Statehouse Scoop: Whoa, We’re Halfway There
It’s hard to believe we’re at the midpoint of the 2022 legislative session, and United Way and our advocacy partners are making great progress against our goals. As we prepare for the second half of session, here’s a quick look at where we stand in advancing our policy priorities around early childhood education, mental health, housing and more.
Leading: Early Childhood Education
Together with the Early Education Works coalition, we’ve been advocating for policies that will encourage the strategic implementation of childcare funding to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities across the state. Key bills that are moving forward in this space are HB 1093, HB 1107, HB 1361 and SB 404.
Collaborating: Mental Health
We’re actively collaborating with our partners at the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers, NAMI Indiana and Mental Health America of Indiana to track mental health legislation. Bills such as HB 1158, SB 84, SB 226 and SB 284 aim to address access to mental health services through avenues such as professional licensing and the expansion of telehealth services.
Collaborating: Housing
In collaboration with Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition, we’re tracking and engaging on bills impacting access to safe, reliable, affordable housing, especially those that affect the supply of affordable housing and strengthen tenant protections (HB 1214, SB 230 and SB 292).
Supporting: Transportation, Food and Basic Needs
In addition to our priority advocacy issues above, we continue to work closely with our partners at Transit Drives Indy, Indiana United Ways, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry and Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute on legislation impacting transportation access, predatory lending and food access.
For a list of legislation United Way is engaging on, see here.
As we take quick pause for halftime this legislative session, let’s not forget this quote from the championship game in the classic film Hoosiers: “Focus on the fundamentals that we’ve gone over time and time again.” For us at United Way and our advocates around the state, that means staying in touch with our legislators and letting them know why we support policies that help our neighbors and community thrive. If we focus on the fundamentals, I’m confident we’ll finish out this legislative session with much to celebrate.
