Indiana Senate Democrats' agenda focused on health care, housing and public education

Indiana Senate Democrats said their 2025 legislative agenda is focused on ensuring Hoosier families have support and children have opportunity.

The caucus’s priority bills are aimed at health care, housing and public education.

Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said ignoring those key topics puts Indiana’s future at risk.

“These aren’t partisan issues,” Yoder said. “They’re Hoosier values.”

Caucus legislation includes supporting maternal and infant health care, banning wage garnishments and property liens for medical debt, allowing tenants to withhold rent if landlords don’t make essential repairs, and significantly increasing K-12 public education funding.

READ MORE: Indiana Senate Republican agenda includes property tax reform, major Medicaid overhaul
 

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Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) said these issues are not just moral priorities, but economic imperatives.

“Quality schools attract businesses, create skilled workforce, keep young families in our state,” Hunley said.

Similarly, Sen. Rodney Pol, Jr. (D-Chesterton) said improving housing stability affects more than just where a person lives.

“Housing stability is linked to other critical aspects of life, including education, health and financial security,” Pol said.

The caucus’s housing measures also include provisions that would prohibit utility disconnections on Fridays, weekends and holidays; eliminate interest charges on unpaid utility bills and reconnection fees; and require landlords to provide a minimum of 60 days notice to their tenants before selling a property.
 

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.