BY: LESLIE BONILLA MUÑIZ, INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE

Six Indiana communities were awarded more than $29 million in low-interest state loans for housing-related public infrastructure, the Indiana Finance Authority announced Monday.

It’s the latest round of the Residential Housing Infrastructure Assistance Program, which is intended to boost housing development by helping communities pay for the expensive public infrastructure that new homes require.

The awarded projects include roadways, water and wastewater systems, stormwater management, and utilities, according to IFA, which administers the program.

“Increasing Indiana’s housing supply is essential to supporting our growing workforce and strengthening local economies,” Gov. Mike Braun said in a news release.

“These investments will help communities keep pace with job growth, attract new talent, and ensure more Hoosier families have access to safe, affordable places to live,” he said. “When we expand housing opportunities, we’re laying the foundation for long-term economic success in every corner of our state.”

The awardees are:

• Elkhart: $10 million
• Fort Wayne: $8.15 million and $1.75 million
• St. Joseph and New Carlisle: $4.5 million
• Arcadia: $3 million
• Austin: $1 million
• Attica: $975,000

Communities were picked “based on the need for additional housing inventory to accommodate local job growth,” the news release said. IFA also prioritized loan applications from local governments with “housing-friendly” zoning.

The projects are expected to support more than 1,500 units of housing, according to IFA. A projected 683 will be in rural areas and 882 will be in urban areas. The number of units will be confirmed upon loan closing, agency spokeswoman Stephanie McFarland said.

Under Indiana law, 70% of the funding must go to projects in communities with a population of less than 50,000. The remaining 30% is available for larger communities.

The program is a revolving loan fund. As the money is paid off, it becomes available for future projects.

IFA previously announced awards of about $31 million last spring and $51 million in 2024. The initiative stems from 2023’s House Enrolled Act 1005.

• By Tom Davies, Indiana Capital Chronicle

• Leaders of an Indiana group aimed at supporting independent political candidates say the state’s time in the national congressional redistricting spotlight gives them hope that the legislature will advance election reforms.

  On top of Independent Indiana’s list is eliminating straight-ticket voting in which those casting election ballots can vote for all of a party’s candidate with a single push of a button.

  Independent Indiana organizers, who launched the group this fall, released Monday a report on the competitiveness of the state’s elections. They said straight-ticket voting is among the greatest obstacles independent candidates face since voters don’t even see the names of those candidates.

  A poll conducted for the study found that 62% of voters considered straight-ticket voting a “bad thing,” with 26% in support. The highest level of support was from among Republicans, but they were 36% in favor and 49% against the practice.

  Nathan Gotsch, executive director of Independent Indiana, said the secretary of state’s office does not track how many straight-ticket votes are cast statewide.

  “But we went through and looked at the top five largest counties in the state and over 50% of voters in the last election in those counties voted straight ticket,” Gotsch said.

  Call to eliminate straight-ticket voting

  Bills to eliminate straight-ticket voting have been introduced numerous times in the legislature over the past decade without winning passage.

  Such issues have been dismissed in the past as ones of little interest to the public. But that was also the view about a topic like congressional redistricting before the monthslong debate ended with its defeat by the state Senate last week, said Jay Chaudhary, a board member of the nonprofit Center for Independent and Effective Government, which is Independent Indiana’s parent organization.

  “Nobody cares about redistricting, right? But we saw the absolute fire storm and really the power of the people in beating that back,” said Chaudhary, who was director of the state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction under Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

  Indiana is one of only six states that currently allows straight-ticket voting, according to the group.

  Gotsch said a new factor in the straight-ticket voting discussion will be the impact of school board candidates being allowed to list their political party affiliation starting with the 2026 elections. The partisan school board bill adopted earlier this year, however, does not allow straight-ticket votes to count in those races.

  “I actually think in a lot of Republican areas, you could find Republican school board members losing because of that under vote,” Gotsch said. “So many people are going in, voting straight ticket and then those Republican school board members are not benefiting from those votes.”

  The group is also advocating for a lowering of the signature threshold independent candidates must meet in order to qualify for the election ballot.

  Those candidates must now collect petition signatures from registered voters equal to 2% of the most recent secretary of state vote in their district. For a statewide race, that means nearly 37,000 signatures.

