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Indiana House Democrats call on governor to expand inflation relief plan as date set for special session

Indiana Democratic Representative Greg Porter stands on the House floor, looking up at the front of the room.
Lauren Chapman
/
IPB News
Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) said every Hoosier is “feeling the brunt” of high prices at the grocery store and the gas pump.

Indiana House Democrats are calling on the governor to expand his inflation relief plan to cover some of the lowest-income Hoosiers.

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s proposal would send $225 to every Hoosier that filed a tax return, even if they didn’t owe anything.

But many Hoosiers on disability or Social Security don’t need to file a return because they don’t earn enough. And they would be left out of Holcomb’s plan.

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Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) said every Hoosier is "feeling the brunt" of high prices at the grocery store and the gas pump. He said those with disabilities deserve "dignity, not poverty.” And that retired Hoosiers shouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet.

On Wednesday, Holcomb called a special session, set for July 6, for lawmakers to implement his proposal.

He called his plan the “fastest, fairest and most efficient way to return taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.