Miller's Legislative Update: January 2025
Dear neighbor,
The state legislature is back in full swing in the new year. This session, the Indiana House Democratic Caucus and I are busy working for you and Hoosiers throughout the state.
Our Working Hoosiers Agenda prioritizes the needs of folks throughout the state who are working too hard and making too little. For too many Hoosiers, the prospect of owning their own home is an outlandish concept. For current homeowners, absurdly high property tax rates make it impossible for many to get ahead. This session, our caucus will work to address these issues by calling for property tax credits, system-wide reform, and growing the housing supply so more people can buy homes.
This session, House Democrats will fight to cap rising health insurance premiums and lower health care costs by reining in the corporate middlemen who are only concerned with making money, not making Hoosiers healthier.
Our caucus will also work to crack down on junk fees and scams by forcing companies doing business in Indiana to be up front about the cost of a good or service.
We’ll work to ensure public K-12 education has the funding it needs to help all our kids — regardless of their parent’s socioeconomic status — thrive in the classroom and, eventually, out in the workforce. We know that a good education will help countless Hoosier families break the cycle of poverty. We can do all this with state dollars and not put the school funding burden on homeowners through the property tax system.
Finally, House Democrats want to ensure that our law enforcement, firefighters, EMS and veterans are taken care of after the years they’ve spent taking care of us. From free in-state tuition for children of disabled veterans to increasing the 1977 police and retirement fund for those who have served at least 20 years, our caucus is dedicated to making life better for the men and women who have dedicated their lives to helping their fellow Hoosiers.
I look forward to working with my caucus members to make Indiana a state that works for everyone, and I want to let Hoosiers know that if you live and work in Indiana, you deserve more than what you’re currently getting. The Working Hoosiers Agenda won’t just help you get by. It will help you and your family thrive.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at h82@iga.in.gov.
2025 Legislative Agenda
This session, I’ve filed legislation to help small businesses, make Indiana a leader in the e-sports industry and to redefine how we think about campaign communication.
One of my bills that has gotten a bit of attention recently would protect renters from being forced to declaw their cat as part of a rental agreement. This procedure not only puts family pets through unnecessary pain and puts them at risk of future complications, but forcing a cat owner to declaw their pet as part of a rental agreement puts an undue financial burden on the individual.
I’m proud to say that Humane Fort Wayne is supporting this legislation, which has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Click the photo below for a link to the story.
My other pieces of legislation include:
House Bill 1260, which eases the burden on local governments to allow them to do day-to-day work
House Bill 1609, which would allow for human composting
My response to Gov. Braun’s DEI executive order
Last week, Gov. Mike Braun issued an executive order that prohibits Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices and closes the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Office created by former Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2020.
Gov. Braun didn’t waste any time bringing D.C. politics back to Indiana. We hear all the time that Indiana’s not like Washington, and that we work to get important work done without getting mired in the muck. With Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith, we may not be able to say that much longer.
I doubt many Hoosiers knew, or cared, that the state had a Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Office. It seems to me like they care more about their high grocery and gas prices, or that this state ranks near the bottom in education and health care. The more well-respected governors in Indiana have focused on economic policies rather than divisive social policies.
Hopefully, Gov. Braun gets this out of his system early and we can get back to talking about things Hoosiers actually care about.
Make your voice heard: take my 2025 legislative survey!
Each session, my legislative priorities are based on the concerns of my constituents. Your feedback is essential to my success as a representative, and I want your voice to be heard. One of the easiest ways to share your thoughts and concerns is through my legislative survey.
In House District 82 and across the state, we’re facing some difficult issues. We are seeing a sharp increase in living expenses, particularly property taxes. Meanwhile, tenants remain unprotected from landlords who neglect essential housing repairs. To further compound these issues, we have failed to protect children from gaining access to unsecured firearms. Your survey response helps me gauge how our district feels about topics we will discuss at the Statehouse and other issues that are important to you.
My survey is available online at IN.gov/H82 by clicking the button at the top of the page. Please do not complete the online survey if you have returned it by mail or if you do not reside in House District 82. To find your state legislator, you can visit https://iga.in.gov/information/find-legislators. Please know that a question on my survey does not indicate my support for or opposition to an issue.
Session runs through April. Thank you for being a part of the process by completing this survey. Please contact my office at h82@iga.in.gov if you have any questions or concerns.
Literacy Alliance event at Arena Dinner Theater
From Feb. 7-9, you can catch a family-friendly performance of “Tomas and the Library Lady” at the Arena Dinner Theater. The bilingual production celebrates the power of stories and the lifelong impact reading can have. Dinner is provided, and all proceeds go to Literacy Alliance, an organization strengthening our communities through education.
For more information on the production and to get tickets, click here.
New animal wellness clinic in District 82
Humane Fort Wayne has recently opened a new pet wellness clinic in our district at 901 Leesburg Road. This new clinic offers routine exams, vaccinations, microchips, nail trims, testing and preventative medications.
The facility also houses the organization’s shelter. I’d like to congratulate Humane Fort Wayne for another successful opening and thank them for their dedication to keeping the pets and animals in our community healthy.
In service,
Rep. Kyle Miller