Democrats Weigh 2023 Session As A Success And A Missed Opportunity
Democrats weigh 2023 session as a success and a missed opportunity
However, some on the left are calling this year a session of missed opportunities.
Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, said the session was “absolutely not†successful. The positives of passing bills like HB 1422, which creates a dementia care specialist program, and 1449, which automatically enrolls eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars program, are just pieces of sand in a 20-by-40 sandbox, he said. A successful session would be “when we really do things for people.â€
“It’s not a success because there wasn’t a lot of investment into the human infrastructure,†Porter said.
Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said it was a session of “missed opportunities,†particularly when it comes to the state’s budget. There was an opportunity this session to fund mental health at a level that would meet the needs of the state, he said, but Republicans decided to do a “half measure on that.â€
“I think that just reflects the fact that the Republicans are now in their second gerrymandered map. They didn’t get touched for a decade. They’re confident they won’t get touched for another decade,†Pierce said.
Michael Wolf, department chair and professor of political science at Purdue University, said Democratic priorities can only get through with Republican cooperation.
“Democrats have had little ability to pass legislation because Republicans hold a supermajority in the legislature and can pass bills without Democrats,†he said. “Moreover, Republicans can develop more partisan agendas even knowing their legislation does not have to reach across the aisle.â€
Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, agreed that it felt like more Democratic pieces of legislation were passed this session, but one failed item Yoder still wanted to focus on was a repeal of the menstrual product tax.
“We aren’t asking for free products. We’re asking, don’t make us be taxed to engage the world, to leave our house. That is what that tax is. And we should be repealing it,†Yoder said. “It’s been 65 years that we have taxed women on going to school and going to work. Enough is enough.â€
She also criticized lawmakers ending the session when they did. Indiana has two different kinds of sessions, long and short, alternating each year. The long session is when legislators write the state’s budget, which covers two years. In budget years, legislators have until April 29 to adjourn. This year the session ended a little past 2 a.m. on April 27, two days before the final adjourn deadlined.
Yoder said the session ended “unnecessarily†and that her colleagues had two more days to work on legislation relating to the state’s budget. Legislators could have left “at a decent hour,†then come back on Friday to do the “Hoosiers’ work.”
“At that point, robust debate, asking questions, making certain that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed—it’s all overcome by exhaustion. And at the end of the day, it’s Hoosiers who pay the price for that hasty, unnecessarily so, rush to sine die,†Yoder said.
Indiana isn’t the only statehouse to have a Democratic minority. Other states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
“Despite facing super minority status in both chambers, Statehouse Democrats worked across the aisle this session and delivered pragmatic solutions for Hoosier families,†said Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl in a press release. “From fighting food insecurity to supporting first responders, and addressing violent crime, Democrats helped lead on issues that will make a big difference for Indiana’s future.â€
Here are the House Democratic bills that made it all the way through the General Assembly:Â
House Bill 1087 from Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis: Allows for released offenders to have transportation and housing set up for them prior to their release.
House Bill 1138 from Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond: Ensures clean drinking water for preschools and daycares.
House Bill 1157 from Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis: Establishes a housing development program.
House Bill 1219 from Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend: Establishes a pilot program to monitor levels of certain toxic, manmade substances in the blood of Hoosier firefighters.
House Bill 1228 from Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend: Strengthens definitions and penalties around child solicitation.
House Bill 1252 from Rep. Ryan Hatfield, D-Evansville: Provides legal protections to certain government employees.
House Bill 1256 from Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington: Creates rules concerning public records.
House Bill 1321 from Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers: Increases the mental health education that first responders receive during their required training.
House Bill 1365 from Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis: Changes the definition of a machine gun to include devices that can be attached to pistols to make them fully automatic.
House Bill 1396 from Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster: Makes “stop the bleed†bleeding control kits more publicly available.
House Bill 1422 from Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis: Creates a dementia care specialist program.
House Bill 1449 from Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago: Automatically enrolls eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars program.
House Bill 1483 from Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary: Strengthens school responses to bullying.
House Bill 1627 from Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend: Makes it easier for nonprofits to buy tax sale properties.
