You can make a difference
| Take action with Indivisible National Masked federal agents are terrorizing our communities. They’re teargassing babies, kidnapping our neighbors, shooting clergy in the face with chemical projectiles, and killing innocent people. But right now, we have an opportunity to rein in ICE at the federal level. ICE and Border Patrol are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is currently funded only through January 30. The new funding bill that’s currently being written is our opportunity to put significant restrictions on ICE and ensure it doesn’t get a single penny more to enable its brutality. Join us on Wednesday, January 21st, at 1 p.m. EST to call voters in key states and encourage them to call their senators to demand that they rein in ICE’s terror tactics. ICE OUT For Good Phone Bank · Indivisible Indivisible has made it easy to contact our federal legislators (https://indivisible.org/campaign/how-rein-ice-now) to demand that changes to ICE are included in the appropriations bill that must pass by the end of the month. Indivisible provides the scripts, contact #s and emails. Call: https://indivisible.org/ice-out-senate Email: https://act.indivisible.org/sign/ice-out-for-good/ Want to help Minnesotans? Indivisible National suggests:Stand with Minnesotans: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/Immigrant Defense Network: https://immigrantdefensenetwork.org/ From Indivisible Greater Lafayette:If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the fear and chaos in Minneapolis because of ICE’s presence and violence, we encourage you to donate to Joyce Uptown Foodshelf. This food pantry has been operating in Minneapolis since 1969, and right now, they are working to get food to the people in their community who are afraid to leave their homes. You can follow their work on Facebook, and you can donate here.Another food pantry in Minneapolis is run by Dios Habla Hoy Ministries Inc church. You can find information about their work on their Facebook page, and you can donate to them here. From Indivisible National: Protecting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is critical right now. Why? A ruling gutting Section 2 could help states eliminate at least 19 districts in the U.S. House currently protected by Section 2 (enough to lock in one-party control of the U.S. House) and up to 140 majority-minority legislative districts in the South, the vast majority of which are currency held by Black representatives. REGISTER: Mass Education Call on Wednesday, January 21, 8pm – 9pm ET. Callais and the VRA: The Fight for Voting Rights Right now, the Supreme Court is considering a decision that could take away a core American freedom: the right to fair and equal representation. This call will prepare volunteers, advocates, and concerned community members to stand up for fair representation, defend our freedom to vote, and mobilize at the local, state, and federal levels. FYI: “In the immediate term, Democrats in Congress have limited options. Even if they refused to vote for a Department of Homeland Security funding bill, ICE would continue to operate much as it does today, because the agency gets much of its funding from mandatory spending in the One Big Beautiful/Ugly Bill. I know that’s an unsatisfying answer. But the most realistic way to rein in ICE in the short term is to make their tactics so politically toxic that Trump is forced to back off. That means Democrats need to be louder. It means the rest of us need to help shape the debate. Internal Democratic message testing suggests one of the most effective ways to do that is simply to show people what’s happening: the videos of ICE tactics circulating online.” (Message Box) Join us on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6pm at the Merrillville Library for ACLU Presents the Pro-Democracy Series Movie Screening of Brother Outsider The Life of Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin was an activist and prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. He was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Movement and the principal organizer of the March on Washington in 1963. Please register here. This month Indivisibles are supporting veterans with their donations. They will be donated to the Adam Benjamin Jr Outpatient Clinic. Items needed include: combs/brushes; hair ties; toothpaste and brushes; sanitary pads, feminine wipes, body wash and lotion, mini packs of tissues, chapstick, bar soap, bath towels and washcloths, cleaning supplies, dish soap, dish towels and dishcloths, laundry detergent, garbage cans for kitchen and bath, mobs, paper towels, shower curtains and rings, toilet paper , crossword puzzles/sudoku, $10 subway, McDonald’s gift card. Please bring what you can as we continue to support our communities. Join us on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for Civics 101 to gain a greater understanding of how the government works. An Indivisible with years of experience in Washington D.C. will discuss how the federal government works–or is supposed to work. She’ll also provide insights into what is going on in Washington D.C. today–especially at the congressional level. Bring your questions; she has answers! She is a superb presenter and very knowledgeable about all levels of government. We’ll be at the Valpo Library, 103 Jefferson St in Valpo. Please register here–and bring a friend! Rally with us every Saturday, 12-1. We’ve partnered with veterans groups to fight for democracy every week. We’ll be in Highland on the SE corner of Ridge and 41 at the Highway of Flags Veterans Memorial. Limited parking, along with handicapped spots, is available behind the memorial. If the lot is full, park at Wicker Park and rally on the NW corner of Ridge and 41. Bring your signs and your passion! And please bring nonperishable food items. We donate to a different pantry each week. Please let us know you’re coming and register here. |
Indiana
The session is moving quickly. Bills must pass their out of committee by Jan. 26 and then pass their respective chambers by Jan. 29 in order to move on. The session will end Feb. 27.
