Statehouse Scoop: Your voice is vital

The 2023 legislative session began on Jan. 9, which is about a week later than is typical. This has led to a more frenetic pace than we normally see during the budget (or long) session.  

United Way of Central Indiana and our advocacy partners have been hard at work analyzing and tracking legislation working its way through the House and the Senate.  

But before we get to the details, an introduction: My name is Sam Snideman, and I’m the vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana.

While new to United Way, I’m not new to the Statehouse. This is my twelfth legislative session in a lobbying or policy role. I’m a lifelong Hoosier, a graduate of Indiana State and Ball State, and I’m a big soccer fan.  

With the session under way, we have been working with our partners in the General Assembly and executive branch agencies to weigh in on our core policy priorities in early learning, mental health and housing.  

These first two weeks of session have moved quickly, but we wanted to take a moment to update you on the bills we’ve been working on most closely and ask for your help. 

Lead: Early Childhood Education 

• As leaders of the state’s Early Education Works Coalition, we support Gov. Eric Holcomb’s call for expanded investments in the state’s early childhood education and child care systems. These include investments made in House Bill 1001 (the state budget bill), which include small increases in appropriations for On My Way Pre-K, Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) and other early learning and child care programs.  

• We also support the governor’s proposal to increase the eligibility thresholds for On My Way Pre-K and CCDF. Senate Bill 307, authored by Sen. Kyle Walker, would raise the eligibility thresholds for On My Way from 127% to 138% of the federal poverty level, and the Family and Social Services Administration would make administrative changes to raise the eligibility thresholds for CCDF to match.  

• Additional bills have been filed that expand eligibility for the On My Way Pre-K program. Senate Bill 375, authored by Sen. Linda Rogers, increases the threshold to 260% of the federal poverty level and creates a stair-step system for award amounts by income category. (For example, families below 200% of the federal poverty level would receive a maximum grant amount.) Senate Bill 437, authored by Sen. Fady Qaddoura, increases the threshold to 300% of the federal poverty level. Both bills eliminate the limited eligibility category, a change which should streamline administration. 

• Senate Bill 340 would make the Dolly Parton Imagination Library a statewide program, providing books to children up to age 5 and increasing the state’s commitment to early literacy. 

Collaborate: Housing 

• During the summer, Rep. Doug Miller and Sen. Linda Rogers co-chaired a housing taskforce to explore increasing the availability of affordable housing in the state. Each has filed a bill looking at pieces of this issue. Miller has filed House Bill 1005, a priority bill for the House majority, which creates a loan program for communities to use to build new affordable housing, with special focus on affordable housing in communities with populations under 50,000. Senate Bill 339, Rogers’ bill, creates a tax credit for contributions to affordable housing organizations in an effort to spur private investment in affordable housing. We will continue to work with our partners in the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition to advance this priority. 

• Our partners in the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition have identified Senate Bill 202 and House Bill 1148 as priority bills. Both focus on tenants’ rights and landlord accountability, including the enforcement of habitability standards for rental properties and opportunities for rent escrow-type programs. 

Collaborate: Mental Health 

• Both the House and Senate majorities have designated addressing the state’s mental health crisis as a priority this session. Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1006 are priority bills for the majority caucuses. The Senate’s bill, authored by Sen. Michael Crider, focuses on the state’s transition to 988 and the certified behavioral health clinic model. The House’s bill, authored by Rep. Greg Steuerwald, provides greater opportunities for those involved with the criminal justice system to be referred to and receive mental health treatment.  

For a complete list of the bills we’re watching, click here. 

It’s impossible for us to do this work alone. Good public policy is made not only when the public’s best interests are considered, but also when the public’s will finds its way into the process.  

Your voice is vital – not only to our work, but also to the work of our partners in government. Thank you for all you have done and all you will do to raise your voices on behalf of the work of United Way of Central Indiana, our advocacy partners and people across Central Indiana! 

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