Here are the Senate Democratic bills that made it all the way through the General Assembly:Â
Senate Bill 15 from Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago: Increases the per diem paid to a commissioner of a housing authority.
Senate Bill 252 from Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington: Allows a healthcare provider to implant a long-acting reversible contraceptive on a Medicaid recipient’s first visit.
Senate Bill 334 from Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington: Simplifies the application for SNAP benefits.
Senate Bill 415 from Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton: Requires parental notification for children arrested on school property or at school events.
Senate Bill 434 from Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary: Relates to economic development in Lake County, establishing a blighted property demolition fund.
Senate Bill 438 from Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis: Requires a comprehensive review of existing home health services for children with complex medical needs.
USI GWEP telehealth initiative connects community partners, provides healthcare access to local residents
The University of Southern Indiana Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is launching a new telehealth initiative to improve older adults’ access to medical care. Beginning Monday, May 15, Vanderburgh County residents will be able to participate in telehealth appointments with Deaconess Clinic medical providers at four Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) locations.
“The COVID pandemic helped us realize that lack of technology and reliable internet access, particularly in rural areas, are barriers for older adults participating in telehealth appointments,†says Dr. Kevin Valadares, Chair of Health Administration. “Our partnership with Deaconess Clinic and EVPL allows for an innovative model of care to be provided at trusted library locations.â€
Telehealth visits virtually connect patients to healthcare providers with appointments ranging from simple phone calls to real-time face-to-face conversations with video via phones, tablets or computers. EVPL staff will help set up any necessary technology for the appointment which may include laptops, headphones and speakers.
According to Valadares, the project is focusing on Medicare annual wellness visits and behavioral health appointments with Deaconess providers, although any type of appointments will be scheduled. “Eventually, we hope to use this model of care as a prototype to be replicated in rural communities in southwestern Indiana,†he says.
Dr. Amanda Bohleber, Chief Transformation Officer and Family Practice Physician with Deaconess Health System, said having access to teleheath is a win for all. “Telehealth allows patients to connect with their provider from a convenient location improving both access to care and the timeliness of care,†she says. “As a result, patients in all stages of life get the opportunity to receive the care they need when they need it and have improved outcomes.â€
Katie Reineke, Outreach Manager with EVPL, said the telehealth initiative is an example of how the library has evolved to be not just a place for learning, but a place for convening. “Librarians regularly help people of all ages out with technological needs, so it is a great fit for us to work with older adults who need assistance with their medical appointments,†she says. “Libraries are already known for providing safe, trusted and secure meeting areas—now, we will also be known as an option for telehealth.â€
Participating library locations are:Â
• EVPL Central: 9:15-11:15 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays
• EVPL Oaklyn: 9:15-11:15 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays
• EVPL North Park: 9:15-11:15 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays
• EVPL Red Bank: 9:15-11:15 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays
For more information, visit USI.edu/GWEP.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,691,706 million with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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Founded in 1965, the University of Southern Indiana enrolls nearly 9,200 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. A public higher education institution, located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, Indiana, USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. The University offers study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries and hosts international students from around the globe. USI is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University and offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through Outreach and Engagement. USI is online at USI.edu.Â
Ivy Tech Community College Evansville Recently Graduate Nearly 1,250 Students
Ivy Tech Community College Evansville Recently Graduated
Nearly 1,250 Students
Evansville, IN – The Ivy Tech Community College commencement recently conferred degrees and credentials on approximately 1,250 students.
Guest speakers for the 2023 Commencement include State Representative District 75 Cindy Ledbetter and Outstanding Elementary Education graduating student Ty Bernhardt.
Ledbetter, a psychiatric nurse in Evansville and Indiana State Representative, is a 1999 Ivy Tech graduate who earned a nursing degree and has since also earned a B.S. in Nursing and an M.S. in Nursing from the University of Southern Indiana. She also earned a post-Master certificate in psychiatric and mental health nursing and a doctorate in nursing this year from USI.
