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Weekly Statehouse Update: Senate GOP budget, House property tax overhaul, scaled-back DEI bill

Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.
Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

Senate Republicans unveil their version of Indiana’s next two-year budget. House Republicans push through their property tax overhaul. And a committee scales back an anti-DEI measure.

Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

HB 1001: State budget

The Senate  Republican budget proposal differs from its House counterpart in three key ways: it does not expand school vouchers; it holds back more than $3 billion in reserve; and it tightens the eligibility for child care vouchers to eliminate a waitlist.

SB 1: Local government finance

House Republicans  unveiled their pitch for a sweeping property tax overhaul and  pushed it through the chamber. A fiscal analysis reports local governments will lose out on nearly $1.8 billion over the next three years.

Republicans say that is a “decrease in the increase.” Democrats say it provides  minute cuts for homeowners and bigger wins for businesses.

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group:  the Indiana Two-Way . Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project  Civically, Indiana  and our  2025 bill tracker .

SB 289: Unlawful discrimination

And a House committee  scaled back and refocused a controversial measure to eliminate DEI programs in state agencies and educational institutions. Instead of mandating the closure of programs, the bill now levies significant fines and outlines unlawful discrimination in education, employment and licensing.

The amendment’s author, Rep. Chris Jeter (R-Fishers), said the changes were “an effort to codify”  Gov. Mike Braun and  President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

Find all the measures we're covering this legislative session on  our 2025 bill tracker .

Lauren is our digital editor. Contact her at  lauren@ipbnews.org  or follow her on Bluesky at  @laurenechapman.bsky.social .

Lauren Chapman is the digital producer for our statewide collaboration, and is based at WFYI in Indianapolis. She previous has worked at a basketball magazine, a top 30 newspaper, and a commercial television station. Lauren is new to public media, but in addition to her job "making stuff on the internet," she is also a radio and television reporter. She's a proud Ball State University alumna and grew up on the west side of Indianapolis.