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Welcome to 2025.
A new year means different things for different people. It’s a time for resolutions such as losing weight, eating better and exercising more. (I would recommend waiting until February before hitting the gym; by then, all the suckers will have cleared out.) For others, it could mean getting their personal or financial lives in order.
For me, January means two things. First, I do Dry January, where I give up alcohol for a month. And second, Indiana lawmakers are back!
To quote Lloyd Bridges in “Airplane,” “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.”
2025 will be an interesting year at the Indiana General Assembly. We have a new governor, Mike Braun. And while, for the most part, we have the same General Assembly, the issues lawmakers will have to address are pretty big.
They have to pass a state budget. They plan to tackle rising property taxes and health care costs, which plague just about every Hoosier. They will have to close a projected Medicaid shortfall. And education “reform” has always been on the agenda, though I think lawmakers should put the brakes on any new plans and give the last few reforms time to sink in.
And then there’s what I call “Issue X.” Issue X is that one unpredictable thing that, based on history, tends to pop up shortly after Valentine’s Day.
While property tax reform is important, most of the property tax problems in Indiana are the result of simple supply and demand. There was an increase in demand and a decrease in supply; when that happens, the price goes up and so do the tax bills. It’s simple free-market economics. And the main way to lower home prices is to increase the supply.
Making it easier for individuals to own a home is a good thing; increasing the stock will help mitigate the demand and result in lower prices.
Health care reform—lowering costs or at least controlling them—will be a tall order. As lawmakers blame hospitals and insurance companies for rising costs, one party escapes blame: the consumer. One way to get health care costs under control is not to use them as much. A lot of health care problems result from unhealthy lifestyles, such as drinking, smoking and unhealthy eating. (Yes, the irony in all this is not lost on me.) I argue, however, that better lifestyle choices can go a long way in lowering costs, and a little preventive maintenance, such as physicals, can go a long way.
Then there’s education reform. While I am a firm believer in charter schools and universal vouchers, the state is going to have to figure out the right formula to encourage choice while not financially harming traditional public education.
And before we close up shop here, we can’t discuss the 2025 session without talking about legalizing marijuana (recreational or medicinal). If I were in the Legislature, I’d be working on a proposal to set up a system of legalization. That way, when marijuana does become legal, all Indiana has to do is flip the switch.
Of course, for all intents and purposes, marijuana is legal in Indiana, given that we are surrounded by states where it is legal—and no one is really more than a 90-minute drive from being able to buy pot. We are 76 miles from a dispensary in Danville, Illinois, for example. And with Indiana’s financial headaches, lawmakers might want to reconsider the revenue legalization can generate.
So, with budget shortfalls, property taxes, schools, marijuana and Issue X looming, the Statehouse will be a very interesting place in 2025. Happy new year!•
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Shabazz is an attorney, radio talk show host and political commentator, college professor and stand-up comedian. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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