Friday, January 10, 2020
The Senate Republican Caucus has announced our 2020 legislative priorities. During the upcoming months, we will prioritize the following initiatives.
Increase health care cost transparency
Recent studies have demonstrated that Hoosiers pay considerably more for some health care costs than citizens in other states. Senate Republicans believe price transparency is a critical first step, and will support efforts to provide transparency, including creating an All-Payer Claims Database and eliminating surprise billing.
Hold K-12 schools harmless for ILEARN test results
Transitioning from one state test to another can create challenges for schools and teachers, as Indiana saw with the 2019 ILEARN results. Senate Republicans will support legislation that will hold K-12 schools and teachers harmless for the 2019 and 2020 test scores.
Reduce government debt
Indiana revenue is performing above projections, meaning that the state has some unexpected one-time cash on hand that can be used to cash fund projects. Senate Republicans will support efforts to pay for capital projects that were approved in the 2020-21 budget with cash in order to save taxpayers millions of dollars in interest payments.
Raise smoking and vaping age to 21
Indiana has significant room to improve public health ratings. Even though the federal government recently raised the smoking and vaping age to 21, taking action at the state level will ensure that, regardless of future federal action, Indiana is taking steps to prevent Hoosiers from starting an unhealthy habit that costs the state and businesses millions of dollars annually.
To learn about these initiatives and more, visit iga.in.gov
