Indiana's 2023 legislative session is underway, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Hoosiers and supporting our local communities.
Legislators have a lot to tackle in the coming months, and I am working hard on behalf of House District 74. Among my top priorities is to support a fiscally responsible state budget, and public safety and our veteran community. I also remain committed to finding ways to further reduce government inefficiencies and bureaucracy.
Everyday Hoosiers live within their means, and it is also what they expect from their state government. As we work on the state's next two-year budget, we'll maintain our track of fiscal responsibility. We also want to make strategic, one-time investments that have a return on investment for Hoosier taxpayers. That's why I plan to support continued funding for Indiana's Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative or READI, because communities large and small are seeing new investments and economic development. In 2021, parts of our region received $15 million from these economic accelerator grants to help fund downtown revitalization and workforce plans, quality of place initiatives and more.
As a veteran and former law-enforcement officer, I have a track record of supporting the Hoosier men and women in uniform. This session, I am introducing legislation that will help increase police presence in conservancy districts, which are often in remote areas causing longer response times. This bill would also alleviate the workload of our county law enforcement who are currently patrolling these areas. I also offered legislation to eliminate state park admission fees for United States military and Indiana National Guard members along with their passengers.
With the goal of continuing to find ways toward a more efficient state government, I chaired a governmental reform task force during the interim over the summer and fall months. Having only scratched the surface of what I hoped to accomplish in our meetings, I'm proposing legislation to renew the task force and continue our mission of reducing government bureaucracy. In addition, I filed legislation to add more public transparency when agencies propose any new rules, especially as those rules can have negative effects on Hoosiers.
This session, I'm also serving on three key committees, including as vice chair of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, and as a member of the House Public Policy Committee and the House Veterans Affair and Public Safety Committee. I encourage you to stay connected with me throughout the legislative session. Please reach out to h74@iga.in.gov or 371-232-9863 with input and questions. Be sure to visit iga.in.gov to learn about proposals for new laws, and watch committee hearings and session meetings.
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State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) represents House District 74, which includes
Crawford, Perry and Spencer counties, and portions of Dubois and Orange counties.
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