LEGISLATIVE CALLS TO ACTION -- WEEK of April 21 -- Indiana General Assembly

Indiana Legislation

The Indiana Legislature is required, by law, to adjourn by the end of April. Remaining bills will either pass out of committee and be voted on by the chamber and sent to the Governor, or the bill will die.

HB 1393 Call to action:

Requires a law enforcement officer to provide the name, address, and other identifying information to ICE after arresting or issuing a summons to an individual suspected of not being lawfully present in the United States. Will lead to increased racial profiling. Call Governor Braun to ask him not to sign this bill. 317-232-4567

SB 197 Call to action:

The criminalization of homelessness was recently amended into this bill. The bill makes it a Class C misdemeanor, with a penalty of 60 days in jail or a $500 fine, to "camp, sleep, or use for long term shelter” land that is owned by the state or city. The bill would also require law enforcement to warn the person that they're violating state law, and offer to take them to an authorized shelter location.

Call your House Representative and ask them to vote no to SB 197.  IGA | Find Your Legislator

HB 1002 - Eliminates public school programs, services, and requirements

Here's the background on this bill.

• Removes requirement that IN Secretary of Education have educational experience, live in Indiana, or have a college degree.

• Guts rights and responsibilities delegated to both State Board of Education and local elected school boards, and removes offices on the board.

• Exempts charter school board members from submitting a statement of economic interest, reduces oversight of charters, and repeals language prohibiting discrimination.

• Eliminates pre-K programs, defunds art education, removes World Religions as a course elective.

• Removes consideration of cultural competency in developing school environment.

• Removes social, emotional, and behavioral supports and training.

• Allows students to drop out at 16 without a qualifying reason.

• Allows schools to cut transportation services with just one year’s notice.

From the Indy Star:

House Bill 1002, passed out of the Senate on Tuesday with a 31-18 vote, with eight Republicans joining the Democrats to oppose the bill.

• The bill could be on Gov. Mike Braun's desk within a week. Lawmakers still have to iron out differences between the Senate and House's versions of the bill before it can go to Braun for consideration.

• Supporters of the bill said it aims to "streamline” Indiana’s education code with the hopes of providing schools with more flexibility.

  
  

Some of the Republicans who voted against the bill voiced concerns over cuts made to teacher training requirements that include social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care and cultural competency teaching.

The bill mostly cuts language from Indiana’s education code, but does add the ability for schools to ask parents to pay for certain school materials that "supplement the instruction in a particular course of study."

Another sticking point in the bill Democrats argued against was the change to the qualifications for the Indiana Secretary of Education.

The bill removes education requirements for the secretary, including no longer needing a background as a teacher, superintendent or principal. It also removes any requirement for any kind of educational attainment for the secretary.

The bill also takes out the requirement for the secretary to have lived in the state for at least two years before being appointed by the governor.

Contact your legislator: IGA | Find Your Legislator.

Federal Legislation

During the Federal Recess here are items of concern to make your opinion and voice known to our legislators.

Protect Our National Forests from Unregulated Logging

From 5 Calls

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a new directive that establishes an “Emergency Situation Determination” to fast-track timber production on 113 million acres of national forestry—roughly half the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service—by removing National Environmental Policy Act regulations.

The Trump administration has issued an executive order that directs the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service to act quickly to increase domestic timber production across 280 million acres of national forests and public lands under their collective management. The order also instructs agencies to bypass environmental laws and regulations that are meant to ensure that all use of public lands, including logging, are done sustainably.

Appropriate forest management is crucial for wildfire prevention, clean water and air, carbon capture, and wildlife, including the preservation of endangered species. The Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act both require a careful and good faith effort to consider the environmental impact of forest projects, even in the context of an emergency.

This unregulated expansion of logging not only risks the longterm viability of our public lands, but allowing it to proceed without adequately assessing its impact on air quality, water quality, and wildfire risk also compromises public safety. Congress must hold the Trump administration accountable to current environmental law and oppose this effort to undermine the protections that work to preserve our public lands and the safety of every American.

Contact your legislator. Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Sample Script:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to push back on the Trump administration's directives to increase timber production on our public lands and national forests. This move will dangerously bypass important environmental laws to destroy our public lands, harm wildlife, and compromise our safety, air and water quality.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

The President Is Not Above The Rule Of Law

From Jessica Craven, Chop Wood Carry Water

Call Your Legislators: Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress | Congress.gov | Library of Congress 

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______. 

First, what is the House/Senator doing about Trump’s refusal to comply with the Supreme Court? This is a Constitutional crisis. The Senator has taken an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution; I want to know what s/he’ll do to push the president to comply.

Second, I want to make absolutely sure the Senator is going to vote no on the SAVE Act. Will s/he? This is a horrifying voter suppression bill—it cannot pass.

No Insider Trading

From Jessica Craven, Chop Wood Carry Water

Contact your State Attorney General Todd Rokita:  Attorney General: Contact Us

I’m very alarmed about President Trump's social media posts encouraging stock purchases immediately before reversing his most extreme tariffs. It raises serious questions about potential insider trading and market manipulation.

 I want your office to investigate potential insider trading, market manipulation, fraud, corruption, falsified records, and consumer protection violations that may have been committed by President Trump and his top allies in connection with recent tariff policy changes.

 No one—including a president—is above the law. Any violations must be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent permitted by state laws. Thanks.