INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus introduced more than 60 amendments to House Bill (HB) 1001 this week, offering fiscally responsible solutions to invest in schools, health care, housing, and economic resilience. Not a single one was accepted by the Republican supermajority.

“These weren’t symbolic gestures — they were serious, targeted proposals shaped by the real needs of Hoosiers,” said Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington). “We knew not every amendment would pass. But the fact that this chamber refused to accept even one — no matter the cost or impact — is not governing. It is stonewalling.”

Senate Democrats offered amendments that raised revenue, reprioritized funding and trimmed bloated state programs — all while remaining within the framework of Indiana’s $46 billion biennial budget.

Amendments proposed by Senate Democrats included:

  • Six revenue-generating measures to recession-proof Indiana’s budget, including modest increases to cigarette, alcohol and gaming taxes and a proposal to legalize and tax cannabis — all rejected.
  • Twenty-four proposals to support working Hoosiers, including workforce housing tax credits, child care expansion, sales tax exemptions for essential items like menstrual products and adult diapers, and boosting incomes for working Hoosiers — all rejected.
  • Seventeen education-focused amendments, from establishing a $60,000 minimum teacher salary to restoring income limits for school voucher eligibility — not one accepted.
  • Local community investments, such as the Beacon Center in Bloomington to address homelessness and public transit funding in Indianapolis — rejected.
  • Health and well-being initiatives, including reallocating $4 million from Real Alternatives to fund pediatric cancer research, despite compelling testimony from grieving parents and eliminating waitlists for seniors in our state who want to age in the setting of their choice — rejected.

“We didn’t just say what we want to fund — we showed how to fund it,” Yoder said. “We proposed responsible revenue solutions. We identified excessive spending — whether that’s unchecked voucher expansion or bloated IEDC budgets — and suggested reallocations. If anyone’s trying to claim the mantle of fiscal discipline, it’s Senate Democrats.”

Missed opportunities, wrong priorities

Senate Democrats emphasized that they never expected every amendment to pass — but did expect at least one thoughtful idea to break through.

“The supermajority didn’t just say no to our ideas — they said no to child care, to public schools, to pediatric cancer research,” Yoder said. “They said no to families asking for help, communities working to solve real problems and bipartisan solutions designed to serve every corner of the state.”

“Budgets reflect values,” she added. “And when the people in power reject every proposal to support working families, but protect the same bloated programs year after year, that’s not fiscal responsibility — that’s political avoidance.”

A warning and a commitment

With a new revenue forecast just days away and the risk of a national recession looming, Senate Democrats warned that rejecting revenue raising-solutions and budget reduction proposals today may have consequences tomorrow.

“We came prepared. We led with responsibility. And we offered a path forward,” Yoder said. “We were the only caucus in this chamber offering real solutions — and the only ones asking the hard questions about where our money is going.”

“Hoosiers are watching. And they know who showed up with answers — and who refused to listen.”