Indiana Black Legislative Caucus

Today:  State Senator Eddie Melton (D-Gary) is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about the issues coming up in the 2021 General Assembly session -- a session that is not only a biennial budget-writing session but one marked by revenue concerns due to COVID-19.  Tammi Davis with the Gary Sanitary District is also a member of an Indiana advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  She tells us about an in-depth report on environmental injustice dealing with lead poisoning in Indiana -- a topic of great interest in northwest Indiana. And we have another edition of "Neighborhood Voice" minority business owner conversations from the Legacy Foundation, as Erica Fizer talks to a Hammond cafe owner.

Today:  Northwest Indiana financial advisor Greg Hammer is with us to talk about an important deadline coming up, for anyone who withdrew funds from retirement accounts under the terms of the CARES Act during this pandemic -- and now wants to return that money to the retirement accounts.  Porter County veterinarian Dr. Larry McAfee and Porter County Parks and Recreation superintendent Walter Lenckos join us from Sunset Hill Farm, outside Valparaiso, to talk about a donation of antique veterinary instruments used by his father Dr. John McAfee during his time as Sunset Hill Farm's veterinarian from the 1940s to 1960s.  The farm is now a Porter County park.  And we have post-speech comments from state Representative Earl Harris Jr of East Chicago, the vice-chairman of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus about Governor Eric Holcomb's proposed plan to address racial inequity in Indiana.  The proposal includes creation of a new state government position.

Gov. Eric Holcomb says he wants to be a “barrier buster” to help reduce racial inequality in the Hoosier State.

Today: Barbara Quandt, the state director for NFIB, joins us to talk about how Hoosier businesses are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.  She highlights some northwest Indiana firms on her comments.  Donna Catalano, the new community development director for the Legacy Foundation, tells us more about her new position and the South Shore Neighborhood Corp.  We also have comments about the impact of COVID-19 from Lake County health director Dr. Chandana Vavilala.  And State Senator Eddie Melton of Gary has the latest on the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus' efforts to promote its stance on police reform -- including some proposals that may come before the 2021 General Assembly.  

Hoosiers who attended the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus’s virtual town hall Thursday expressed concerns about racial justice and COVID-19.

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus wants Gov. Eric Holcomb to ban the use of chokeholds by police during arrests, one of a series of actions the caucus recommended Friday to address justice reform.

State Representative Earl Harris Jr, Vice Chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus recently joined “Regionally Speaking” host Chris Nolte to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the African-American community. Black Hoosiers make up less than 10 percent of the state’s population but account for about 18 percent of COVID cases and more than 20 percent of deaths from the virus.

Today:   State Representative Carolyn Jackson of Hammond tells us about Saturday's Indiana Black Legislative Caucus town hall meeting, held this year for the first time in Hammond.  It will be held at the Ophelia Steen Family and Health Center.  Topics of interest to northwest Indiana residents include education and the efforts to clean up contaminated soil in East Chicago.  We also revisit our conversation with Jena Bellazza of the Indiana Parenting Institute about this weekend's Parent Expo on the I.U. Northwest and Ivy Tech Gary campuses.  The I.U.

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus will hold a series of town halls in communities across the state over the next few months.

Today:  the final Town Hall meeting in the statewide series of meetings set up by the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus is coming up this Saturday at Indiana University Northwest in Gary, so we bring back our conversation with State Senator Eddie Melton (D-Gary) and his Caucus colleague, State Senator Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis). They talk about the entire Town Hall series and the Caucus' intentions for the comments they hear in creating new legislation.

Today:  an extended conversation with State Senator Eddie Melton (D-Gary) and State Senator Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) about the series of Indiana Black Legislative Caucus statewide Town Hall meetings, ending in Gary on August 19th in the Bergland Auditorium at the Savannah Center of Indiana University Northwest in Gary.  Both Melton and Taylor have attended some of the other Town Hall meetings in other Hoosier cities.

Today:  We find out more about a special summer learning program to be held at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond.  A group of about 50 Hoosier foster youth from across the state will spend the next eight weeks beginning Friday in the Summer Bridge Program.  These youth will stay in residence halls and study on campus, as they learn skills that will help them adjust to life from foster homes to life -- on their own --in college. 

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus’ agenda for the 2017 session is nearly as much about bills they want to halt as measures they hope to pass.

The caucus’ agenda includes bias crimes legislation, a measure to ban private prisons, a healthy food initiative and a bill to improve student discipline and behavior.

And while Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) acknowledges the difficulty in getting many of those bills passed, he says the caucus constantly seeks common ground.