Indiana Democratic Party 7-6-19 Weekly Radio Address Podcast

Chairman John Zody and the 7-6-19 Indiana Democratic Party Weekly Radio Address Podcast.

As you know, Hoosier Democrats fought hard to improve the lives of working families. The GOP supermajority blocked our progress at nearly every turn and the session ended with a number of missed opportunities.

TRANSCRIPT:

This is Chairman John Zody, bringing you our weekly podcast for the Indiana Democratic Party.

On Monday, a number of new laws took effect in our state as a result of the 2019 Legislative Session of the Indiana General Assembly.

As you know, Hoosier Democrats fought hard to improve the lives of working families. The GOP supermajority blocked our progress at nearly every turn and the session ended with a number of missed opportunities.

On hate crimes, a new law went into effect and fell short in providing complete protections for ALL Hoosiers. We rallied and marched at the Statehouse for an all-inclusive hate crimes law that includes the most vulnerable among us. We won’t stop fighting until we get one.

On public education, we stood side by side with IN educators at the Statehouse for their rallies and visits to convince the Republican supermajority that they needed and deserved a raise. The missed opportunity to raise teacher pay came at a time when we are seeing our teachers leave the state for higher pay or leave the profession all together. If we want to attract and retain the best teachers, we need to provide competitive wages to make sure they feel respected and valued in the classroom and in their paycheck.

On providing protections for those with pre-existing conditions, Hoosier Democrats fought for these protections despite constant efforts by Republicans across the country and in our state to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, including our own Attorney General, Curtis Hill. While this effort by Democrats resulted in a win – it still seems the GOP are intent on repealing a law that’s provided healthcare to tens of millions of Americans – and hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers. 

On cost of living, Hoosier Democrats had two bills that intended to raise the State’s minimum wage to a real livable wage. It’s been ten years since the last time the federal minimum wage was raised and families across the nation and here in our state are struggling to make ends meet as a result. We can’t tout record job growth without ensuring new jobs bring higher and fairer wages for workers. 

Democrats are fighting every day for Hoosiers – and not special interests. The teacher that wants to give their students the best chance to succeed. The small business owner that is trying to build a legacy for their family. The worker that understands that they deserve to retire with dignity. And the child with asthma that doesn’t understand the complexities of health insurance or pre-existing conditions but needs an inhaler. Our fight is for every day Hoosiers and working families to be able to not just get by, but rather to thrive in our state.

I’m optimistic of what can happen here in our state next year and right now in 2019. We just need everyone to help us get there, including you. You can get involved with the Party at indems.org/join.

Also, please follow the IDP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Simply search INDems – that’s I-N-D-E-M-S on those social media platforms andfollow us to get the latest news about our candidates and what we’re doing to hold our counterparts at the Statehouse and in Washington accountable.

On this Independence Day week and weekend, thank you for listening for what you do for the Indiana Democratic Party.