Wednesday, January 3, 2018
By Andrew Bradley, Senior Policy Analyst
While
the national recovery has finally resulted in a rising tide in Indiana, 1 in 3
Hoosiers are left anchored underwater economically, swamped by basic costs that
are drowning
out incremental gains. The Indiana
Institute for Working Families’ 2018 policy agenda targets those left out of
the recovery and lays out achievable steps to remove the anchors keeping
families underwater, ensure there are enough life preservers for those who need
them, and provide a propeller to steer Indiana toward economic security and broad
prosperity in its third century.
Indiana’s
‘business-friendly’ policy emphasis hasn’t yielded results for middle-class and
working families, causing the state to stagnate or even slip behind neighbors on
key measures. The past
year saw little significant policy change
directed to low- and middle-income families, and the data reflect the lack of focus on
working families. Compared to other states, Indiana’s
poverty ranking worsened four spots last year alone from 26th to 22nd-highest.
Racial and gender pay gaps increased, with the gender wage gap jumping from 12th to 6th-highest in 2016 alone. Indiana’s median
household income remains stuck at 36th-highest in the nation. And,
not surprising given the state’s policy choices, Hoosiers now endure the lowest worker voice and the lowest
hourly wages among
all of our neighbors.
Fortunately,
Indiana has a history of solving problems when our policymakers work as hard
for Hoosiers as our families work for each other. Even during a ‘short session’
with no budget updates, the General Assembly can take these specific steps to
begin to right the ship for working families:
Remove anchors weighing families down
and keeping them underwater.
•
PROTECT HOOSIERS FROM PAYDAY LENDING with a rate cap and protection from
dangerous new predatory products.
•
REQUIRE EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE REASONABLE PREGNANCY ACCOMMODATIONS so women don’t
have to choose between a healthy pregnancy and a paycheck.
Ensure there are enough life
preservers for those who need them.
•
REFORM TANF’S ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES AND BENEFIT LEVELS so that their values
cease to erode and are indexed to inflation moving forward.
•
ELIMINATE THE LIFETIME BAN ON SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
for people who have served their time for drug felonies.
Provide Hoosiers with the propeller
we need to steer us toward economic security and broad prosperity.
•
IMPROVE ON MY WAY PRE-K BY REMOVING ‘SERVICE NEED’ RED TAPE so more kids can
participate in pre-K to learn & thrive.
•
SUPPORT INDIANA’S WORKFORCE by removing non-academic barriers to adult student completion,
boosting adult literacy, and adding a work-sharing program.
________________________________________
Sign up for updates and action alerts, and follow the Institute’s ‘Inside the Statehouse’ blog series to keep up with the General Assembly’s progress in implementing these steps. Our team will be at the Statehouse bringing data and policy solutions to lawmakers in one-on-one meetings and public hearings. Please consider donating to help amplify our advocacy for working Hoosier families at the Statehouse throughout 2018.
