Members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) will host a series of town hall meetings to share information about the laws passed and what happened during the 2023 session of the Indiana General Assembly (IGA).
The IBLC says the meetings will provide information on the laws passed during the IGA’s session in an easily understandable way and provide the public with an opportunity to voice questions, concerns, and suggestions for areas of focus for the 2024 session.
“They [attendees] don’t need any background in politics, government, economics, law, or education. It’s our responsibility that we deliver it in a way that anyone can grasp and understand,” Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, said.
Hatcher said she believes that these meetings are crucial for individuals to learn about the laws that may be affecting them in a short amount of time because not everyone is equipped to follow laws through the IGA.
“Some people just want a snapshot,” Hatcher said.
At the end of meetings, the floor is open to attendees to voice concerns and questions.
“We ask them, ‘What is it that you all would like to see done?,'” Hatcher said.
Representatives and Senators use this time to listen to their constituents and generate ideas.
“While I’d like to say that we originate our own legislative ideas, we sometimes get ideas from people around us, so it’s good that we make ourselves available to the people we represent,” IBLC Vice Chair Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D- East Chicago, said.
Each meeting is two hours long, from 12 to 2 p.m. EST. In different time zones such as in Gary and Evansville, town halls will begin at 11 a.m. CT and conclude at 1 p.m.
The town hall series will make stops in the following:
- Indianapolis, June 3 at the Julia Carson Center, 300 E. Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive
- Evansville, June 8 at the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Library, 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
- South Bend, June 24 at the UAW Local 5, 1426 Main St.
- Fort Wayne, July 29 at Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Walb Student Union Classic Ballroom, Union Circle Drive
- Gary, Aug. 5 at the Indiana University Northwest’s Bergland Auditorium, 3400 Broadway St.
