Blue 812 News Issue 18

Apr 27, 2025

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is in the headlines...yet again. This time, he's in the national news. According to the Washington Post, "Indiana’s lieutenant governor is facing backlash from some of the state’s religious and civil rights leaders after he called the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted each Black enslaved person as three-fifths of a human being for the purposes of taxation and representation, 'a great move' that led to the abolishment of slavery." On Thursday, Beckwith posted a video to X in which he lectured Senate Democrats for a Senate floor discussion comparing SB 289 to the agreement formed at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Although Beckwith accused the Democrats of revising history, a joint statement from the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, the Indiana Chapter of the National Action Network, and the Alliance of Baptists stated that it was actually Beckwith doing the revising. The group released a statement: "Let us be clear: the Three-Fifths Compromise was never about compromise; it was about control. It was about counting enslaved African bodies for political power while denying them humanity, freedom, and rights. To call this a ‘great move’ is not only historically inaccurate but morally repugnant.” The group has also requested Gov. Mike Braun publicly denounce Beckwith's comments, and for Beckwith to issue a "full and formal retraction." Couldn’t agree more.

Another Hoosier lawmaker went viral last week, but for good! When State Sen. Gary Byrne removed language removing the teaching of consent in Indiana Public Schools, local Rep. Tonya Pfaff pushed back in conference committee: “I don’t understand how we could possibly not agree to teach that as part of human sexuality…For consent, it protects both boy and girl—man and woman. We are talking about teenagers that sometimes don’t learn that they can say no.” One clip of the exchange had over 78 thousand views on TikTok, and it was reported in places like People, Axios & Jezebel.

THE NEXT DAY, Indiana Republicans had received enough calls and emails that they decided to walk it all back and restored the consent language, so that it now requires sex ed and “human sexuality” teachings to “include age-appropriate instruction concerning the importance of consent to sexual activity between two individuals.” A win through People Power!

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Due to arcane tax laws, Gov. Braun’s ban on using SNAP benefits for candy has some unintended consequences - a KitKat’s okay, but a Hershey bar? No way. "There's wafers that contain flour in Kit Kats, and there's not in a Hershey bar," said Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network. Candy, as defined in state code, means "a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces." Twix, which contains a crunchy cookie base, doesn't qualify for a similar reason. Nor does a Reese's Take 5 bar, which contains pretzels. SNAP recipients would also still get to have Pixy Stix, since it doesn't come in the form of a bar, drop or piece.

Soda loopholes are similar: Soft drinks mean "nonalcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners," according to the Indiana code cited in Braun's SNAP executive order. But that same code excludes beverages that contain milk, milk products, soy, rice, or milk substitutes, or greater than 50% of vegetable or fruit juice by volume. Following those requirements means a zero-calorie and zero-sugar Kroger brand strawberry sparkling water that's sweetened with sucralose would be considered a soft drink under Indiana code and thus be banned for purchase with SNAP benefits, but a 300-calorie, 47-gram-of-sugar bottled Starbucks Frappuccino iced coffee would be just fine. I feel MIHA’d already.

Lots of language got shuffled around in the final days of Indiana’s General Assembly session, but perhaps the most confusing bill to follow was House Bill 1014. The bill generally focused on terms of imprisonment for misdemeanors, but became, as one lawmaker told IndyStar, "a Christmas tree" for some controversial dead language.

Reports circulated Tuesday and Wednesday that the bill included the language criminalizing homelessness that failed to pass the House earlier this year, but when IndyStar asked bill author Rep. Alex Zimmerman, he said it was out. Then on Thursday the "obscene" performance ban language that was criticized for targeting drag shows found its way into HB 1014 last minute, but unlike the homelessness language, that proposal stuck. The final version of the bill was approved by the House and Senate and now heads to Gov. Braun.

We have reached the end of this year’s General Assembly, so it’s time to survey the damage.

INDems released a scathing overview of the session:

On early Friday morning, the Indiana General Assembly adjourned Sine Die, bringing an end to the 2025 legislative session.

