INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus released its 2021 legislative priorities for the current session, focusing on helping workers, criminal justice reform and expanding voting access.
The agenda focuses on four main tenets, each with a specific bill attached to it:
- Raise Indiana’s the minimum wage
- Increase workers' compensation benefits
- Support the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus justice reform agenda, especially banning no-knock warrants and chokehold maneuvers
- Allow no-excuse absentee voting and ballot drop boxes
None of these ideas are guaranteed to pass in this legislative session. Republicans still have a supermajority in the statehouse, meaning they can pass anything they want without bipartisan support. Democrats did pick up a seat in the Senate, bringing their caucus from 10 members last year to 11 in 2021.
Not on this year’s agenda is marijuana decriminalization or legalization, though Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, said she plans to file a bill to do that.
Tallian said the caucus had extensive discussions about what exactly should be on the agenda.
“This year, after what’s happened with the election and with COVID and with Black Lives Matter issues, when you have to pick three, you have to pick three,” she said. “I don’t think our caucus has abandoned this issue.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said the issue is still a priority for them.