For a more complete listing of proposed legislation please see our website. Bills are organized under topic so you can go to the issues that are most important to you. Links are provided for committees. If a bill you care about is up for a hearing or a vote, click on the link to the committee it has been assigned to. Scroll down for committee members and click on each for contact information. Contact members of the committee to tell them how you want them to vote.
The following bills have passed the Senate and go to the House next.
We are neutral or are watching:
SB 212. State income tax conformity. Amends the definition of “Internal Revenue Code” to conform with certain provisions enacted in Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1) (commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025). This bill adopts a few of the federal tax breaks to Indiana taxes. (The state tax code generally conforms with federal law for the simplicity of determining taxable income. But lawmakers aren’t yet sure which of the tax breaks in the federal bill will be applied to state taxes. For example, a hefty tax break for businesses included in what Republicans dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” won’t be applied to state taxes under this legislation.) Passed the Senate unanimously and was referred to the House.
The following bills have been referred to the Senate for a vote.
We oppose:
SB 1. Human services matters. This bill is a priority proposal for the chamber’s Republican caucus, would end Indiana’s expanded eligibility for SNAP, which allows those with slightly more assets to participate than under the federal baseline. That would push an estimated 3,000 households off the program, according to a fiscal analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. Referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Learn more at Indiana Capital Chronicle. Other provisions would set legal status requirements for SNAP participants — but count all of the income and assets of ineligible immigrants toward their household’s eligibility determination and benefit allotment. Passed out of committee to the Senate floor for a vote. Contact your senator.
SB 267. Influence campaign reports. Written under the guise of “transparency in political funding,” SB 267 is a blatant attempt to target legal protesting via governmental burden and overreach. This bill proposes that anyone who provides $500 in compensation (including supplies, printing, materials) to another for an “influence campaign” (a rally, demonstration, public action, etc about a current event, candidate, or elected official) must submit a report within 24 hours that includes their name, address, employer, occupation, list of expenses, and the recipient’s name and address. This violates our right to privacy and protest and represents significant overreach, exceeding FEC requirements and proposing additional disclosures of protests and rallies. Contact your senator.
SB 285. Housing Matters. SB 285 criminalizes homelessness, making it significantly harder for unhoused individuals to secure future employment or permanent housing. If found guilty of sleeping on city or state property, individuals could receive a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine up to $500. Diverts some state funds from permanent housing toward substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and short-term shelter solutions – the preferred solution wouldn’t be taking from one but to fund both. Prohibits local governments from enacting policies that “prohibit or discourage” the enforcement of public camping or sidewalk obstruction ordinances, overruling local control. Contact your senator.
The following bills are still in committee; they are scheduled for a vote:
We support:
HB 1307. Department of child services ombudsman. Mandates improved oversight for DCS via an ombudsman office to investigate complaints. Referred to the House Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs. Scheduled for a hearing 1/21, 7:30 CT.
We oppose:
SB 008 Library budgets. Removes the ability of public library boards to develop their own budget, and turns it over to the city, town, or county council. This could lead to elimination of public libraries if the local government declines to fund them. Library boards know their library best, and should have say over developing the budget. Referred to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy. A vote is scheduled for 1/20; contact members of the committee.
