Indiana State Representative Vernon G. Smith
With 2025 marking 35 years of serving Indiana House District 14, State Rep. Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary) continued his commitment to the public by filing nine pieces of legislation.
“I am blessed to be a servant to my community for another term,” Smith said. “During my time at the Statehouse, I’ve watched legislation try to tear the fine people of Gary down, and each time, we have risen to the challenge. As the representative for District 14, my purpose is not only to protect our community but also to uplift those within it.”
One of Smith’s bills, House Bill (HB) 1540, focuses on absenteeism and improving student’s academic outcomes. HB 1540 requires the Department of Education to study student absences, create a list of best practices, develop intervention strategies and provide attendance improvement targets for certain schools.
“Since the pandemic, we have seen an alarming increase in student absences,” Smith said. “In my 20+ years as an administrator, I saw students fall behind from missing critical hours of instruction. Students of color experience the highest rates of chronic absenteeism, and Gary School Corporation is nearly 90% African American. We must act now to show our students the importance of education and the value that schooling adds to their futures. I chose to pursue my doctorate due to the wonderful people in my life celebrating academic excellence. Our school corporations need multiple tools to combat absenteeism since every student is different. Some students miss class because of illness, while others lack a quality support system needed to get to school. There should be multiple avenues to address this problem not a one-size fits all solution. HB 1540 would continue to study this troublesome trend and create more intervention strategies for our schools. ”
HB 1317 and HB 1318 both aim to increase public safety. HB 1317 would require individuals convicted of domestic violence to surrender any firearms they possess and their permit to carry to the court. If an individual fails to comply, it’s a Class A misdemeanor. HB 1318 would establish the Hoosier Scam Prevention Board. A third bill authored by Smith, HB 1539, seeks to improve students’ safety in schools. This bill would require a school corporation to adopt a timetable for reporting incidents of bullying, and for the principal of the school to report bullying to the parents of the victim and the parents of the alleged perpetrator.
“We can do more to protect people from violent and non-violent crime. Anyone who has been convicted of violence in the home should not be able to own a firearm. One of the most tragic facts I’ve learned is that women who are victims of domestic violence are five times more likely to be killed if there’s a firearm in the home. We can prevent these tragedies by increasing legal protections through HB 1317. I also want to create a Hoosier Scam Prevention Board. It feels like you get a spam call once a day asking you for your insurance, bank account or social security information. Many of the scams are dangerous because they’re believable. By creating a board to study the scams taking place in Indiana, we get one step closer to eliminating them. Another bill I authored to improve our children’s safety is HB 1539 which creates reporting requirements for bullying. School is a place where students should feel safe, and bullying has a detrimental impact on the affected student. A parent should never be left in the dark about something that is seriously harming their child mentally, emotionally or physically.”
One of Smith’s other priorities is recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday with HB 1315.
“June 19, 1865, marked the end of slavery in the United States which was years after the Emancipation Proclamation,” Smith said. “Four years ago, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. It’s observed in our state, but it is not a legal holiday. HB 1513 seeks to proclaim Juneteenth an official state holiday. Establishing this holiday supports our nation’s founding promise that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
In addition to tackling chronic absenteeism, public safety, and recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday, Smith’s legislative agenda includes measures addressing retirement benefits, tenant utility fees, judicial immunity, electricity net metering, and tax form simplification for nonprofits. These bills aim to improve financial security, consumer protections, and administrative efficiency across Indiana.
“This year I hope to make progress on all nine of these issues for the betterment of our community. I am ready to continue my service this session to House District 14.”
A full list of Smith’s legislation is available below:
1. HB 1314: Deferred Retirement Option Plan
2. HB 1315: Designation of Juneteenth as a State Holiday
3. HB 1316: Sewer and Storm Water Fees Incurred by Tenants
4. HB 1317: Surrender of Firearms for Domestic Violence Crimes
5. HB 1318: Hoosier Scam Prevention Board
6. HB 1350: Judicial Immunity
7. HB 1537: Net Metering for Electricity Generation
8. HB 1538: Nonprofit Tax Form Simplification
9. HB 1539: Education Matters
10. HB 1540: Chronic Absenteeism
The community can contact the office of State Rep. Vernon Smith by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-382-9848.