Submitted by Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus
On Monday, Indiana Senate Democrats held a press conference to share their 2023 legislative session priorities, which they say puts the focus on creating an economy that supports Indiana families, promotes the future of students and state, and protects the freedoms of every resident.
Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) shared the following remarks:
Taylor
“The Governor and Senate Republicans have shared their 2023 priorities, and I’m encouraged by what I see,” Sen. Taylor said. “I think there’s room for collaboration, and I’m hopeful we can get things done this session on behalf of Hoosiers.
“I will stress that my caucus and I believe we can invest heavily both in the state and Hoosiers this session. I know there’s an appetite to engage in the culture war being waged at the national level, but I pray the members of this Indiana General Assembly can avoid that as much as possible this session. I think that, and really working together to do the best for our residents, will be how we have a successful session.
“The priorities my caucus has adopted this session are bolder than what we’ve seen from our colleagues and even the Governor, but I believe there’s a real chance we can get some big-ticket items passed if we come together. If we do that instead of getting side-tracked with divisive and unproductive political games, I know we can do great things for Hoosiers this year.”
Families
- Invest in expanding childcare access for families, which will help bolster the state’s workforce.
- Create a Paid Leave Program for parents and families to take necessary time off work.
- Lower healthcare costs for Hoosiers paying the seventh-highest costs in the nation.
Futures
- Invest in K-12 to cover school operational costs along with teacher and staff pay raises.
- Eliminate school textbook fees to remove the burden on parents.
- Auto-enroll students into the 21st Century Scholars Program to bolster college attainment.
Freedoms
- Restore reproductive freedom to all Hoosier women by expanding access to abortion back up to 20 weeks.
- Decriminalize marijuana and advance legislation to make it legally accessible.
- Remove the ban on same-sex marriage in Indiana’s current law and protect all marriages in Indiana.
- Amend the Indiana constitution to allow Hoosiers to vote directly on ballot initiatives at the polls.
Indiana Senate Democratic priorities can be read at IndianaSenateDemocrats.org.