FADY’S PRIORITIES

Legislative Efforts

Since entering the Senate, I’ve authored, co-authored, and sponsored 76 pieces of legislation that were signed into law. In 2022, I was honored to receive the Civility Award from the Association of Retired State Legislators for my civility, cooperation, and bipartisan cooperation. As a legislator, I believe it’s my job to work on bipartisan solutions for our district and state. However, I have also stood up to the extreme legislation taken up by the Republican Supermajority that would harm our community by strongly opposing gerrymandering, erosion of personal freedoms and liberties for women to make their own medical decisions, the harmful anti-environmental policies, and the dangerous permitless carry legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2022.

INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Road Funding

    • Indiana’s inequitable road funding has underfunded Indianapolis’ roads for decades which is why I have authored Senate Bill (SB) 203 to ensure Indianapolis receives its fair share of funding. 

    • I’ve successfully worked across the aisle to make progress on this issue with Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 283 which will provide an additional $8 million in annual road funding for Indianapolis. This is an important first step, but will not solve our local infrastructure needs alone. That’s why I will continue fighting for a new road funding mechanism that builds a better infrastructure in our state’s capital and economic hub. 

  • ​Safer Streets

    • Making our roads safer for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians is another important priority for our district. That’s why I coauthored legislation to fund road safety projects like the 86th Street and Monon Trail crossing in our district. My bipartisan efforts led to legislation that will study road safety during the fall of 2023.

  • ​Nickel Plate Trail

    • During the 2021 Budget Session, I successfully secured $60 million in state funding for trails, which funded the Nickel Plate Trail project in Senate District 30 that will run from the State Fairgrounds into Hamilton County. This project will provide our community with another major trail for all Hoosiers to enjoy. 

Budgets

  • Budgets are about values, which is why I supported the 2021-22 state budget that provided funding for public schools to raise teacher pay, support for families and assistance to small businesses, funded student learning recovery programs, and helped Indiana come out of the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan.

  • Unfortunately, the 2023-24 budget missed many opportunities to support Hoosier families. Despite the unprecedented state budget surpluses, the Republican budget will cut funding for Washington and Pike Township schools in 2025, didn’t provide enough funding to support public schools and teachers, didn’t provide tax relief for Hoosiers on a fixed income, and didn’t fully fund public and mental health needs for all Hoosiers. 

  • As your public servant, I will continue advocating for budgets that invest in our communities, improve quality of life, and provide better educational and job opportunities for Hoosier families. 

EDUCATION

  • Pre-K and Childcare

    • Early childhood education and childcare are critical issues for families and children across the state, which is why I’ve consistently offered legislation to create a universal Pre-K and Childcare Program despite Republican opposition to this common-sense investment in Hoosier Families. In the 2023 session, I secured a bipartisan expansion of the On My Way Pre-K program, although the legislation I offered would have expanded eligibility to more families. 

  • ​Supporting our schools

    • Education will always be a top priority for me because I firmly believe that quality education can positively transform the quality of life for Hoosier families. For that reason, I have opposed harmful, politically motivated, legislation that aimed to politicize public education while advocating for increases in teacher pay, successfully eliminating textbook fees, and fighting for fully funding our local public schools so that all children have access to quality education.

  • ​Post Secondary Education

    • It’s crucial that the state creates opportunity pathways for students to pursue after graduating from high school such as learning a trade, attending community college, or obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees. I was proud to sponsor legislation that automatically enrolls eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars Program, which will provide more Hoosiers with an affordable college education. To compete nationally, Indiana needs to invest more in post-secondary education to attract and retain students, sustain our workforce needs, and cultivate a civically informed and engaged citizenry.  

PUBLIC SAFETY AND GUN SAFETY

  • As someone who lost a loved one to gun violence, this issue hits home. That’s why I’ve authored legislation to expand background checks, create safe storage requirements, and repeal the permitless carry legislation that law enforcement across the state fiercely opposed. 

