Oppose SB 287: Partisan School Boards
-Start Date: 01/21/25; End Date: When leaves committee
-Sends email to all members of HOUSE AND SENATE
-Link for including in emails and social media:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb-287-partisan-school-boards?source=direct_link&

Partisan School Boards promise to bring division and conflict to our public schools.

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The 119th Congress has made the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (“SAVE”) Act a top priority. The proposed legislation threatens to inject chaos in our elections and block millions of eligible Americans from voting by requiring documentary proof of citizenship (such as a passport or birth certificate) to register. 

The SAVE Act is based on the repeatedly disproven narrative that undocumented immigrants are voting in our elections. These assertions defy basic commonsense. Not only is it practically impossible for an undocumented immigrant to register to vote, it is also ridiculous to imagine an undocumented immigrant would risk government scrutiny, arrest, and deportation — all to cast just one vote. 

Oppose SB 289 - Nondiscrimination in employment and education
-Start Date: 03/01/25; End Date: When leaves committee
-Sends email to all members of HOUSE
-Link for including in emails and social media:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb-289-nondiscrimination?source=direct_link&

LWV has a clear policy supporting DEI.  DEI efforts improve office culture and increased productivity.  It attracts younger generations, promotes creativity and increases retention. DEI fosters an environment of collaboration and broadens viewpoints thus servicing all residents of Indiana. A diverse workforce and student body is one that brings fresh ideas and unique perspectives to share and learn. DEI initiatives are intended to address and correct discriminatory policies or practices that may be found within an organization.

SB289 Establishes prohibitions and requirements on state agencies, state educational institutions, and health profession licensing boards regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Provides that a school corporation, charter school, state agency, or political subdivision may not: (1) require or otherwise compel a student of the school corporation or charter school or an employee to affirm, adopt, or adhere to certain beliefs or concepts; or (2) use public funds to contract with, hire, or otherwise engage consultants, trainers, or other persons to take certain actions to promote the beliefs or concepts. Provides that a school corporation, charter school, state agency, political subdivision, or an employee of a school corporation, charter school, state agency, or political subdivision may not, in the course or scope of public service or employment, promote, or endorse stereotypes. 

This bill in the name of preventing discrimination allows those intent on discriminating permission to do so by removing education tools to educate our students, our work force, and our health care providers.

Oppose AMO 37307 to SB 373
-Start Date: 3/28/25; End Date: 
-Sends email to all members Indiana HOUSE
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-amo-37307tosb-373

The amendment to SB 373, AMO 37307, creates a plan for IPS sharing buildings and transportation systems with local charter schools. This further exerts legislator control over IPS, rather than the local elected board. It directs more resources away from public schools, further exacerbating the effects of sharing property tax, an unfunded mandate for raising teacher pay, the need for counselors to implement the new graduation pathways, and paying for textbooks. 

In short, here are our issues with the amendment
• Legislators are trying to cut property taxes, but are proposing a new local taxing unit.
• This is developing strategies for consolidation by state legislators. If the pilot becomes statewide policy, it will take control away from locally elected school boards and ownership from local school corporations, no matter how full, how high achieving, or financially stable the schools may be.
• This is one-sided. Charter and private schools are not required to transfer buildings or buses to an appointed board. 
• This is a step toward implementing these strategies for all public schools.

Public schools simply won't have the resources to adequately serve our children where 90% of them attend.

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HB1001- Protect Public School Funding
-Start Date: 3/16/25; End Date: 
NEW
-Sends email to all members Senate Appropriations Committee
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/hb1001-protectpublicschoolfunding

Funding public education is about serving a common good.  Public schools accept all children and provide safe places to learn how to find common ground despite the many differences. Our public schools are the heartbeats of our neighborhoods where our kids learn to live in community with one another. 

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Oppose HB 1515 charter school should not be given the power to ignore local zoning and planning
-Start Date: 3/18/25; End Date: 
-Sends email to all members of STATE SENATE
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/opposehb1515-charterschoolzoning

Zoning laws play a crucial role in shaping communities, regulating land use, and ensuring sustainable development. In Indiana, these laws are designed to promote public health, safety, and general welfare while balancing the needs of property owners, businesses, and residents.  HB 1515 is written to allow charter business interests to ignore zoning laws and locate their charter school wherever they may choose and the local officials have no power to stop them. 

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Oppose-SB518-Property Tax Dollar From Public Schools
-Start Date: 2/16/25; End Date: 
-Sends email to all members House Ways and Means Committee
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb518-propertytaxdollarsfrompublicschools?source=direct_link&

SB 518 will cost public schools over $18.6 million across three years. 

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Oppose catastrophic cuts to public school funding
-Start Date: 2/14/25; End Date: 
-Sends email to all members SENATE
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-catastrophic-cuts-to-public-school-funding?source=direct_link&

There are major property tax reform bills being floated this session. These bills will cripple—many services in our Hoosier communities (like libraries and fire departments). Below are the devastating costs to our public school districts. 

SB1 as of 2/11 will cost Indiana school districts about $370 million across three years according to the LSA (it was originally $1.9 billion for SB 1 and $67.4 million for SB 9).

SB 443 will cost Indiana school districts $2.4 million across three years according to the LSA (it was originally $288.7 million).

SB 518 will cost Indiana school districts over $150 million across three years (this money would leave public control and go to privately managed charter schools). 

