Pryor previews 2024 legislative focus
This week, State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) filed her bills for the upcoming 2024 legislative session that begins on Monday, January 8. The bills filed by Pryor further her work on improving the lives of Hoosiers not only in her district but all over the state of Indiana. Pryor’s legislative priorities this session include promoting fair housing rights – particularly for vulnerable populations – expanding health insurance for state employees to cover breast cancer screenings, and helping police identify when they are interacting with someone with autism.
“Since I was elected in 2008, protecting Hoosiers' right to fair housing practices has been one of my top priorities,” Pryor said. “Three out of my five bills are dedicated to protecting homeowners and renters from unfair practices that put vulnerable Hoosiers and underserved communities at a disadvantage.
“First and foremost, I am refiling a bill to address discrimination in appraisal practices. A Black homeowner in 2021 had her home appraisal double when she had her white friend stand in. A big part of the racial wealth disparity comes from homeownership and property values. We need to reform the system that allows for such blatant biases that is preventing Black Hoosiers from accumulating wealth the way their white neighbors do.”
The bill focused on discriminatory appraisal practices is House Bill 1112, which explicitly prohibits the use of factors such as race, color, national origin, sex, disability and familial status from impacting the appraisal price of a property. Pryor has also filed two bills looking go keep homeowners from being harassed by investors. House Bill 1113 gives Hoosiers a leg up against large investment firms when buying a single-family home and House Bill 1111 will reduce unsolicited home purchase inquiries.
“In recent years, the average American family has been priced out of the single-family home housing market by investment firms who have bought up vast quantities of single-family homes in cash at rates impossible to compete with,” Pryor said. “One of the biggest accomplishments for a family or an individual is buying a home. House Bill 1113 protects the interests of Hoosier families by barring investment firms from entering into contract to purchase a single-family home within 90 days of the initial listing.”
“House Bill 1111 aims to prevent seniors or financially precarious households from being taken advantage of by telephone solicitors while also cracking down on the harassment of homeowners uninterested in selling their residential property. These unsolicited calls disrupt everyday life and are on the brink of harassment.”
In addition to focusing on housing, Pryor is also fighting to help women seeking treatment or diagnostic procedures for breast cancer be covered by their insurance plan.
“Early detection of breast cancer increases the survival rate by 93%. Seeking diagnostic examinations or supplement screenings to look for early signs of breast cancer not only saves lives but saves insurance companies money down the line compared to more intensive treatment,” Pryor said. “House Bill 1114 would require the state health care plan to cover diagnostic and supplemental examinations in full, without requiring those seeking them to pay part of the cost.”
Her final bill seeks to prevent encounters between police and people with autism from escalating because the officer doesn’t know the person has a medical condition. House Bill 1115 gives the option to have a medical symbol on a person's ID or the information available in the ISP system.