Apr 13, 2025
NATIONAL NUTCASERY
congress - where budgets are made up and dollars don’t matter
One week ago, the Senate passed an amended version of the budget resolution that Republicans need to unlock reconciliation, the process Republicans are using to dodge a Senate filibuster on a tax, spending cut, defense and border funding bill.
Senate Republicans’ budget resolution left House-passed targets in place, including a $1.5 trillion minimum for spending cuts. But they set very different standards for Senate panels, totaling just a $4 billion floor for reductions.
House Speaker Johnson announced he was committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. Senate Majority Leader Thune said the Senate’s “ambition” was to get in alignment with the House’s spending-cut goals.
Thune’s statement was vague and didn’t lock him into anything. It was hard to see how that would satisfy the dug-in opponents. However, after a big group of House Freedom Caucus members and other conservatives packed into a room with leadership by the House floor, they nearly all flipped to yes. US Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) was one of two Republicans to vote with all Democrats against the GOP budget that narrowly passed Thursday, citing a high projected deficit.
crimethink moves from fiction to reality
A Louisiana immigration judge ruled Friday that activist Mahmoud Khalil, who has a green card and is a lawful permanent resident, can be deported. During a hearing at the remote Louisiana detention center where Khalil is being held, Judge Jamee Comans said Friday that she had no authority to question Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that Khalil had engaged in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which foster a hostile environment for Jewish students in the U.S." and as a result, allowing Khalil to remain in the country would undermine a U.S. foreign policy goal of combating antisemitism around the world. “The government is invoking [a] very rarely used provision of the immigration and nationality act that they claim allows them to deport people simply because of their political opinions,” Khalil’s attorney Diala Shamas said.
Khalil will not immediately be deported, and his attorneys have pledged to appeal the judge's ruling if he were ordered deported. Comans gave Khalil until April 23 to request a stay of his deportation if his attorneys believe he qualifies for one, and if they don't meet that deadline, she will order him deported either to Syria, where he was born, or to Algeria, where he is a citizen. While Friday's hearing took place in immigration court, a separate case has been playing out in a federal court in New Jersey over whether Khalil should have been arrested and detained at all. More at NPR.
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STATEWIDE SHENANIGANS
the fight for property taxes
Braun and Republicans in the Indiana House have reached an agreement on property tax relief for Hoosiers , which lawmakers say will have two-thirds of property owners paying less on their tax bills in 2026 than this year.
Republican leaders in the House on Wednesday said the new version of Senate Bill 1 would save homeowners $1.4 billion over the next three years, which would mean a hit to local governments' coffers. The amended bill now provides homeowners a property tax credit—either 7.5% of their liability or $200, whichever is less—and phases in an increased homestead deduction through 2031.
The legislation is complicated, so the Indianapolis Star broke down the winners and losers. Spoiler alert: Farmers, small businesses, Hoosier homeowners seeking immediate property tax relief, Hoosiers who only vote in general elections, and some senior citizens are winners, while Indiana local governments and school districts lose out, especially with the addition of the controversial charter school property tax dollar sharing requirements of Senate Bill 518. More at IndyStar.
Contact Senator Goode ((317) 234-9221) and urge him to vote NO to SB 1.
only one party aligns with nazis
The Monroe County Republican Party barred WFIU/WTIU News and others from attending its monthly meeting, held at The Warehouse on Tuesday.
The party’s guest speaker was Caleb Shumaker, whose previous involvement with the National Youth Front and social media presence prompted online questions and pushback.
Shumaker was dismissed from working on 2017 Mike Braun’s US Senate campaign due to his ties to the National Youth Front, which the Southern Poverty Law Center defines as a white nationalist group. More at Indiana Public Media.
BILLWATCH 2025
It is now week 14 of the 2025 legislative session. All committees held their final meetings for the session last week. Any bill that did not move out of committee by noon Friday is now considered dead. Lawmakers will meet Monday and Tuesday next week to finish voting bills out of their current chamber and send them back to the originating chamber. The 2nd Reading Deadline (chamber amendments) is Monday, and the 3rd Reading Deadline (chamber vote) is Tuesday. From then until the end of session (on or before April 29, but anticipated April 24), remaining bills will be heard for concurrence and conference committees.
From there, the House and Senate will begin concurring with or dissenting from changes made by the opposite chamber. If they dissent, bills are sent to a conference committee, where lawmakers from both chambers meet to negotiate final language. This process continues until the General Assembly adjourns sine die, no later than April 29.
