“Property tax bills statewide averaged 18% higher last year than the previous year, according to an analysis by the Association of Indiana Counties and Policy Analytics,” Pryor said. “All homeowners need to be cut a break.”
Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Carey Hamilton, D-Indianapolis, brought attention to child-care issues in Indiana, calling for an increase in child-care accessibility.
“When parents can’t provide quality care for their children, they cut back hours or leave the workforce altogether. We must focus on ensuring access to affordable, high-quality child care for infants through school-age children,” Hamilton said. “Annually, Indiana loses $1.1 billion in economic activity and $118 million in lost tax revenue because our child-care system is failing.”
Indiana ranks 16th most expensive for child care. Hamilton believes child care is an essential public infrastructure that is critical to the Indiana economy. She pointed out that only 17% of child-care facilities are considered high quality in Indiana.
“Unfortunately, our child-care system is in crisis, and it’s time to act. We must focus on ensuring access to affordable, high-quality child care,” Hamilton said.
Caring for infants in Indiana costs $3,600 more than sending a child to college, Hamilton added.
Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, explained the caucus’ goal to fight for a 13th check and cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for state retirees. A 13th check is a one-time additional check added to the traditional 12 monthly payments for retirees. By comparison, a COLA is a percentage increase for all payments.
For the first time in 30 years, retirees did not receive either during the 2023 legislative session.
“As lawmakers, we have an obligation to ensure no one, particularly some of our most vulnerable citizens, gets left behind,” Porter said. “It’s unconscionable that Statehouse Republicans rushed through a biennial budget last year which left out public employees.”
Porter also criticized the underfunding of Medicaid during the 2023 legislative session, when the budget was last updated.
“I shudder to think what will happen to countless Hoosiers and their families,” Porter said, “particularly Hoosiers living in poverty and Hoosiers of color, if we don’t take immediate action to not just get to the bottom of how such a huge error was not caught by those tasked with crafting our state budget.”
