Local Government Finance:

• Home Rule: Allow local government greater flexibility over their own structural and fiscal matters to address the needs of their individual communities
• Township Finances: Require township funds that exceed 150% of operating expenses to be spent on infrastructure projects within the township or credited to the taxpayer

Government Modernization:

• Election Reforms: Update the State of Indiana’s election system to improve efficiency, enhance representation, and increase voter turnout and civic engagement
• Voting Reform: Ensure that in-person voting centers remain safe and sanitary for early and Election Day voting. Authorize a no-fault absentee or vote-by-mail system for all registered voters
• UniGov: Seek greater efficiencies in municipal service delivery and finance in Marion County by building on the principles of unified government, including county-wide consolidation of fire departments
• Statewide: Continue efforts to streamline overlapping government functions through statewide implementation of recommendations made by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform to increase accountability, transparency and effectiveness of local governments
• Government Innovation: Continue support of the state’s Management & Performance Hub to foster a more transparent, innovative state government, and encourage local governments to create Offices of Innovation to drive policies that similarly inspire open data, transparency, and efficiencies that can result in greater economic activity and workforce development
• Healthcare Data: Support strategies to improve availability, quality, and verifiability of data on the price, quality, and utilization of healthcare services that can be easily accessed and understood by patients, healthcare providers and employers
• Education Data: To support evidence-based strategies to close achievement gaps and improve educational outcomes for all Hoosier students, advance efforts (already underway at the Indiana Department of Education) to enhance availability and transparency of educational data

Local Roads and Streets: Ensure adequate funding for local roads and streets based on actual use and commercial impact by:

• Supporting equitable funding for urban and suburban areas by accurately accounting for lane miles in the infrastructure funding formula;
• Providing maximum flexibility to local governments in financing, design and construction of local transportation infrastructure, including the use of Public-Private and Design-build Partnerships
• Explore adjustments to the current MVH/LRS funding formula places to mitigate the disproportionate cost burden for shared critical infrastructure to urbanized metropolitan areas.

Hoosier State Line: Reinstate state support to continue operations and enhance service of the Hoosier State Line to better facilitate connectivity and economic opportunity between Indianapolis, Northwest Indiana, and Chicago

Complete Streets: Pursue state transportation policies that encourage transportation planners and engineers to plan, design, operate and maintain the state’s road and street infrastructure that facilitates public use, physical activity, and support public health

Greenways: Support sustainable funding and equitable allocations of resources under the Next Level Trails grant program to ensure long-term funding of trail projects

Mass Transit: Maintain funding for the Public Mass Transportation Fund (PMTF) to account for post-pandemic increases in participation and demand of transit agencies throughout the state

• Incentives: Create state employer incentives for employee benefits for alternative modes of transportation, transit packages, workplace bike infrastructure or other modes of transportation that encourage healthier workforce

Shared & Personal Mobility: Capitalize on rapid advances in personal mobility and transportation by making new mobility options safe and accessible for Hoosiers, and positioning Indiana as a center of innovation for mobility solutions:

• Autonomous Vehicles: Advocate for regulatory changes to promote the development, testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles in Indiana
• Transparent Regulatory Framework: Beyond autonomous vehicles, develop a clear and predictable regulatory framework that applies to other mobility options, to avoid confusion and delays in integrating new products and services into our transportation system
• Emphasize equitable access to new mobility options: Work to eliminate barriers to individuals and communities taking advantage of mobility options, so personal mobility can also be a catalyst for upward mobility
• Create a truly comprehensive transportation strategy: Acknowledging that no single agency or organization can oversee the complex transportation system, bring together partners (state and local, public and private) to develop long-term, data-driven strategies that incorporate new and innovative mobility options and focus on critical transportation challenges
• Safety first: Evaluate traffic rules, street construction/configuration, and other modal regulations to ensure mobility options work together safely for pedestrians, riders, drivers, and other users

Water: Support the creation of a statewide coordinating body to ensure sustained economic opportunity through responsible management of water resources, as well as:

• Supporting the work of the Wastewater Task Force to drive federal and state resources towards needed upgrades in storm- and wastewater systems
• Prioritizing resources for land use planning and redevelopment along Indiana waterways, to capitalize on the environmentally-responsible economic development potential of these natural assets

Energy Efficiency: Secure state incentives for business and local government investments in energy-efficient commercial and industrial rehabilitation and fleet management

Reinforce and enhance Indiana’s brand as a welcoming and diverse state by:

• Strengthening existing “bias crime” penalties for criminal offenses where it can be proven that the victim or target is intentionally selected by clearly enumerating personal characteristics, addressing the alarming increase in these crimes as tracked by federal law enforcement agencies
• Updating the state’s current anti-discrimination law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment, and public accommodations
• Encouraging federal leadership on comprehensive immigration reform, while restoring the eligibility for in-state tuition and financial aid to state colleges and universities for foreign born students who have matriculated through the Indiana K-12 system

Housing: Advance equity, public health outcomes, and economic growth by supporting public and private strategies to expand and maintain the supply of affordable housing options

• Homeownership: State and local government strategies to incentivize homeownership growth, especially in Black and brown communities, should include low-barrier, low-interest loan products and home repair resources as well as first-time homeowner education programs
• Rental Assistance: State and local governments must redouble efforts to deploy federal relief dollars dedicated to rental assistance to enhance housing security and maintain the supply of affordable rental units
• Eviction Prevention: Reduce eviction rates through tenant and landlord education on rights, responsibilities, and resolution strategies; mediation services for housing retention; legal representation in eviction proceedings and other services to address barriers to stable housing

Brownfields: Accelerate community reinvestment and accessible employment opportunities in and around brownfield sites, driving economic development and maximizing property values by:

• Restoring funding to Indiana Finance Authority’s Brownfield Grant Program, adding IFA staff capacity to administer the program, reduce wait times and extend technical assistance efforts
• Expanding grant and loan resources for “Phase I” and “Phase II” environmental site assessments for former brownfields
• Creating tax incentives based on employment on former brownfield sites
• Expanding flexibility of a redevelopment commission to sell or transfer a title to real property which is undeveloped, underdeveloped, or considered blighted due to the real or perceived threat of environmental contamination for private development

Stellar Communities: Support continued investment and rural communities and small towns across Indiana by strengthening and expanding the Indiana Stellar Communities program, emphasizing increased technical assistance and capacity-building towards brownfield remediation and redevelopment

Shovel-Ready Redevelopment: Support shovel ready community redevelopment efforts through the creation of a statewide grant program to fund the demolition of blighted commercial properties

Revitalization Grants and Revolving Loan Fund: Allow local governments the ability to make grants and loans to private enterprise for the creation of jobs or otherwise stimulate economic activity

Food Access & Insecurity: Support innovative efforts to increase access to healthy food options and strategies to improve food security to support the health of Indiana residents and workforce – for example, the ‘healthy food initiative’ funded in the FY2022-23 budget supporting a community-driven public-private partnership with the Cook Group to open a new grocery store on the northeast side of Indianapolis.

Empower and enable innovative and proven food distribution models, alternative payment processes, and data collection on food access and insecurity