These are some bills that advanced last week:
Indiana lawmakers gave the famously persecuted giant drugstore and insurance companies a win on Tuesday with a substantial amendment to Senate Bill 140 in a House committee.
SB 475, a proposal banning non-compete clauses for Indiana's doctors, passed the House by a 69-22 vote on Wednesday after being watered-down to only apply to doctors employed by hospitals or hospitals' affiliated entities. Though that includes about 80% of the physician profession, independent practices are left out.
The House Judiciary Committee reined in Senate Bill 289, a controversial Senate bill to rein in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in Indiana, with a 7-3 vote. The revised bill is no longer forcing institutions to close their DEI offices, but not to take "actions" ― hiring and firing, enrolling and providing or denying aid, rewarding or penalizing a person, granting or denying a license ― that are "based on a personal characteristic" of the person. Those personal characteristics already defined in Indiana's Civil Rights law include race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, ancestry or status as a veteran. The League of Women Voters of Indiana has a letter you can send in opposition.
Indiana lawmakers revived controversial bill language that would ban homeless people from camping on public land through a last-minute amendment to Senate Bill 197.
When the House of Representatives introduced HB 1662, Hoosiers OVERWHELMINGLY opposed it, and let legislators know! They removed it because of the strength of advocacy, but lobbyists have tried to sneak it back into SB 197 to criminalize homelessness in Indiana. Let's be loud once again! This bill would:
Make being unable to afford or access housing a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine;
Increase the number of Hoosiers experiencing homelessness through needless punishment;
Fail to increase the supply of housing or support services for Hoosiers experiencing housing instability;
Increase burdens on local law enforcement, courts, and jails without providing any solutions to the housing crisis;
Increase rates of arbitrary charges of misdemeanors among individuals not doing anything wrong but simply existing in public.
The House Education Committee amended SB 373 during its final meeting Wednesday to create pilot programs allowing districts to voluntarily transfer control of school facilities and transportation to newly created local boards and establish the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, an advisory group charged with recommending how IPS and local charter schools could collaborate on buildings and transportation services. The bill was also amended to create a new mastery-based learning pilot program, which would allow participating schools to suspend certain state laws, including Indiana’s teacher collective bargaining statute. Call (317) 233-5248 ask Rep. Pfaff to protect collective bargaining rights by opposing SB 373.
Here are some of the bills on the schedule for Monday, April 14, beginning at 1:30:
HB 1007 is up for 3rd Reading in the Senate, which forces Indiana electric utility customers to foot the bill for SMR [small modular reactor] design, engineering, planning, and permitting costs before the utility seeks approval to build the SMR, even if they never seek approval and cancel the project. This bill also reduces regulatory oversight by fast-tracking approval of new generation resources to serve data centers, plus a tracker to charge customers for these resources before they are generating any electricity, all while making it more difficult for Indiana utilities to retire coal-fired power plants. Use this letter from the League of Women Voters of Indiana to tell Sen. Goode to vote NO.
The Senate is set to hear the Budget (HB 1001) and consider additional amendments. In somewhat of a surprise, the Senate chose not to expand the private school voucher program and reduced funding for virtual schools from 85% to 70% of the foundation amount. Of concern, HB 1001:
does not address Medicaid waiver waitlist for elderly Hoosiers or disabled kids.
reduces income eligibility to qualify for CCDF (childcare) vouchers to just $40,000.
underfunds public schools - the "increase" won't cover inflation, especially with the other bills that divert funding away from public and to charter schools. Lastly,
no longer contains language that would have made period products tax-free.
does not fund a Newborn Tax Credit or fund childcare. Use the links to sign Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute and the United Way’s letters in favor of those additions.
There is still time to make changes to this bill. Contact Senator Goode ((317) 234-9221) and urge him to support amendments to respond to these concerns.
The House is set to hear SB 442 and consider additional amendments. SB 442 increases the workload of teachers by requiring them to publicly post any curriculum involving “human sexuality instruction,” inviting interference from members of the public opposed to scientifically accurate sex education. This bill overrules local control by mandating how schools address curriculum, and promotes pro-life rhetoric by requiring schools to display inaccurate “human growth presentations” of ultrasounds and fetal development like Baby Olivia. There is still time to make changes to this bill. Contact Rep Pfaff ((317) 233-5248) and urge her to support amendments to respond to these concerns.
