Updates From Sen. Deery

Local Bands Selected For 500 Festival Parade

With the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 quickly approaching, two local bands have been selected to perform during this year’s AES 500 Festival Parade in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, May 27.

The Montgomery County United Band and Guard will participate in the parade for the first time.

The band includes students from Crawfordsville, North Montgomery and Southmont high schools in Montgomery County.

The Purdue All-American Marching Band will also be back at the Speedway, as it has each year for over a century, as well as the parade, as it has since its inception in 1957.

Congratulations to the students from Montgomery County for this high honor, and to Purdue for being a part of Indiana’s race history for so many years. I am proud to have District 23 so well represented.        

INDOT Update Across Senate District 23

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) recently announced lane restrictions along a portion of U.S. 36 in Parke County for bridgework between East Old 36 Road and North 1050 East.

These restrictions are expected to start Wednesday, May 17 and last through the end of May and traffic will be controlled using temporary signals.

A portion of State Road 234 in Cayuga in Vermillion County will be closed between 2nd and Patterson streets as early as Monday, May 15, for railroad work.

This project is expected to be complete by Thursday, May 18.

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it is important for all of us to know what resources are available to Hoosiers in a time of crisis.

The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by dialing 9-8-8 where a caller can speak with a trained crisis specialist.

BeWellIndiana is a free resource to call if an individual is feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or alone. Just simply call 2-1-1 to be connected to a crisis counselor.

In addition, we passed a new state budget this session that allocates an additional $170 million for mental health resources. Part of that funding will go toward a Senate Republican priority to lay the groundwork for expansion in the number of certified community behavioral health clinics throughout Indiana.

We also passed a law that allows law enforcement to transport individuals suffering from a mental health crisis, or temporary impairment from drugs or alcohol, to the nearest facility providing mental health treatment. The law also states that non-violent offenders could be eligible to take part in a voluntary mental health treatment program instead of jail as a condition of their pretrial release.

Mental health issues continue to be a growing concern throughout our nation, but I am hopeful the work we accomplished this session will be a strong step forward in ensuring folks who suffer from mental illness can get the help they need.

INDOT to host open houses for Statewide Transportation Improvement Program

The Indiana Department of Transportation will conduct eight in-person and two virtual open houses to give Hoosiers an opportunity to learn about the 2024-2028 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

The program is the state’s five-year planning and construction document that will list projects that are expected to be funded during the period.

In-person open houses include:

• Marion Public Library, 600 S. Washington St., Marion, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17;
• Broad Ripple Park Family Center, 1426 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18;
• Dean and Barbara White Community Center, 6600 Broadway, Merrillville, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24; and
• Evansville Public Library, 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Evansville, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31.

The virtual presentations will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 1 via Microsoft Teams.

Providing Support for Mothers and their Babies

Thanks to a partnership between the Indiana Department of Health, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana Department of Child Services, the My Healthy Baby program is now accessible to mothers and their babies in all 92 counties.

–Spencer Deery serves District 23 in the State Senate.