Statehouse Scoop: People power the economy

There is a saying, often attributed to the great American statesman Daniel Webster, that wisdom begins at the end. The end of one administration offers us all a chance to think critically about what comes next, considering the successes and missed opportunities of the previous era.  

If we want to help people live the lives they are capable of living, we need public policy to match the needs of the moment. If we want Indiana to build a thriving economy and thriving communities, we need to ensure Hoosiers have access to the resources they need for stability and success. The upcoming legislative session offers real opportunities for our elected leaders to pursue such policy change. 

Indiana has spent much of the last two-plus decades performing some needed rehabilitation of the state’s processes and systems. Improving and ensuring high-quality government service, fiscal prudence, making our state’s tax structure more competitive and creating an attractive business environment have all been important in helping Indiana weather the various economic storms that have come its way.  

We are entering a time, though, when these kinds of policy improvements will not suffice to make the state an attractive place to live. And in an age when people can, and increasingly do, work anywhere, states need to provide a greater rationale than “low cost of living.” (Especially when it’s less true now than it used to be.)   

If we want to think about what a bold investment in Hoosiers looks like, we should think more broadly about improving human capital than just what happens in the classroom, on campuses or in apprenticeships.  

Make no mistake: Indiana has done some good things to improve our education system. But developing and attracting real talent takes more than just adjustments to the state’s school funding formula, new high school diploma requirements and expanded pre-kindergarten opportunities. It requires us to think more holistically about what is needed to make it to the job, to be successful when you’re there, and how to support your family when you are home.   

During the 2025 legislative session, United Way of Central Indiana will continue to focus on expanding opportunities for our friends and neighbors in early care and learning, housing and economic mobility. We will pursue efforts to help keep people out of medical debt, consistent with our work with the United Neighborhood Centers of Indianapolis this summer that resulted in $239 million in forgiven medical debt. You can find out more about our policy agenda and sign up for action alerts at uwci.org/advocate. 

As we head into the long session (tentatively scheduled to end April 24), we know we cannot do our work without you. We hope you will find something in our policy agenda that resonates with you, and that you will use your voice to amplify our calls to invest in Hoosier thriving.

People power the economy, and you power our work.