HB 1002 is up for 3rd Reading in the Senate. This massive "deregulation" bill provides a pathway to eliminate many public school programs, services, and requirements. Of particular concern is the elimination of any relevant educational experience, college degree, or Indiana residency requirement for the Secretary of Education position. ISTA also opposes the elimination of mandated SEL training and supports, as well as the removal of accountability measures for charter schools. Use the League of Women Voters of Indiana’s letter to urge Sen. Goode to vote NO on HB 1002
LOCAL FOCUS
no one asked me…
Currently, US government agencies require public comment on regulations to ensure the public is involved in the rule-making process. There are three upcoming opportunities for citizens to have their thoughts heard:
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced a public meeting to discuss the proposed intersection improvement project for U.S. 41 and Dixie Bee (entrance to Walgreens, Chik-Fil-A, and Wabash Valley Dragway). This is an opportunity for Vigo County residents to learn more about the project and interact with the project team during an open house held prior to and after the presentation. The meeting will take place on April 22, at 6 p.m. in the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds Banquet Room. For more information on the event, click here.
Join Citizens’ Action Coalition on 4/17/25 at a public field hearing where you can speak directly to utility regulators about how Duke Energy wants to charge customers another $3.3 billion to replace two coal-fired units at Cayuga with two gas units. This request comes shortly after Duke received approval to hike rates by $244.4 million in 2024, resulting in a $19/month rate hike for the average Duke customer. The hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. Eastern at Ivy Tech Community College’s Oakley Auditorium.
The Indiana Department of Health will take comments from the public regarding the proposed application for the merger of Union Hospital and Terre Haute Regional Hospital on May 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ivy Tech Terre Haute’s Oakley Auditorium. Residents of Vigo County and surrounding communities are invited. The document in which Union Hospital and Terre Haute Regional Hospital seek to merge — under state regulation rather than Federal Trade Commission approval — is now available online for public viewing.
Let’s take advantage of these public comment opportunities while we still have them!
GOOD TROUBLE
There is currently a lawsuit against DOGE for failing to respond to FOIA requests. It would help out tremendously to send a short, polite, one sentence email to [email protected] and say, please make it possible to submit electronic FOIA requests to the U.S. DOGE Service through FOIA.gov.
also, you can sign a petition to save the NEH - national endowment for the humanities. Millions of dollars in previously awarded federal grants intended for arts and cultural groups across the country are being canceled by the Trump administration. To sign the petition, text SIGN PRFKKF to 50409 (resistbot)
RESOURCE CENTER
The legislative session is almost over, but you can use MADVoters’ redesigned bill tracker to see an explanation of the bill in layman's terms, the committee to which it's assigned, the bill's status, upcoming actions, and more. It's designed to be easy to use and empower you to take action!
Need help contacting legislators? MADVoters updated that tool, too, at madvoters.org/contact-your-legislator. Simply input your address for their email, direct phone number, social media, and click more to see their address and committee assignments.
UPCOMING EVENTS
***don’t forget to check out the Nasty Women events calendar!***
Monday, April 14th, 10am ET: ISTA Day of Action - Indianapolis Statehouse. Join Hoosier teachers and other community stakeholders to protest against cuts to local funding.
Monday, April 14th, 6-7pm: Vigo County School Board meeting at the administration building at 501 W. Olive St. in West Terre Haute. This is Nasty Women’s Show Up focus for April!
Tuesday, April 15, 11:30am -1pm: Protest Alert - Todd Young in Btown at the Monroe Convention Center, Bloomington, IN. Get there early! Sen. Todd Young will be at the Monroe County Convention Center for a pricey little luncheon ($50 a ticket). But democracy is free—especially if you show up outside with a creative protest sign!
Wednesday, April 16th, 1-2pm ET: Join the National Democratic Training Committee for a free virtual live training on How to Connect with Voters through Personal Stories. Register here!
Thursday, April 17th, 5-6:45pm: Nasty Women of Vigo County meeting at the Vigo County Public Library
Saturday, April 19th, 12pm - 2pm: Shred Project 2025 Protest at the Vigo County Courthouse. Register here.
Friday, April 25th, 5pm: Vigo Dems ‘event’
Interested in running for office? The Vigo Dems will be hosting a candidate training session May 6, 2025. Please RSVP by 5/1/2025 to [email protected].
END ON A HIGH NOTE
Mayor Sakbun was a guest on Indiana Lawmakers last week. Watch it here.
Teachers in a small upstate New York town launched a nearly two-week long protest after ICE arrested three children in an immigration raid. After the public outcry, the children and their mother were released. The cherry on top? This was a county that Donald Trump won by double digits, and border czar Tom Homan owns a home in the town.
DOGE backed away from cuts to Social Security phone services following intense backlash, as the move would’ve made it harder for recipients to access claims.
Trump's time in the White House runs out in:
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