HB 1343. Military or veteran affairs. While much of this broad bill is outside the scope of MADVoters, we do oppose section 5, which would grant police powers to the National Guard. These expanded police powers raise concerns about the militarization of police and encroachment on civil liberties. Passed out of Veterans Affairs and Public Safety to the House Ways and Means Committee. It’s scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
Education
We oppose:
SB 88: Various education matters
- Requires public schools to incorporate the importance of: (1) obtaining at least a high school diploma and acquiring additional training in preparation for the workforce; (2) securing full-time employment; and (3) waiting until marriage to begin having children; into student instruction.
- Prohibits social studies instruction or discussion from teaching a national identity that’s based on racism, sexism, gender discrimination, victimization, class struggle, privilege, or exclusion.
- Mandates instruction on the Ten Commandments.
- Requires a state educational institution to accept a Classic Learning Test score for admission consideration.
- Allows teacher candidates in alternative pathways to request a waiver from the state teacher licensing exam and substitute their ACT, SAT, Classical Learning Test, or GRE scores instead.
Referred to the Senate Committee of Education and Career Development. Scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
HB 1176. Education matters. Creates additional pathways for converting existing public schools into charter schools. Unlike public schools, charter schools don’t have elected school boards accountable to taxpayers and voters. They are also exempt from some regulations required of public schools, and have a well-documented history of fraud and closure. Passed out of the House Committee on Education and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. It’s scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
HB 1266 Dept. of education and education matters. Creates systematic financial disadvantages for public schools while making it easier to redirect public dollars away from the schools serving 90% of Indiana’s students. expands eligibility for teacher appreciation grants, school safety grants, and robotics programs to additional institutions—slicing existing appropriations into smaller pieces. Requires public schools to develop new math frameworks, create intervention plans for underperforming schools, and meet new data science pathway requirements—all without dedicated funding. Meanwhile, private schools receiving $497 million in state-funded vouchers face no equivalent mandates. Section 39 removes the transportation cost-matching requirement for Career Scholarship Accounts, making it easier to use public funds for private alternatives. Charter schools gain new access to property tax referendum dollars through Section 37. And the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact makes it easier for teachers to leave Indiana—but does nothing to help us retain the teachers we’ve already trained and developed. Passed out of the Education Committee to the Ways and Means Committee where it’s scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
Health
We support:
SB 051. Postpartum care for new mothers on Medicaid. Requires healthcare providers to schedule up a postpartum care visit for Medicaid patients no later than 60 days from delivery. Referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. Scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
SB 085. Health care debt and costs. Protects patients from aggressive medical debt collection practices while requiring greater transparency and financial assistance options from hospitals. Requires hospitals to offer payment plans to eligible individuals and publicize clear information about financial assistance options. Referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. Scheduled for a vote 1/21. Contact members of the committee.
The following bills are still in committee; they are scheduled for a hearing:
We support:
HB 1065. Ban on gratuities for public officials. Bans bribes and rewards over $100 to public officials for performing a service. Referred to the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code. Scheduled for a hearing 1/21, 9:20CT
HB 1066. Purchase and lease of government vehicles. Requires public officials to purchase only base models of vehicles for official use, ensuring that tax dollars are not used for luxury vehicles as Secretary of State Diego Morales and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith did. Referred to the House Committee on Government and Regulatory Reform. It’s schedule for a hearing 1/21, 9:30CT.
We oppose:
SB 182. Gender issues. Erases legal recognition of trans, intersex, and non-binary Hoosiers by establishing “sex” and “gender” as synonymous terms throughout the Indiana Code, defining them solely by biological characteristics (chromosomes and anatomy) present at birth.. Prohibits changes to an individual’s gender on their birth certificate. Trans, non-binary, and intersex people do exist, and human sexuality and biology is far more complex than 2 genders. Referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. Scheduled for a hearing 1/21 at 8am CT.
