merged due to a statute in the state budget. The statute set a minimum threshold of graduates for all degree programs. Impacted programs include special education, policy, mathematics, African American studies, religious studies and various disciplines of engineering.

On June 19, 1865, African Americans enslaved in Galveston, Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery signed two years prior. Since then, June 19 – or "Juneteenth" – has been celebrated as a day of freedom throughout the country.