Ty Bernhardt is a 2013 graduate of F.J. Reitz High School. Bernhardt will graduate with an Associate of Science degree and a technical certificate in elementary education. He currently is serving as a substitute teacher, in addition to finishing his degree. He plans to transfer to the University of Evansville as a junior to earn his bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He is a member of the Aspiring Educators Club at Ivy Tech.
Honored during the event will be:
- 2014 Ivy Tech graduate Gelina Mascoe, was recognized as the 2023 Distinguished Alumna. Mascoe, who was born in La Gonave, Haiti, founded Lumiere D’education Foundation, a charitable organization that provides free education to 170 children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Closer to home, she is the founder of the recently opened the Haitian Center of Evansville, connecting local Haitian immigrants to the support they need to achieve independence, increase overall well-being and enhance future community impact.
- Lu Porter received the Benefactor of the Year award. She has served Ivy Tech as a Foundation Board member for more than 27 years, connecting donors and students into the Ivy Tech family. Porter serves the community in many ways including her time on 25 local and state boards over the last several decades to support community needs and assist non-profits in their fundraising efforts. She retired from the Evansville African American Museum after seven years in 2017 and previously worked in community outreach for Integra Bank for 18 years.
Students graduating earned a total of 1,776 associate and associate of applied science degrees, certificates, and technical certificates. Of those graduating, approximately half are graduating with honors, and 149 will graduate summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA.
This year marks the first graduating class of the Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, with 18 students earning their technical certificate in entrepreneurship. Ivy Tech also has nearly 200 high school students who are earning a college degree or credential even before they graduate with their high school diploma, through dual credit and dual enrollment classes they have taken with the college; and through the many Early College High Schools in Vanderburgh, Perry, and Spencer counties that Ivy Tech sponsors. There are also 283 students who have earned their Indiana College Core Technical Certificate, allowing them to transfer their credits to any college in Indiana and start as a sophomore.
Ivy Tech continues to serve the workforce in a wide variety of ways, including through the Achieve Your Degree Program, through which 67 graduates are earning their degrees this year, as well as 213 apprentices in the trades in the region who earned their credentials and associate degrees.
Ivy Tech Evansville offers more than 50 programs of study that may be completed in two years or less.
The Indiana Democratic Party Released The Following Statement On Secretary of State Diego Morales’s trip to attend CPAC Hungary.
The Indiana Democratic Party released the following statement on Secretary of State Diego Morales’s trip to attend CPAC Hungary.
MAY 10, 2023
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl: “What in the world is Diego Morales doing? Indiana held municipal primary elections less than a week ago, military ballots are still arriving, and several races were incredibly close, yet Indiana’s top election official decided to jet off to a political conference in Eastern Europe for a photo op with Viktor Orbán.
“Working Hoosiers deserve elected officials that represent the best in Indiana, stick around, and do their job during critical times. From hiring his brother-in-law to promoting bills to make it harder for elderly and military Hoosiers to vote, Diego has proved time and again that he is unfit to be in office. This is just the latest sad example – and Hoosiers should be outraged.â€
Historic New Harmony awarded over $2 million through Lilly Endowment Initiative
Historic New Harmony awarded over $2 million through Lilly Endowment Initiative
MAY 10, 202
The University of Southern Indiana’s Historic New Harmony program has been awarded an implementation grant of more than $2 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. The funding is for support of Historic New Harmony’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
Through the Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, Lilly Endowment has awarded grants totaling more than $86 million to museums and other cultural institutions across the United States to develop exhibitions and educational programs that fairly and accurately portray the role of religion in the U.S. and around the world.
Historic New Harmony was awarded over $2 million for a project that includes the restoration and renovation of two historic buildings to be used as exhibition and programming space, the development of a new permanent exhibit detailing the religious history of New Harmony, and the creation of community engagement programming, including a multi-day interfaith festival. The five-year grant also funds the development of a Collections and Exhibition Curator and student fellowship to work with exhibition design and programming.