  • During this year’s legislative session, I successfully sponsored HEA 1365 to make glock switches, devices that adapt firearms into machine guns, illegal in Indiana. 

  • I’ve also supported bipartisan efforts to combat violent crime, improve coordination between law enforcement departments, and expand mental health and suicide prevention training for first responders. 

  • During the 2022 session, I proudly supported HEA 1079 to provide an improved legal definition of consent. Sexual assault survivors deserve justice under our legal system. This legislation is the result of more than three years of bipartisan efforts to change Indiana’s rape laws for the first time since the 1800s.

REDISTRICTING

  • During the 2021 legislative session, I proposed creating an independent redistricting commission comprised of legislative leaders from both parties and citizen members. In 2022, I offered a constitutional amendment that would have created the same fair, bipartisan commission. In 2023, I co-authored legislation which would have established certain standards for the redistricting process to ensure transparency and fairness in our elections. While these efforts were not successful, I will continue to fiercely advocate for fair maps to ensure Hoosier voters get to select their representatives rather than politicians selecting their own districts.

HEALTHCARE

  • Home Healthcare

    • In the 2023 legislative session, I authored SEA 438 to improve home health services for the most vulnerable children in our state. I had the pleasure of working with patients and parents advocating for this legislation and was honored to have the legislation signed into law.

  • ​Supporting Women’s Healthcare 

    • During the 2022 session, I supported House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1140 to expand Medicaid coverage to more pregnant women, allowing them to benefit from additional services to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Under HEA 1140, mothers can stay on Medicaid for up to 12 months after giving birth.

    • To help improve contraceptive access, I also supported legislation that allows pharmacists to prescribe certain hormonal contraceptives to ensure that more women have timely access to care. 

  • ​Public Health

    • Indiana ranks 48th in the nation for investments in public health. In response, I coauthored SB 4 this year to transform our state’s public health system and bring additional public health funding to Indianapolis. Unfortunately, Hoosiers also face some of the highest healthcare costs in the country despite seeing some of the worst healthcare outcomes. I will continue to support policies that will ensure Hoosiers have access to affordable prescription drugs and healthcare services to improve their health outcomes. 

  • ​Mental Health

    • Improving mental health support is another priority of mine, which is why I coauthored SEA 1 to fund the 988 Mental Health Crisis Response Hotline and expand access to mental health services. The 2023 biennial budget underfunded this initiative, only providing about 40% of what a group of experts found was necessary. 

HOUSING

  • In the Senate, I have championed tenant’s rights because all Hoosiers deserve a safe and affordable home. As someone whose family experienced homelessness after Hurricane Katrina, I don’t want other families to face substandard living or homelessness. 

  • To address increasing housing costs and property taxes, I authored legislation to provide immediate relief to all taxpayers by capping property tax increases and expanding the renter’s income tax deduction. I’ve also successfully advocated for increasing the over-65 property tax deduction to help ensure that more seniors can afford to stay in their homes. 

  • I have also authored legislation to protect renters from negligent, irresponsible, and irresponsive out-of-state corporate landlords to ensure that all Hoosiers are guaranteed safe living standards. My efforts to legally prosecute JCP (the negligent corporate owner of Lakeside Pointe Apartments in Senate District 30) were successful. In addition, I was successful in securing $20 million to build Indianapolis’ first city-sponsored homeless shelter. I will continue to fiercely champion legislation to protect responsible tenants and homeowners, reduce property tax burdens, enhance living standards, expand affordable housing options, and reduce evictions.

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

  • Indiana ranks in the bottom ten states in the country for air and water quality. Protecting our environment improves our health, quality of life, and economy. That's why I’ve authored legislation to create energy improvement districts in Indiana to incentivize public and private organizations to conserve energy, supported legislation to incentivize clean, sustainable, and renewable sources of energy, and opposed removing state protections for wetlands. I will continue to champion legislation that promotes resiliency, sustainability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.