The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus says its focus in the 2025 session is making Indiana safer, healthier and more equitable.
The caucus’s agenda is concentrated on bills to improve physical and mental health.
Black caucus priority bills include more coverage for obesity treatments; funding for first responders’ mental health care; enhanced coverage for maternal health programs; and education on water safety, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Caucus Chair Rep. Earl Harris, Jr. (D-East Chicago) said improving health is about more than just access to testing and treatment.
“But also enhancing food security, affordable and safe housing, as well as creating incentives for medical professions to train and practice here in the state of Indiana,” Harris said.
Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) said lawmakers shouldn’t ignore the many social determinants of health.
“It’s like a six lane highway,” Porter said. “Everybody’s going that direction, so the more lanes we have to address these concerns, the better outcomes that we will have.”
Many of the caucus’s bills come with a price tag in a year when the state budget will be tight and Republicans are looking to cut Medicaid spending.
READ MORE: Indiana Senate Republican agenda includes property tax reform, major Medicaid overhaul
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Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis) said it’s not just about upfront costs.
“If we can get in on the front end and invest in it, then we can save more on the back end,” Shackleford said.
The legislative session runs through April.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.