INDIANA – Today, state legislators gathered to announce the selected topics for interim study. These interim study committees provide legislators the time needed to explore critical or emerging issues and examine policy options and their outcomes. Often, interim committees produce recommendations for policy actions that are carried forward in the legislative session that follows.
Institute staff and advisory council members were disappointed that three legislator-recommended topics did not make today’s final list: the impact of AI on jobs and unemployment, paid family leave, and housing stability.
“We all want Indiana to be a great place to work and raise a family,” said Erin Macey, Director of the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute. “Yet too often, Hoosiers face impossible decisions about work and family. They fear job loss due to AI, feel the squeeze of caregiving needs for both children and aging loved ones, and worry that rent and utility costs might drive them out of their homes and communities. It’s disappointing that topics like AI’s impact on jobs, paid family leave, and housing stability were not top of mind for legislators, because we hear about them every day from Hoosiers who desperately want their elected leaders to take action.”
The Institute joined numerous organizations in expressing support for these topics, even bringing postcards to the statehouse to highlight the need and support for action.
While these topics will not be studied at the statehouse this summer, Hoosiers still have the opportunity to ask policymakers what they intend to prioritize in the 2027 legislative session at community events and candidate forums.
About the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute
The Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute engages in research and promotes public policies to help Hoosier families achieve and maintain financial well-being. We believe that when Hoosiers are financially stable, they can achieve their full potential and better contribute to their communities. The Institute is a program of the Indiana Community Action Association.