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Oppose-SB523-Chaplains in Public Schools
-Start Date: 2/16/25; End Date: When leaves committee
-Sends email to all members House Education Committee
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb523-chaplainsinpublicschools?source=direct_link&

SB 523  would violate important separation of church and state constitutional protections. The primary role of chaplains is to provide pastoral or religious counseling to people in spiritual need. Allowing them to assume official positions—whether paid or voluntary—in public schools will create an environment ripe for religious indoctrination of students.  

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Oppose-SB442-SexEducationPermission
-Start Date: 2/15/25; End Date: When leaves committee
-Sends email to all members Indiana House
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb442-sexeducationpermission?source=direct_link&

Senate Bill 442 would require a public school that teaches sex education to obtain school board approval for the curriculum by submitting information about topics that will be taught.Then publish basic information about them in a “conspicuous” place on the school’s website. The school’s parental consent form — which lets parents remove their children from sexual education classes — would need a link to that information.

Language including private schools was amended out, giving public school boarded a target on their back.

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Oppose HB 1002 Maintain Standards for Secretary of Education
-Start Date: 2/4/25; End Date: 
-Sends email to all members State Senate
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-hb-1002-maintain-standards-for-secretary-of-education?source=direct_link&

HB 1002 Removes standards for the Secretary of Education and lessens requirements and regulations for charter schools. 

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Natural Resources 

Oppose Shifting Costs of Small Modular Reactors to Ratepayers and Slowdown of Coal Retirements
-Start Date: 3/7/25; End Date:4/29/25
-Sends email to writer's STATE SENATOR
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-hb1007-energygenerationresources

HB 1007 Energy Generation Resources shifts the costs of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) and outdated coal generation on to ratepayers and taxpayers and slows the closure of coal plants. 

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Oppose Modular Nuclear Reactor Bill and Anti-Renewable Bills
-Start Date: 3/7/25; End Date:4/29/25
-Sends email to writer's STATE REPRESENTATIVES
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-smrandanti-renewablebills

SB 425 Energy Production Zones now has an amendment that excludes solar and wind projects in favor of coal, natural gas, and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). 

SB 423 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program andSB 424 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Development Costs bothslow down Indiana’s transition to clean energy and pass on to ratepayers the cost of development of unproven SMRs. 

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Oppose SB 425 Energy Production Zones
-Start Date: 2/10/25; End Date: 2/28/25
-Sends email to writer's STATE SENATOR
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sb425-energyproductionzones?source=direct_link&

For Indiana to minimize energy costs and transition to a clean energy future, statewide siting reform is needed, and we had originally supported this bill.  However, as currently amended, we now oppose it.  In the words of the Hoosier Environmental Council, it has “essentially become a vehicle for easier SMR (small modular nuclear reactors), coal, and natural gas siting but excludes clean and affordable renewable energy.”  

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Oppose Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Bills
-Start Date: 2/10/25; End Date: 2/28/25
-Sends email to all members of SENATE UTILITIES AND HOUSE UTILITIES COMMITTEES
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/opposesmallmodularnuclearreactorbills?source=direct_link&

HB 1007, SB 423, and SB 424 would require Indiana electric utility customers to pay for the development costs before the utility even seeks final approval to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). These SMRs are a risky and yet unproven technology, for which ratepayers should not have to pay the costs. In addition, HB 1007 also includes language that may slow the closure of costly and dirty coal plants.

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Protection of Communities’ Water Resources
-Start Date: 3/9/25; End Date:4/29/25
-Sends email to writer's STATE SENATOR
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-hb1037-waterresources

HB 1037 Storm Water Management would limit a community’s ability to protect its water resources through construction storm water permits. It would prevent a town, city or county from creating erosion control rules or nature-based solutions to stormwater challenges that are more stringent than the statewide IDEM general permit. This would leave construction sites of less than 1 acre (almost ALL single-family home sites) completely without erosion control.

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Support a Comprehensive Water Plan for Indiana
-Start Date: 3/7/25; End Date:4/29/25
-Sends email to writer's STATE REPRESENTATIVES
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/supportcomprehensivewaterplanfor-indiana

SB 4 Water Matters was passed by the Senate after an important amendment requiring stricter reporting of water transfers across counties. This amendment improved the bill to make it an important first step in comprehensive water planning for Indiana. 

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Protect Life-Saving Gun Safety Policies – Oppose President Trump's Rollbacks
-Start Date: 3/5/25; End Date:
-Sends email to writer's Federal Senator and Representative
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/opposegunsafetyrollbacks?source=direct_link&

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement agencies nationwide increased by 1,000%, with over 19,000 ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in 2021 alone. https://www.bradyunited.org/resources/issues/what-are-ghost-guns

Since the federal background check system's inception in 1994, over 4 million illegal gun sales have been denied. https://everytownresearch.org/report/background-check-loopholes/

A study found that individuals prohibited from purchasing a firearm due to a misdemeanor violent offense were 22% less likely to be arrested for a subsequent violent offense compared to those not denied purchase. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10089059/

States requiring background checks for all gun sales have lower rates of firearm homicide and suicide, as well as reduced gun trafficking. https://www.everytown.org/solutions/background-checks/

These statistics underscore the effectiveness of current gun safety policies in reducing violence and enhancing public safety.

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Support HB1676 – Secure Firearm Storage
-Start Date: 2/6/25; End Date: When leaves committee
-Sends email to all members House-Courts And Criminal Code Committee
-Link for including in emails:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-hb1676securefirearmstorage?source=direct_link&

Secure storage is a simple, effective way to protect our communities.

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