Affordability
We are neutral or are watching:
HB 1001. Housing matters. Seeks to increase housing supply, particularly affordable housing, by streamlining approval processes and reducing local regulatory barriers. Referred to the House Committee on Local Government where it has been scheduled for a hearing on Jan. 20 at 7:30 central time.
HB 1002. Electric utility affordability. Seeks to enhance customer financial stability, improve utility accountability, and create a structured rate-making process. These changes include mandating budget billing options, offering opt-out mechanisms without penalties, and implementing multi-year rate plans with performance metrics. Referred to the House Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications where is scheduled for a vote on Jan. 20 at 9:30 central time.
SB 238. Tax or fiscal policy. Serves as a “corrective measure” to 2025 SEA 1 by moving major LIT changes from 2028 to 2029. Restores the option of excess tax levies, which were repealed in 2025, to allow schools and local governments to collect property taxes above the standard cap in cases of emergency or extraordinary growth. Referred to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy. It is scheduled for a hearing 1/20 at 6:30am CT.
Health
We oppose:
SB-236. Abortion inducing drugs and abortion reports. Criminalizes the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs into Indiana. It would also grant private citizens the ability to sue people who they believe to have violated abortion-inducing drug laws. Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Scheduled for a hearing 1/21, 12:30 CT.
To find and contact your Indiana legislators: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/
Congress
| Passed the House and Senate, goes to president next: H.R. 6938: Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 passed the Senate 82-15. Passed the House, Senate next H.R. 7006: Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 passed 341-79. Rep Carson voted nay; all other Indiana reps votes yea. H.R. 2683: Remote Access Security Act, which would expand export control laws to include access to US technology stored on servers outside of the US, passed 369-22.H.R. 6504: Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act, which would extend duty-free treatment of imports from Haiti, passed 345-45H.R. 6500: AGOA Extension Act, which would extend existing duty-free treatment of imports from some African nations, passed 340-54.H.R. 2988: Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act, which would make it harder for fiduciaries to consider environmental, social and governance issues in investing, passed 213-205. Rep. Mrvan voted nay; all other Indiana reps voted yea. (Rep Carson said is yea vote was inadvertent.) From GovTrack.us: There’s now serious talk of a war powers resolution for a NATO ally. And bipartisan legislation was introduced this week that would prevent the Trump administration from using funds to assert control over sovereign NATO territory. (Punchbowl) Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) are introducing legislation to ensure federal employees still get paid in the event of a future government shutdown. The Shutdown Fairness Act would force federal agencies to continue paying workers even in the event of a lapse in appropriations. (Punchbowl) Epstein File Release The law Congress passed and that the President signed required that all of the Department of Justice’s files (excluding some that identified victims) were to be released by December 19, 2025. It’s January 16, 2026 and the Department of Justice remains in violation of the law and will for the foreseeable future according to their own court filings. Health Insurance Premium Subsidies The House did pass a resolution last week extending the subsidies for three years. However, the House used an existing bill on a different topic with substituted language to get the job done. When the Clerk of the House sent the bill to the Senate, they sent the wrong version. If the Senate had been near an agreement on an amended replacement to the House version, this might have been an issue. But the Senate isn’t near such an agreement, so the procedures necessary to get the correct version to the Senate will probably not be rushed. End result: if your premiums went up in the New Year, they’re going to stay up for the foreseeable future. |
To find and contact your Members of Congress: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
In other news
| A new report from the Congressional Budget Office has found that renaming the Department of Defense to “Department of War” could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million. If only there were a Department of Government Efficiency to stop needless spending. (The Dispatch) eBay unveiled plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. The new goal comes after the online resale giant pledged to power its facilities with renewable electricity by 2025 — and reached the milestone a year early. The Department of Health and Human Services is reinstating $2 billion in funds to address substance abuse and mental health after the department said it would cancel funds the day before, an administration official confirmed to NBC News. Elections “Virginia just moved a step closer to giving Democrats a few more U.S. House seats. On Friday, state lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment that would allow the state’s Democratic-led legislature to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts before the midterm elections. But first the state’s voters will need to approve the amendment in a referendum as soon as this spring.” (NYT) |
