Thomas challenges Lauer for District 59 seat

The two candidates seeking the Indiana House of Representatives District 59 seat in the Nov. 5 general election have different takes on some of the issues facing Indiana as they meet again in this year’s race.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, who is seeking a fourth term representing the district. Lauer is being challenged by Bartholomew County Democratic Party Chair Ross Thomas.

Lauer defeated Thomas in the 2022 election, receiving 61.3% of the vote, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.

 

 

Thomas

Lauer

Q: What would be your priorities for District 59 and the state of Indiana if you are elected?

Lauer: Serving the people will continue to be my top priority and has been my highest honor as your representative. I will continue my efforts to support and pass legislation protecting the most vulnerable in our society including abused and neglected children. This year, as a standing member of the House Family and Children committee, I authored legislation (House Bill 1310) which is showing measurable results in protecting abused children and helping them move more quickly towards a permanent and safe forever home. House Bill 1101 I authored will further protect children between 0-3 years old by authorizing Safe Baby Courts, a new problem-solving court specifically designed to help abused or neglected infants and toddlers. Another priority is to continue lowering the tax burden on working families and retirees. I supported record tax cuts which produced higher revenues and secured Indiana as a very friendly state for business creation and job growth. Listening to constituents across the district, I believe rapid increases in property taxes should also be addressed as a priority. Finally, I will continue to defend your Constitutional rights including free speech and the 2nd Amendment and prioritize safety for all our Hoosier communities.

Thomas: My top priorities in the state legislature are fixing public education and restoring reproductive freedom. After 20 years of Republic rule in the statehouse Indiana public schools are getting worse, not better. Indiana ranks in the bottom 10 in educational attainment and we can do better. We need to respect and pay our teachers like the professionals they are, keep politicians from meddling with the curriculum and, instead of focusing on standardized testing, expanding educational opportunities in shop and vocational skills, art and music, and bringing back drivers’ education. I would also work to fully fund school extracurricular activities so all students can participate regardless of income. We do this fully funding our public schools rather than giving rich folks vouchers to send their kids to private school, by rejecting the “culture war” attacks on our schools and libraries and giving more local control to educators. It is also abundantly clear that the Republicans in the statehouse are out of step with the vast majority of Hoosiers when it comes to reproductive freedom. Personal medical decisions are just that—personal; the legislature needs to stay out of your doctor’s office and out of your bedroom.

Q: A report from Prosperity Indiana this year found that there are 34 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households in the state. What should the state legislature’s role be in encouraging more affordable housing in Indiana?

Lauer: Affordable housing is both a challenge and a necessity for communities to thrive. The last few years have been difficult for people facing increasing housing costs with rising interest rates and terrible inflation. The cost of building materials and labor has also outpaced rising wages. Seniors on fixed incomes or people with disabilities have been hit the hardest and barriers to home ownership and affordable rentals have widened. Government can be helpful by supporting new build projects and allowing renovation of disused buildings for example. We are blessed to have dedicated partners like HPI in our community that have years of experience and successes in rehab and new construction for affordable housing options. Good coordination locally between government, non-profits, builders and landlords makes a huge difference. I supported recent legislation, for example, that provides new state funding for cities and towns through the Residential Housing Infrastructure Assistance Program. Ultimately, however, the biggest drivers of cost are the economy, interest rates, inflation, and property taxes. To bring down costs and increase affordability, we should be encouraging home ownership and new development, supporting policies that reduce inflation, expanding job opportunities with higher wages, and lowering property taxes.

Thomas: Many of the issues with affordable housing are best left to local governments and as a state legislator I would defer to local governments to deal with local issues whenever possible. However, there are several ways the state government has a role in helping with our housing crisis. One factor that has caused rents to rise is the relatively new phenomenon of hedge funds and huge corporations buying large numbers of single-family houses. This leads to less competition and higher rents. I would urge Indiana to put restrictions on the number of local properties an out-of-state company with no ties to a community could own there and I certainly would end tax incentives that encourage the practice. I would also make it harder for landlords to reject federal housing vouchers for rent payments. Lastly, I would insist that tax abatement rules require that any housing development that is funded by taxpayers must include a percentage of workforce housing units in the development.

Q: Local Technical Assistance Program, a partnership between the Indiana state government and Purdue University, has estimated that the state would need to spend an additional $2.4 billion per yer for a decade to eliminate poor and failed roads and bridges across the state. The program also estimated that the annual funding gap to just maintain the state’s roads and bridges is nearly $1 billion. What should the state legislature do to address the funding gap?

Lauer: Indiana consistently ranks at the top for best roads and infrastructure in the country. One reason is our shift to dedicated road funding and community crossings grants. We should continue improvements and ensure our local communities have the funding needed to maintain safe roads and bridges across Indiana. As vice-chairman of the House Roads and Transportation committee, I supported a state-wide taskforce to study and recommend solutions. The resulting LTAP report offered recommendations for funding increases to maintain our infrastructure through the next decade. Material and labor costs have increased substantially due to inflation. I am thankful our community is utilizing available state dollars well and investing locally in roads and bridges, achieving a 96% rating versus the state average of 72%. For struggling communities, there are local options like the wheel tax available to supplement road funds. However, talking to residents across my district, it is clear that inflation and rising costs of goods and services are strangling family budgets. Raising taxes on working families and retirees should not be the solution. We should provide more flexibility to municipalities and increase community crossings grants which have been successful for ours and other communities to keep Indiana at the top.

Thomas: Indiana’s current state income tax is a “flat tax,” meaning everyone pays 3.15% whether they make $30,000 a year or $30,000,000 a year. If we moved to a graduated income tax we could lower taxes for working people while having the wealthy that can afford to pay a little more contribute a slightly higher percentage. This would raise revenue while giving working families a break. I also believe that Indiana should join Illinois, Michigan and Ohio and 18 other states in legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana for adults. Last year alone, Illinois collected $418 million in sales taxes from marijuana dispensaries.