Governor Mike Braun and the GOP supermajority’s achievements include:

In contrast to these out-of-touch policies, the Indiana House and Senate Democratic Caucuses proposed:

BUT all of these proposals were defeated by the Republican majority.

Despite this, some Democratic legislators were able to pass legislation which:

This session makes it clear, once again, that the Indiana Republican Party is completely out of step with Hoosiers and Democrats are the ones fighting for Hoosiers.

And here’s a lightly-edited version of MADVoters’ legislative roundup:

The Budget

K-12 education accounts for almost half of the state's budget. While the final budget allocates a 2% funding "boost" for K-12, it likely won't cover inflation, so not much of an ‘increase’. The budget also removes the income cap for private school vouchers - forcing taxpayers to subsidize private religious education, even for millionaires, at the expense of public schools. In more cap-removals, the budget also removes limits for DCS workers’ caseloads, while also failing to address the Medicaid waiver waitlist, and - in an unwelcome 11th-hour surprise - gives Mike Braun full control of the IU Board of Trustees. Not angry enough yet? Read on for other impactful changes:

Healthcare

Healthcare deserts and high costs continue to be especially problematic in Indiana. Unfortunately, many bills that would have addressed these issues head-on didn't move forward. Although Indiana's maternal mortality is one of the nation's highest, and over a dozen OBGYN units have closed in recent years, bills specifically focused on these issues weren't picked up. Several anti-abortion bills were filed, though none moved forward, indicating that some lawmakers want even stricter laws than what currently exists - laws that involve criminalizing people who have abortions or use abortion medications. Early in the session, lawmakers made plans to gut Indiana Medicaid, kicking off thousands of people from HIP and capping enrollment in SB 2. Thanks to a tireless campaign spearheaded by Hoosier Action, that language was removed from the bill, though additional reporting and work requirements are still present.

Education

Charter schools were the focus (and winners) of this session, gaining access to property tax revenue, even though they are governed by appointed, private boards that aren’t accountable to taxpayers. They will also get access to some public school transportation and facilities.

The voucher system was expanded to be universal, meaning that taxpayers will now be subsidizing private religious education for the wealthiest Hoosiers (even millionaires) at the expense of their local public schools.

Economics

In the words of Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder: "This budget is what happens when you prioritize political gains over public good, and when you centralize power instead of protecting people. And most of all, when you forget who sent us here in the first place."

Indiana’s budget and all of the other bills from this session utterly fail to prioritize working families. No rental deductions on income tax. No tenant’s rights. No efforts to improve food deserts. No to a higher minimum wage, paid family leave, or caps on home/rental insurance increases. Eligibility for childcare subsidies was decreased, meaning thousands of working families may literally not be able to afford to work.

The “property tax relief” that was passed is laughable, with many Hoosiers predicted to end up with less money in their wallets because of the increase in local income tax.

Democracy

Lawmakers continued to chip away at our voting rights, taking no steps to empower voters or encourage better turnout while enacting new restrictions and hurdles, despite Indiana’s consistent ranking as one of the states with the worst voter turnout.

The politicization of school boards and new prohibition against college students using valid college IDs at the polls aren’t based on data or best practice, but are instead rooted in a desire to make voting less accessible for Hoosiers.

Community

Lawmakers filed over a dozen anti-immigration bills as anti-DEI sentiment became this session’s bogeyman. A major win was fighting back and overcoming three different attempts at criminalizing homelessness. Statehouse leadership blocked every effort to legalize cannabis, but test strips were decriminalized.

Indiana General Assembly members sent a few other bills to Braun before of the final fall of the gavel:

A last-minute addition to the Indiana budget bill affects the local proposed carbon sequestration project. The budget bill is over two hundred pages long, and the pages pertaining to CO2 projects begin on page 120. One of the provisions outlined in the budget would allow Wabash Valley Resources, the company proposing the carbon sequestration project, to work with the state to claim "imminent domain" for storing CO2 below private property. "Should this language be adopted, then you are out of luck. The state of Indiana and the Department of Natural Resources can effectively condemn your property on behalf of Wabash Valley Resources to store hyper critical CO2 under your farm, under your house, under your school," says Kerwin Olson with the Citizens Action Coalition. If you don’t even understand the difference between imminent and eminent, should you be making our laws? More at WTHI.

