INDIANAPOLIS- Indiana has seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, reaching numbers that we haven’t seen in nearly a year. Concurrently, Statehouse Republicans announced their priority legislation that would directly oppose the wishes of businesses and healthcare leaders, even as Indiana remains 39th nationwide in vaccination rates and is one of six states that make up more than half of recent US hospitalizations. State Senators Tim Lanane (D-Anderson) and Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:

Senator Lanane said, “I appreciate Governor Holcomb speaking out about the importance of the COVID vaccine in recent days, but we are a long way from fixing the lasting, sometimes deadly, effects of its irresponsible politicization. As I say in my op-ed, ‘Over the past two years, Republican state leaders have shown persistent ambivalence or outright opposition to vaccination efforts across Indiana.’ HB 1001 is just the most recent example of it. Indiana’s skyrocketing hospitalization rate isn’t random – it’s the tragic outcome of a partisan war on public health and safety. Republican leaders need to step up and get Hoosiers vaccinated, now.”

Senator Qaddoura added, “Governor Holcomb is right to support businesses’ ability to mandate vaccines if they choose. HB 1001 is bad for business, bad for Hoosiers and puts an unfunded mandate on all sizes of businesses. Indiana is already lagging in vaccination rates— the last thing we should be doing is discouraging folks from getting vaccinated. I hope that all of my colleagues will join Governor Holcomb’s call for vaccines and allow businesses to make the best decisions for their business. We shouldn’t politicize Hoosiers’ health or lives.”