We’re halfway through the current legislative session with a handful of bills concerning housing, affordability and education still yet to be heard on the floor.
Following the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Lunch with Legislators” on Jan. 29, the Recorder caught up with a few state representatives in attendance to see what they’re prioritizing as they continue to work through the 2026 legislative session.
Here’s what they had to say.
“Top of mind right now for me is utility bills,” Rep. Alex Burton (D-District 77) said. “Affordability needs some guardrails, and I’m working within not only the utilities committee, but the IURC and the governor’s office to make sure that we’re putting in substance, right?”
Burton says they need to take a long-term approach to tackling things like energy costs, property taxes and housing to make sure that Hoosiers not only have access to housing, but can also afford to pay their utility bills.
“Speaking, specifically for Evansville, for the past decade, Evansville has paid the highest utility bills in the state due to the size of our energy footprint, and just the responsibility that everything entails,” Burton added. “So, we’re no stranger to the energy burden.”
Beyond that, one of Burton’s short-term goals is to bolster youth development and support programming or initiatives that put youth “in a better position” — whether they’re going to school, enrolled in university, employed or going into the military.
Randy Novak (D-District 9) said one of the biggest concerns of his constituents also includes relief from high utility costs and property taxes. During the session on Jan. 14, Novak spoke on behalf of HB 1002, which Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler authored to address utility costs.
“Since 1998, I’ve been a real estate agent, and they talk about affordability and housing, and yet people have $600 utility bills,” Novak said. “That’s keeping people out of buying houses, because when you’re paying $600 there, you’ve got homeowners’ insurance and you’ve got taxes. It makes it very difficult, so we need to get a handle on it.”
Novak said the democrats offered several amendments to the bill but “they all got shot down.” Still, Novak is hopeful that he can continue to convene with the democratic caucus to give more relief to their constituents.
“We’re down here working hard every day,” Novak said. “I mean, it’s like non-stop, and being very new to this, it’s a learning experience, but I’ve got 12 years — well, more than that — in the County Council, and I worked for the fire department for 37 years. But I’m enjoying it.”
Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-District 99) said the Democratic caucus is continuing to work hard for Hoosiers despite some of their proposed bills not making it past the House.
“We’re just trying to speak truth to power, and when we see things that are just really outrageous, we talk about it in caucus,” Summers said. “I’m glad to be here, and I’m glad to see that our African American population is coming down to the statehouse more and more, and realizing that this house is their house, and to find out who their legislator is.”
However, there are also a few bills that Summers said they are working hard to make sure do not pass; for example, HB 1423, the legislation that would establish the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), a 9-member board appointed by the mayor to oversee school property, transportation and funding, rather than elected by the public.
“We’re totally against that … because that ends up, down the line, making the control end up in only a couple of hands,” Summers said. “It might not happen right away, but it would eventually happen.”
For more information about the Indiana General Assembly and 2026 legislative session, visit https://iga.in.gov.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
