Direct file to adult court

There are three pending bills before the House and Senate that expand the legal pathways for direct filing children into adult court:

• SB 197-"Criminal Law Issues"
• HB 1256- "Juvenile Court Jurisdiction"
• HB 1369- "Firearms Matters"

If passed, they will change current law to expand direct file to include gun possession offenses. Though we want to keep guns out of the hands of all children, including this offense would re-establish the second leading driver of children into adult court, an overwhelming majority of whom are black male youth. We oppose this effort and are sending a letter that you can still sign here asking legislators to amend these three bills to remove gun possession as a listed offense for direct file. 

This Monday, March 8 from 1-2pm, we are joining our friends in the Indiana Coalition for Youth Justice in hosting a virtual press conference about these bills and the amendments we are asking for. Please join us and other advocating stakeholders at this press conference to learn about these bills, what they mean for Hoosier children, and what you can do to support us in these advocacy efforts.

Juvenile Justice- We need your help!

SB 369, "Juvenile Justice" has passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now sits before the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code. If passed into law, this bill will ensure children aren't housed in adult jails, establish standards to make sure children are competent to stand trial, and create a system of automatic expungement for juvenile records.

We are thrilled that this bill is still alive but our fight is not yet over! Please contact key legislators now and ask them to give this bill a hearing in committee and support it. In just a few clicks, you can send your message to lawmakers and help us win the fight to pass positive legislation that will help our community and the most vulnerable children that live in it.

Public Transportation

Last week SB 141, "Central Indiana Public Transportation Projects," was approved by the Senate, 32-17. If passed, this bill would seriously threaten public transportation funding in Central Indiana and halt progress on the Blue and Purple Rapid Transit Bus lines. This is especially important because many Hoosier children and their families rely on these public transportation options in order to get to school, to after-school programs, and to work.

It currently sits before the House Roads and Transportation committee. Our hope is to keep the bill from advancing out of committee, so the bill will die. Please join us and our friends at United Way of Central Indiana and sign this letter to key legislators outlining the importance of a reliable, quality public transportation system to Central Indiana community members. The deadline to sign on to this letter is Tuesday, March 9.