A 10-year plan to develop Terre Haute’s riverfront into an economic driver and recreational destination launched Wednesday to much fanfare at Indiana State’s Hulman Center.

Terre Haute’s stretch of the Wabash River flows past industrial businesses and undeveloped forests. The Wabash Riverfront Master Plan aims to develop the waterfront while protecting local ecosystems. That means building neighborhoods, expanding trails and reserving public space by the banks. The city will also rename and redesign First Street as Riverside Drive, installing paths, trees and protected sidewalks along the north-south thoroughfare. More at IndianaPublicMedia

Implementation of Schedule F (full proposal here). This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. Civil service employees who currently have workplace protections keeping them in their jobs would be re-classified as Schedule F, making them firable at will. This is like Right-to-Work for the Fed, and was a provision in Project 2025. The notice and comment period opened AND CLOSES MAY 23. Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top. See this thread on BlueSky for more info and sample comments, though it focuses on grants and NIH funding.

Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you’ll remember.

Last week, reader Jeanne brought me some pages from the New York Times - the Week in Trump, a list of all of the ridiculous stunts and shenanigans Trump pulled over the prior week. This feature comes out on Sundays in the print edition, but its updated daily online here

Is that not enough for you? Can I introduce you to Amy Siskind and the Weekly List? I just scrolled through the most recent post and could not believe that some of the stuff just happened last week. These first 100 days have been long ones.

On a lighter note, how about a quick video of Trump’s Ls of the week. We can all smile when we celebrate his losses. Schadenfreude!

Indivisible Wabash Valley has launched a calendar for the Southern Indiana/Wabash Valley area

***don’t forget to check out the Nasty Women events calendar!***

Monday, April 28th, 7pm: Citizen’s Call: Understanding Federal Agencies and DOGE at Central Christian Church, 4950 Wabash Ave. More info on Facebook.

Tuesday April 29th, 5pm: Nasty Women Meeting at the Vigo County Public Library main branch

Thursday, May 1st, 4-6pm: MayDay Strong protest & March to City Council meeting. At Vigo County Courthouse/Terre Haute City Hall. Register here.

Friday, May 2nd, 5-8pm: 12 Points First Fridays return More info here.

Saturday, May 3rd, 10am - noon: MayDay Strong Rally & Supply Drive “We are standing united with workers and unions in a peaceful protest at the Vigo County Courthouse. Bring your signs and your spirit and let's make our voices heard! We will also be collecting donations for Providence Food Pantry and Pride Center Terre Haute. Bring a donation and you'll get the opportunity to scream into the void!” More info & suggested donation items at the registration page here.

Saturday, May 3rd, 2-4pm: Slices with Sakbun at Wise Pies. Informal opportunity to chat with the mayor.

Tuesday, May 6th, 4:30 pm: Reception w/ Joe Donnelly at the Terminal. Suggested donation $100 to benefit Vigo Dems central committee

Interested in running for office? The Vigo Dems will be hosting a candidate training session May 6, 2025. Please RSVP by 5/2/2025 to [email protected].

A federal judge in Maryland has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a 20-year-old Venezuelan man - referred to using the pseudonym "Cristian" in court records - deported to El Salvador, whose removal violated a previous court settlement.

A federal court temporarily blocked North Carolina from taking steps to throw out ballots in the Griffin-Riggs lawsuit. Multiple recounts have confirmed Riggs received 734 more votes than Griffin in last year's election. In response, Griffin sued in an attempt to throw out more than 60,000 people's ballots.

The HHS is not going to create a new “autism registry” after all. More people power.

A website listing MAGA-friendly businesses (it’s called Public Square, in case you’re wondering) is backfiring as people are using it to find out who to boycott.

Trump's time in the White House runs out in:

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