New Harmony was the site of two 19th-century utopian communities. Founded in 1814 by a group of German Pietists under the leadership of Father George Rapp, the Harmonists sought religious freedom.  The second community, under the leadership of industrialist Robert Owen and his business partner William Maclure, hoped to establish a model community where education and social equality would flourish. In 1985, USI assumed management of Historic New Harmony, encouraging cultural and educational programs, while maintaining historic properties.
“This initiative will expand our capacity to share New Harmony’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage, and we are honored to receive Lilly Endowment’s support,†said Leslie Townsend, Director of Community Engagement and Historic New Harmony. “Funding will allow us to restore the John and Roxse Beal House into a permanent exhibition space and the former Doctor’s Office exhibit building into a community learning center which will benefit both visitors and residents of New Harmony.â€
​Historic New Harmony is an Outreach and Engagement program of the University of Southern Indiana. By preserving its utopian legacy, Historic New Harmony inspires innovation and progressive thought through its programs and collections. For more information, visit the website at USI.edu/hnh or contact Leslie Townsend, Director of Community Engagement and Historic New Harmony, at ltownsen@usi.edu or 812-465-7013.
About Lilly Endowment 
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founder’s wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
FOOTNOTE: Founded in 1965, the University of Southern Indiana enrolls nearly 9,200 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. A public higher education institution, located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, Indiana, USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. The University offers study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries and hosts international students from around the globe. USI is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University and offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through Outreach and Engagement. USI is online at USI.edu.Â
Virtual Author Talk: Jena Friedman
Growing up, Jena Friedman didn’t care about being likable. And she never wanted to be a comedian, either. A child of the 90s, she wouldn’t discover her knack for the funny business until research for her college thesis led her to take an improv class in Chicago.
That anthropology paper, written on race, class, and gender in the city’s comedy scene, was, in Jena’s own words, “just as funny as it sounds.†But it did lay the groundwork for a career that has seen her write and produce for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Late Show with David Letterman, and the Oscar nominated Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Friedman’s debut collection, Not Funny, takes on the third rails of modern life in Jena’s bold and subversive style, with essays that explore cancel culture, sexism, work, celebrity worship, and…dead baby jokes.
In a moment where women’s rights are being rolled back, fascism is on the rise, and so many of us could use a breather as we struggle to get by, Jena applies her unique gifts to pull a laugh from things deemed too raw, too precious, and too scary to joke about. She shares her stories of taking on those who told her she was too brash, too edgy, and too “unlikable†to make it. She deftly dissects how we get coerced into silence on the issues that matter most, until they’ve gone too far afield to be turned back around again. And she shares her struggles to make it (-ish) in a world that, more often than not, would rather tune out than listen to a woman confronting the indignities we’ve been told to bear.
About the Author: Jena Friedman is a comedian, filmmaker, and creator of AMC’s Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim. She has worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Late Show with David Letterman, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, ARTNET, and The Guardian. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and won a Writer’s Guild of America award for her work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. Find out more at JenaFriedman.com and follow her on Twitter @JenaFriedman.
Softball faces Drake in MVC Championship opener
Aces and Bulldogs square off at 10 a.m. on Wednesday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Missouri Valley Conference Championship opens on Wednesday for the University of Evansville softball team with the Purple Aces facing Drake at 10 a.m. in Carbondale, Ill. ESPN+ will have the live coverage.
