The Indiana General Assembly has just started the 2021 session, and there are (at least) two bills I think you should be asking your representatives to oppose: Senate Bill 42 & House Bill 1070.

The bills have slightly different digests (and so I assume different wording), but the purpose is the same: to block local governments from reducing the budgets of police and fire departments. As I just told the aides who were answering the phones, I think that’s a very bad idea when education and infrastructure budgets keep shrinking and rural hospitals are closing. Local governments should be able to set their own budgets.

Info on the senate bill is here, and info on the house bill is here. You can find the contact info for your representatives at IGA website. (The House phone lines seem to be closed this morning; I had to call the number on my house member’s website instead of the one listed at the IGA.

Incidentally, I’ll keep singing the praises of the IGA aides who answer the phones. On the rare instances I’ve spoken to someone (instead of going straight to voicemail) at the office of our US Senators or my US Rep, the aides have sounded uninterested and like they just want to get me off the line. The IGA aides have been personable & helpful, and very easy to talk to. Please be kind to them, even if you disagree with the policies of their bosses.

(What I didn’t say in my comments but add here is that including fire departments is blatantly a fig leaf so that the proposing legislators can say it’s not a pro-fascist response to protests against over-funded & misused police.)