Wars, school counseling, partisan school board races and more

On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, D-California, Chip Roy, R-Texas, Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, and Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs), which would formally end the Gulf and Iraq wars.

Young: “In 1991, Congress authorized America’s involvement in the first Gulf War. Eleven years later, Congress again acted to authorize the invasion of Iraq. Today, Iraq is a strategic partner of the United States in advancing the security and stability of the Middle East. Sadly, according to these laws that are still on the books, Iraq is still technically an enemy of the United States. This inconsistency and inaccuracy should be corrected. Congress must do its job and take seriously the decision to not just commit America to war, but to affirmatively say that we are no longer at war. Our bipartisan legislation will repeal the outdated and unnecessary 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force and ensure Congress fulfills its constitutional responsibility.”

On Thursday, in conjunction with School Counseling Week, the Indiana Department of Education announced the recipients of $5 million which will support 26 school districts, charter schools and community partners in further developing and expanding school counseling services.

Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education: “School counselors are uniquely positioned to provide students with a number of important services, including guidance in completing all necessary courses and other graduation requirements, encouraging exploration of career and postsecondary opportunities and overall well-being support. The recipients of this grant understand the importance of comprehensive school counseling and the range of support our students need in order to reach their full potential. With this additional funding, they will be better equipped to support the needs of their community, and ultimately, move the needle for their students.”

On Wednesday, House Bill 1074 was approved in the Indiana House Elections Committee. It would require candidates for school board elections to list their political affiliation on the ballot.

Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute: “In all of my years of teaching, I have never heard any concerns from parents that we need more politics in our classrooms. Instead of addressing actual issues educators and students face—a lack of funding, understaffed schools and a lack of resources for students—this bill prioritizes politics over helping Hoosier children, families and educators. What difference does it make which political party a school board member belong to? If we truly want to keep politics out of the classrooms, as my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been very vocal about, keeping school board elections nonpartisan is the only logical path forward to achieve that goal.”

Today, U.S. Reps. Larry Bucshon, M.D., R-Indiana, and David Scott, D-Georgia introduced the Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act, which would make it illegal to make misleading or deceptive claims about holding a state health-care license and would require advertisers to disclose the license that allows them to provide the service they are advertising.  

Bucshon: “As a practicing physician for more than 15 years, I know just how foundational trust is to the patient-physician relationship. Patients are, in certain cases, literally trusting their healthcare provider to help them make life-or-death decisions. Therefore, it is critical that patients can be confident that they are placing their trust in qualified healthcare providers. My bipartisan Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act would help reduce misinformation and protect patients by ensuring those making claims about healthcare are qualified individuals.”

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, the Indy Public Safety Foundation and Downtown Indy, Inc. announced on Wednesday that grant funding is available to downtown Indianapolis businesses for the b-link camera program. It allows registration of personal and business security cameras to create a network of live-stream video access for IMPD to utilize in the event of a crime or incident in the vicinity. 

Hogsett: “Since the City debuted the b-link program in 2019, dozens of businesses have taken part, helping gather critical video evidence for IMPD to solve and prevent crime. Through our collaboration with Downtown Indy, Inc., we’re able to focus today’s funding effort specifically on Downtown businesses, offering an easy and affordable way to partner with the City on increased Downtown safety efforts.”