INDIANAPOLIS—On Thursday, the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) held a press conference to share their justice reform policy agenda for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. State Senator Eddie Melton (D-Gary) released the following statement on the IBLC’s policy agenda:

“Many voices went into the development of the IBLC’s agenda, and we’re thankful for the valuable input from community leaders and residents alike,” Sen. Melton said. “I would also like to commend our IBLC Chair Robin Shackelford (D-Indianapolis) for spearheading this effort. It is my hope that before the start of the 2021 legislative session, Governor Holcomb will publicly commit to supporting our agenda. With everything that’s happened this year, we believe that 2021 is absolutely the time for us to make some critical gains on these issues. The unrest in our communities is still very present, and it’s important that the state makes it clear where we stand in our fight against systemic racism and on making progress on police reform. 

“I want to express again how grateful I am to those who participated in our virtual town halls and to everyone that gave their voice to help develop our comprehensive list of policy reforms. Because of the work we’ve done, we are fully prepared for next session, and we look forward to working with those on the other side of the aisle to advance this agenda.”

View the full IBLC justice reform policy agenda below.