More than six million people call Indiana home, and new laws impacting all of them will be passed during the upcoming session of the state’s 2018 General Assembly.
When that session begins next month, the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) will lead efforts to address several urgent concerns.
Formed in 1979, the IBLC supports sound policies for all Hoosiers, but specializes in advocating solutions to the unique challenges facing residents of color throughout the state. The Caucus includes African-American and Latino members of the Indiana House and Senate.
Last week, the IBLC received national attention as it completed a four-day conference with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) in Indianapolis, which welcomed lawmakers from across the country to develop solutions to pressing problems and promote interest in government among youth.
“We want to be more visible around the state, particularly in African-American and minority communities,” said Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D–District 94, current chair of the IBLC. “I want people to know that we are there for them, and if they have issues we can assist with, we will.”
Pryor told the Recorder that the caucus will be focused on several critical issues during the upcoming session. Those issues were developed largely from concerns expressed by residents throughout the state, especially those who participated in the IBLC’s town hall meetings earlier this year.
For example, IBLC members will present new legislation to address rising concerns in urban communities about gentrification, the displacement of an area’s poor residents after urban renewal brings an influx of wealthier people to the area.
Pryor stated that the IBLC is concerned about how that process affects longtime residents in older areas of Marion County, such as Center Township, who are in danger of losing their homes, especially those living in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.
“They have seen the assessed value of their properties go up, along with an increase in property taxes,” Pryor said. “It’s making it difficult for them to pay those taxes, because oftentimes the houses are owned outright with no mortgage. So they are having to come up with a huge amount of money two times a year.”
Another issue the IBLC will address is relief for the shortage of available nutritious food, or food deserts, which is a challenge not only in rural areas, but also urban communities where higher than average numbers of minorities reside. Efforts to address that issue have been led largely by Rep. Robin Shackleford, D–District 98, vice-chair of the IBLC.
“This issue is having a major impact across the board, especially with the recent closings of grocery stores,” Pryor said.
She also mentioned concerns about high diabetes rates among African-Americans and noted that the IBLC will present legislation to require more data to be collected by the state to help reduce those rates.
Pryor noted that IBLC member Rep. Greg Porter, D–District 96, has focused on the possibility of legislation to require the use of special prosecutors to examine cases involving police-action shootings.
In addition, the IBLC will strongly support renewed efforts to pass a comprehensive hate crimes bill during the session. Currently, Indiana is one of only five states that does not have a hate crimes law that prohibits specific crimes based on hate and intolerance.
“We have been trying to get hate crimes legislation passed for years, and we will present that again along with racial profiling legislation,” Pryor said.
The IBLC will also make its voice heard during a likely debate over the licensing policies for firearms, particularly handguns.
As it goes into the 2018 General Assembly, the IBLC has 14 members, mostly from Lake and Marion counties. However, the caucus has gradually expanded its numbers and is returning to its historical position of having seats outside of those counties.
For example, in 2016 the IBLC welcomed Rep. Joe Taylor III, who became the first African-American elected to the legislature from South Bend (in St. Joseph County) since Rep. Valjean Dickinson served during the 1960s.
For the past 20 years, all members of the IBLC have been Democrats. Therefore, they operate as an important unit of the general Democratic caucus, led by Tim Lanane, D–District 25, in the Senate and Rep. Terry Goodin, D-–District 66, in the House.
Goodin was elected as Democratic House Minority Leader last month, and one of his first official acts in that capacity was to recognize the imminent retirement of Rep. Charlie Brown, D–District 3. Brown, who was first elected in 1982, is the senior member of the IBLC and recently announced that he will leave the legislature next year.
Pryor said Brown played a key role in the establishment of the Healthy Indiana Plan and has been a champion for civil rights legislation, childhood immunization, smoking reduction and assistance to seniors in purchasing affordable drugs through the Hoosier Rx program. Goodin joked that most people could not imagine “a stranger couple of friends than a good old boy from southern Indiana and a sophisticated gentleman from the big city,” yet that has been the case for him and Brown.
“I could not imagine a better person to introduce me to the wilds of the legislative process, and I have not had a better friend in my time serving in the Indiana House,” Goodin said.
Several community organizations throughout the state have stood in solidarity with the IBLC in addressing certain issues. Most recently, the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and the Indy Chamber held a press conference at the Indiana Statehouse to join the IBLC in support of a new hate crimes bill.
“From a business perspective, we’re looking at inclusion and the perception of our state overall,” said Tim Brown, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Indy Chamber. “We want to make sure that Indiana is always looked at as a welcoming state and is open for business to include all.”
He said the chamber is in solid agreement with the IBLC’s endorsement of a law that says the state will not tolerate crimes that demonstrate hate, bigotry or intolerance because of an “individual’s race, religion or beliefs.”
Tim Brown added that the Indy Chamber is also looking forward to working with members of the IBLC on issues such as early childhood education, restoring eligibility for in-state tuition for foreign-born students who graduate from state schools, and the creation of local option income tax to address unemployment.
Tim Brown said an average of 162,000 people enter Marion County from surrounding counties to work and conduct business but do not contribute revenue from their income to the local tax base, because they are taxed where they live.
“It is important to look at what that does for our infrastructure, the criminal justice system, and roads and bridges as people come into Marion County,” he said.
For more information about the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and to receive updates via email and social media, visit indianahousedemocrats.org/iblc.
Black Caucus