  Gotsch, who was an independent candidate in 2022 for northeastern Indiana’s 3rd congressional district seat, said that the 2% requirement was enacted in 1980 and creates a barrier for those wanting to run as independents.

  Poll finds many voters dissatisfied

  Independent Indiana’s report also blames gerrymandering for what it said resulted “in a small, unrepresentative slice of voters effectively determining who ultimately holds most elected offices.”

  The report cited the 2024 primaries, in which 17% of Indiana registered voters cast ballots—an estimated 13% in the Republican primary and 4% in the Democratic primary.

  The report’s poll found that 53% of overall Indiana voters were dissatisfied with their election choices, with 40% satisfied. Republican voters, however, were satisfied with their choices by a 68%-26% margin.

  For political party identification, the poll found:

  • 29% of voters considering themselves Republicans.
  • 15% saying they were independents who leaned Republican.
  • 21% said they were Democrats.
  • 11% independents who leaned Democratic.
  • 15% independents.
  • 8% declined to answer.

  Regarding the state’s major parties:

  • 33% had favorable opinion of the Indiana Republican Party, with 45% unfavorable.
  • 25% had favorable opinion of the Indiana Democratic Party, with 43% unfavorable.

  The poll, conducted by North Star Opinion Research, was taken of 604 registered voters in early October with a margin of error of 3.99%. North Star regularly polls for GOP candidates and national Republican committees.

  This article was published by TheStatehouseFile.com through a partnership with Free Press Indiana, a nonprofit organization with a mission to fill information gaps in the state.

• By Olivia O’Neal, TheStatehouseFile.com

• At a meeting held during the special session in which mid-cycle redistricting drew most of the attention, the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development heard testimony from eight people in favor of legislation that would require all Indiana schools to prohibit students from using their personal cellphones during the entire school day

  Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, an author of Senate Bill 78, called it “essentially a rehash of [Senate Bill] 185.” Now Public Law 24, Indiana became the second state to require school corporations to ban cellphones during instructional time, following the example of Florida, which was the first. Currently, 35 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted school cellphone-ban legislation.

  Raatz told the committee at the Dec. 9 meeting that SB 185 was applied differently than what was intended and that he and fellow author Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute, wrote SB 78 to “tighten up” the current law, adding specifications and restrictions.

  Testimony revolved around rising smartphone usage among adolescents and the negative impacts that cellphones have on both student learning and and mental health.

  “I have heard from our membership teachers around the state that this is one of the most significant disciplinary and behavioral issues in classrooms, district and statewide,” John O’Neal, a lobbyist for the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA), said. “The issue now is that we need uniformity and enforcement.”

  But testifers also brought up their concerns such as the cost of phone storage units like Fort Wayne Community School District’s Yondr phone pouches.

  “We’re not asking to open the budget, but there are dollars that revert to the general fund, and school districts need financial assistance to implement this correctly and efficiently,” O’Neal said. “We are asking that a portion of the reverting funds—$5 million—be provided to support this.”

  He also requested that administrators collaborate with teachers as they develop a cellphone policy.

  Susan Harris, a nurse practitioner representing the Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Indiana (CAPNI), pointed to a line in the legislation allowing a student to use a cellphone provided it was needed “for the management of a documented medical condition pursuant to a physicians directive.” CAPNI asked that advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) be included alongside physicians.

  Another testifer, Justin Swanson with the Indiana Urban Schools Association, requested that school corporations have civil immunity if cellphones are confiscated.

  Committee members questioned the legislation in the context of emergency situations when parents need to be contacted. A line in SB 78 says that an individual authorized by the superintendent or their designee would be tasked with communicating with student parents in emergency situations.

  Although no high-school students testified, Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said “halfway jokingly” that the opinions and perspectives of high-school Hoosiers should be considered as well. Lawmakers expect students to voice their opinions on the matter.

  “It is an important thing that we can continue on helping educational outcomes in the state, if we do this and additionally help [students] understand that there’s more into communication than being on a cellphone,” Raatz said.

  The committee heard testimony only and did not vote on the bill. The regular legislative session begins Jan. 5.

  Olivia O’Neal is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.