As President-elect Donald Trump and our new elected members of Congress prepare to take office in the coming weeks, all eyes will be on Washington, D.C.
While what happens in our nation’s capital certainly impacts us, there’s a lawmaking body that will meet much closer to home with the power to decide how billions of Hoosiers’ tax dollars are spent.
The 2025 legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly kicks off this upcoming week and lasts until late April. These lawmakers and Gov.-elect Mike Braun will decide how much money your child’s school receives, whether Indiana should legalize marijuana (spoiler, it’s unlikely) or who deserves a break when it comes to rising property taxes.
It’s the same body that legalized Sunday alcohol sales, regulated professors’ speech and banned most abortions. What lawmakers do these next four months has the power to touch every aspect of your lives. It’s worth paying attention.
That’s where we come in.
IndyStar’s politics team will be at the Statehouse on behalf of not only Central Indiana readers, but also our sister sites from South Bend to Evansville. We will be keeping a close eye on lawmakers, cutting through the rhetoric and wonky legislative speak to tell you what you need to know about the policy they are considering. We’ll also hold legislators accountable by watching for conflicts of interest, the powerful lobbyists driving change and even the occasional unintended consequences legislation could cause.
We’ll regularly update a live blog on our website during the first week of session. You can also expect a roundup of where key legislation stands each Monday morning, in addition to our other regular coverage.
I was hired as the politics and government editor at IndyStar early last year, but this will be my ninth time covering a legislative session in some fashion. I previously was the Statehouse reporter for the Evansville Courier & Press and IndyStar, as well as an investigative reporter covering the Statehouse for State Affairs Indiana. As a brand-new mom, I’ll be particularly interested in policy impacting our youngest Hoosiers.
I’ll oversee our Statehouse coverage, but you’ll rarely see my byline this year. Here are the reporters to watch for:
Brittany Carloni: This will be Brittany’s second Indiana legislative session. Previously she covered government in Hamilton County, which means she has a unique perspective on how the laws passed at the Statehouse impact local governments in general and specifically people in one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The Milwaukee native is also our go-to on Indiana’s elected representatives in Washington, D.C.
Kayla Dwyer: Kayla is entering her third legislative session as a Statehouse reporter. Before the Pennsylvania native started keeping a watchful eye on Indiana lawmakers, she covered transportation. That makes her an expert on road spending and the yearly Statehouse fights over IndyGo’s public transit, both issues that will likely pop up this year.
Hayleigh Colombo: Hayleigh just joined IndyStar’s team this summer but is a veteran Indiana journalist. Before reporting for a few years in Ohio, Hayleigh spent seven years covering the Indiana Statehouse, education policy and Indianapolis city government for various outlets, including the Indianapolis Business Journal and Chalkbeat Indiana. As IndyStar’s government accountability reporter, she’s largely focused on state agencies, but she’ll be chipping in on legislative coverage, too.
While those three will be focused on Indiana politics and government, part of what makes IndyStar’s coverage so unique is the nearly 30 reporters and photographers we have on staff that will also chip in on Statehouse coverage as experts on topic areas such as public safety, the environment and education.
Want to do more than just read our coverage? You can find out which state lawmakers represent you, and how to contact them, by going to https://iga.in.gov/information/find-legislators. You can also sign up to testify on legislation by filling out the form at https://cap.iga.in.gov/standing_appearance_form.
Thanks in advance for sticking with us all session long. As always, feel free to send us tips or tell us what legislation you think we should cover.
Contact IndyStar government and politics editor Kaitlin Lange at Kaitlin.Lange@indystar.com or follow her on X @Kaitlin_Lange.