UE at the MVC Championship
– This marks the third year in a row that the Aces will play in the opening game of the championship, which pits the 8th seed against the 9th
– UE took on Loyola in each of the last two MVC Championship openers with the Ramblers taking both games
– Evansville looks for its first win in the championship since 2013 when the 7th-seeded Aces advanced to the championship game where they fell to UNI by a score of 2-1
– The 2013 championship was the last time Evansville and Drake met at the tournament; UE won by a 2-1 final, defeating the #2 Bulldogs on their way to the final game
Last Time Out
– Scoring three runs in the first inning, Northern Iowa added six in the third to pull away for a 9-1 win on Sunday in Cedar Falls
– Zoe Frossard picked up an RBI single, scoring Alexa Davis in the top of the second
– Megan Brenton made the start with nine earned runs scoring in 2 2/3 innings
Finishing Strong
– Since March 19, Jess Willsey has batted .329 with 27 hits in 82 at-bats
– She has been even better over the last 11 games, hitting .382 in a stretch that included an 8-game hit streak
– The recent streak has vaulted Willsey into the team lead with a season mark of .282
– Willsey finished the Illinois State series with five hits in seven trips to the plate
– In game two against Southern Illinois, Willsey was a perfect 3-3 with four RBI in a 4-0 win for the Aces; the win came less than a day after SIU opened the series with a 17-1 victory
– Willsey has six home runs on the season, which is tied for second on the team
12-Game Hit Streak
– Between April 11 and April 30, Marah Wood posted a 12-game hit streak, which marked the longest for the Aces since Eryn Gould posted a 12-game streak in 2019
Marah Wood begins the weekend with a 12-game hit streak, which is the longest for the team in 2023
– During the streak, Wood recorded 18 hits in 43 at-bats (.419) while picking up multiple hits in five of those games
– It was the longest streak in her college career as she registered a hit in eight consecutive games in 2022.
Wrapping up her Career
– Batting .320 over the last eight games, senior Hannah Hood is wrapping up her senior season on a strong note
– She has accumulated 8 hits in her last 25 trips to the plate to improve her season mark to .270
– Hood earned MVC Player of the Week recognition on Feb. 21 after batting .571 with six runs, five walks, five RBI, four stolen bases and two home runs in the home-opening tournament
STRAIGHT NO CHASER ANNOUNCES FALL  SLEIGHIN’ IT TOUR WILL STOP IN EVANSVILLE
STRAIGHT NO CHASER ANNOUNCES FALL  SLEIGHIN’ IT TOUR WILL STOP IN EVANSVILLE
TICKETS GO ON SALE NATIONALLY ON FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2023 AT 10 AM
Evansville, IN – May 9, 2023 – RIAA-certified Gold a cappella group Straight No Chaser announced the Sleighin’ It Tour, their fall 2023 run of live shows, will stop at Old National Events Plaza on December 17, 2023. Fans can look forward to a local presale for the best seats on May 11, 2023, at 10 AM.
Initially formed at Indiana University, Straight No Chaser emerged at the forefront of the modern-day a cappella movement and has since sold more than three million albums worldwide, garnered more than a billion streams on Pandora alone, and sold more than 1.5 million concert tickets worldwide. In the fall of 2022, the group performed in more than 60 cities across the US with multiple sold-out shows, including their 26th consecutive sell-out in Indianapolis, IN.
Ranked in the top 20 of Pollstar’s “Live 75†for tours at the end of 2022, Straight No Chaser’s annual fall tours have become part of family holiday traditions throughout the United States. Evansville native and band member Steve Morgan said, “We see a lot of the same fans year after year. We’ll have three or four generations all coming to see the show together. They tell us that we are one of their holiday traditions, and it’s not really the holidays until they have come to see our show.â€
Locally, fans enjoy hearing holiday favorites on Straight No Chaser’s annual fall tour, along with classics from the 50’s through today’s hottest songs. There are so many songs to enjoy together, making this concert a wonderful holiday family experience
For more information about Straight No Chaser visit www.sncmusic.com.
Ticket Information:
What:                   Straight No Chaser: The Sleighin’ It Tour
When:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 7:00 PM
Where: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Old National Events Plaza | 715 Locust Street | Evansville, IN 47708
Tickets: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tickets start at $25.50 plus applicable fees and tax.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the Old National Events Plaza Box Office. For more information about the Aiken Theatre, visit: www.oldnationaleventsplaza.comÂ
About Old National Events Plaza
Old National Events Plaza, managed by ASM Global, is Evansville, Indiana’s premier convention center and largest live entertainment theatre. Housing a spacious 2,500-seat theatre, 38,000 square- feet of column-free exhibit space, a beautiful 14,000 square-foot ballroom, and 12,00 square feet of meeting space, Old National Events Plaza hosts a variety of events. The venue offers easy scheduling, one-stop-shop services, and in-house catering and audio-visual services. For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit www.oldnationaleventsplaza.com.