ACLU Public Policy Director: “The Indiana General Assembly has put forward a slate of hate — an onslaught of bills targeting LGBTQ Hoosiers”

ICYMI: Indiana has an F rated quality-of-life and the state has a D- rated workforce, a C- rated education system, the third worst maternal mortality rate in the nation, and the country’s most polluted waterways

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families and workers, today criticized the Republican supermajority at the statehouse for pushing legislation that attacks LGBTQ Hoosiers, expands an unregulated school choice system, and brings up a nothing burger on school dress codes. The Indiana GOP is presenting an agenda that promotes culture wars and favors special interests instead of solving the top issues facing families and workers across our state.

Fact is: Indiana’s future has dimmed under the GOP’s nearly 20-year watch. Hoosiers have a F rated quality-of-life and the state has a D- rated workforce, a C- rated education system, the third worst maternal mortality rate in the nation, and the country’s most polluted waterways. Republicans are once again ignoring the warning signs from Indiana’s top business leaders and their taxpayer-funded reports in order to push an out-of-the-mainstream agenda that creates problems instead of solving them.

“Only a few week after the start of the legislative session, it is clear that the Republican supermajority is not serious about tackling Indiana’s most pressing issues. At a time when Hoosiers are begging their leaders to tackle common sense issues like lowering healthcare costs, expanding affordable housing, and funding public schools, the Indiana GOP has instead chosen to focus on the same divisive and polarizing culture wars that do nothing to improve the lives of Hoosiers,” said Mike Schmuhl, Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party. “This time, the supermajority is pushing legislation that discriminates against LGBTQ Hoosiers, expands an unregulated school choice system at the expense of our public schools, and creates a controversy over school dress codes out of thin air. Hoosiers deserve better.”

Hoosiers should never settle for being at the back of the pack – and more and more Republicans are even starting to admit that the GOP has failed Hoosiers. Governor Eric Holcomb listed a number of failing rankings during his State of the State address and both Suzanne Crouch and Mike Braun acknowledged the state’s many struggles during their campaign announcements. Despite this recognition of just how serious the issues facing Indiana are, the GOP has yet to put forward a comprehensive plan to address them. Instead, they continue to prioritize partisan politics over the well-being of Hoosier families and workers.

Here’s what Indiana would look like if Democrats were in charge: 

• More good-paying, union jobs,
• Universal Pre-K,
• A quality education for every student,
• Teachers being paid more,
• Ending the state’s brain drain,
• Businesses of all sizes attracting and retaining young workers and their families,
• Women making their own health care decisions,
• More renewable and clean energy economic investments,
• Ending culture wars for good, and 
• More money Hoosiers’ pockets.

Democrats mean it when we say it’s past time to cut the special interests and create a brighter future for our everyone who calls Indiana home. It’s time to deliver on the kitchen-table issues Hoosiers care about most and prioritize their needs, such as improving access to affordable healthcare, investing in public education, and creating an Indiana where everyone thrives. 

Nearly 20 years of Republicans in charge is just simply too long!

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