Public party of Indiana- The children's Party.

May 01, 2024

Several key issues were debated during the nearly four-month session of the Indiana General Assembly. Let’s delve into some of them:

TAXING MATTERS:
- Legislators approved speeding up individual income tax rate cuts,
  
  Initially approved a year ago.
- Under the new plan, the tax rate would decline in small steps from the current 3.15% to 3.05% next year.
- By 2027, it would reach 2.9%, two years earlier than the scheduled timeline.
- However, no action was taken to address the double-digit percentage increases in property tax bills that many homeowners are experiencing due to higher sales prices pushing up property value assessments.
VOUCHER ELIGIBILITY:
- Republicans expanded the school voucher program, making tens of thousands more students eligible for state money toward private school tuition.
- The family income limit for the federal free or reduced-price meals program was raised from the current 300% income eligibility to a 400% cap.
- This change boosts the income limit for a family of four from $154,000 to $220,000.
- The broader eligibility provisions are projected to grow the voucher program from 53,500 students to approximately 95,000 students in two years, nearly doubling the state’s cost to about $600 million annually.
TRANSGENDER ISSUES:
- Governor Eric Holcomb signed a bill prohibiting transgender youth from accessing medication or surgeries, aiding in transition.
- Those currently taking medication must stop by the end of the year.
- The law, effective from July 1, faces a federal lawsuit seeking to block it.
- Several key issues were debated during the nearly four-month session of the Indiana General Assembly. Let’s delve into some of them: Schools must notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change, potentially outing young transgender people to their families.
- The bill also prohibits public schools from teaching pre-kindergarten through third graders about “human sexuality,” raising concerns about discussions related to LGBTQ+ individuals at school.
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPANSION:
- Counties can now offer broadly expanded public health services under a program endorsed by legislators.
- The expansion, pushed by Governor Holcomb, aims to improve the state’s poor national rankings in obesity, smoking, and life expectancy while upgrading local emergency services.
- Although the state budget includes $225 million over two years for this expansion, it falls short of the $7 million a year sought by Holcomb to boost county health departments funded primarily by local taxes 1 2.