Public challenges state lawmakers on priorities

Both State Rep. Brad Barrett and State Sen. Jeff Raatz told about 80 people gathered at a March 7 legislative forum that this is the most difficult legislative session they’ve experienced.

Members of the public asking questions communicated their own frustrations and concerns about the impact of changes in state policy and funding priorities that they see as potentially harmful to local residents.

Barrett and Raatz said legislators must balance costs against services when there are so many demands for tax dollars and Indiana must maintain a balanced budget. The state also is transitioning to the influence of new Gov. Mike Braun.

Most of the questions during the hour-long forum inside Indiana University East’s Whitewater Hall touched on the legislators’ specialties: health care and education.

Barrett, who’s beginning his fourth two-year term, said he spends 75% of his time working on health care issues. The retired surgeon chairs the House’s health committee. Raatz, who’s in the third year of his third four-year term, chairs the Senate’s education committee. He has experience teaching in college and K-12 and managing at the K-12 level.

Initial questions involved academic freedom and diversity, equity and inclusion restrictions. An educator asked about reading specific books to students and children and whether sharing those books would still be permitted under Senate Bill 289.

Barrett said DEI is a “wedge issue,” but there needs to be trust in the system with students learning values and treating each other with respect. He did not believe reading certain books would be impacted by DEI limitations. 

Raatz said programs such as affirmative action have not worked because the law cannot influence what he called matters of people’s hearts. He said teaching students to treat each other how they want to be treated takes care of any issues.

Another educator later asked about the state providing larger financing increases to charter schools over public schools. Raatz has authored or supported various bills during his time in office that divert resources from public schools to private, often religious charter schools, but said that public education would not be going anywhere. Based on his participation in education and appropriation committees, he said the idea that charter schools would receive funding increases of 20% to 40% is “absolutely false.”

A high school student asked about Senate Bill 2 capping enrollment in the Medicaid state plan to 500,000 and how that would impact those removed from the program. Barrett said the idea is to make sure those in the program are the ones who need to be in it, while those who do not need the program are removed. He said the expectation is 8% to 10% of participants will be found to be mistakenly in the program. The bill directs the Family and Social Services Administration to report claims paid that involved fraud, waste or abuse and to report participants who should be ineligible.

Raatz added that the intent is not to hurt families who need the program, but the questioner said her sisters had been hurt by removal from the program. Barrett said that would not be right, and he promised to speak with the questioner about her situation to seek a solution.

The legislators were asked if the state tracks outcomes. Barrett said the legislature is committed to maintaining the expansion of the Healthy Indiana Plan and protecting the enrollment of those who need the plan.

Other questions involved entrepreneurship and prioritizing other issues ahead of the environment.

Both Barrett and Raatz said that Braun’s insight as a businessman would encourage small business. The governor is establishing an entrepreneurial office that will be put into state code, Raatz said, to foster an entrepreneurial spirit.

While some bills do address water issues, the legislators agreed not as many environmental issues are being addressed. Barrett again said that there are many problems that the state is prioritizing through compromising and the balance legislators reach is likely not as successful as many Hoosiers would like.

Barrett and Raatz will again participate in a forum at 8 a.m. April 11 in Whitewater Hall.