.png)
Healthcare
3
Economics
4.00
Candidate Name
Michelle Shelly Henry
District
State House District 72
Values
Grade
Values
Party
Democrat
Experience
Challenger
Grade
Democracy
3.33
Accessibility
3
Governance
4
Cost
Choice
3
X
Freedom
Voting
3
3
Community
X
B+
Overall Grade
Education
3.67
Affordability
Equity
Opportunity
4
4
4
Environment
Public Safety
Inclusion
X
X
3
Stability
Funding
Belonging
4
3
4
Notable Information
Candidate Name
Candidate for:
State House District 72
Democrat
Challenger
Notable Information
MADVoters Survey Responses
Healthcare: The Big Beautiful Bill is projected to cut $31 billion from Indiana’s Medicaid funding, including almost $13 billion in hospital funding, over the next decade. What will you do if elected to ensure healthcare affordability and access given these changes? (Source: Indiana Hospital Association)
Hoosiers faced significant barriers to accessing affordable healthcare prior to passage of the Bill. More than a third of rural Americans skip needed care due to cost issues. Nearly 25% of rural residents report having serious issues or the complete inability to pay the cost of medical care. With the passage of the Bill, access to healthcare has diminished. In fact, more than half of Indiana's counties do not have a hospital with a labor and delivery unit within the county and almost half do not have an obstetrician on staff.
While healthcare is a challenging issue across the United States and requires a national approach, there are steps we can take to improve access to care in Indiana. First, we can encourage doctors to come to Indiana to practice in our rural counties through the use of targeted scholarships, student loan assistance, and homebuyer incentive programs. We can leverage the state's buying power to ensure that the healthcare options available to state employees provide full coverage for common medical procedures and prescriptions. In addition, we can provide state level subsidies for marketplace plans to increase affordability for low income Hoosiers.
Economics: AI and data centers are having a huge impact on jobs and communities across the nation, particularly in Indiana. What is Congress’s role in addressing this developing technology? What action will you take to hear and represent the concerns of Hoosiers on this topic?
Economics: Dozens of AI data centers are planning to come to Indiana, drawn by the state’s “business-friendly” reputation. How should Indiana manage these large industrial site proposals and their potential impact on communities? (Source: Citizens Action Coalition)
Indiana has become a hotspot for massive data centers, thanks to generous tax breaks for large corporations, many of them based out of state. But local families are starting to ask an important question: Who is really benefiting?
Communities are seeing higher electricity demand, concerns about water use, and potential long-term environmental impacts. At the same time, taxpayers are footing the bill through sales tax exemptions with very little oversight once these facilities are built.
I believe we need to put Hoosiers first. That means repealing the special sales tax break for data centers, because the corporations that benefit from these data centers need to pay their own way. I also support putting a temporary pause on new projects so lawmakers and the public can fully understand the impact on local communities. Finally, companies that want to operate in Indiana should meet strict transparency and reporting standards and be accountable to the people who live here.
Education: Describe your stance on the Department of Education and its role in education administration, funding, and protections for students with disabilities.
Education: Since 2012, Indiana has spent over $5.5 billion in taxpayer dollars on charter schools and the private school voucher program. If elected, would you support or oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to funding private schools and charter schools? Why or why not? (Source: ICPE)
Indiana’s voucher program has grown into the largest in the country, with no income limits and few guardrails. Meanwhile, our public schools continue to face funding challenges.
Vouchers send hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to private schools that are not held to the same standards as public schools. They are not required to follow the same transparency rules, and they have more flexibility to deny admission to students, including those with disabilities.
I believe public dollars should strengthen public schools. It is time to rein in the voucher program and require any school receiving taxpayer funds to meet the same accountability, transparency, and student protections that public schools follow. Hoosier families deserve fairness and strong neighborhood schools they can rely on.
Democracy: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge or threat facing our democracy right now? If elected, what will you do to help overcome this challenge or threat?
There are many ongoing threats to democracy at this moment. But one that can be addressed at a local and state level is our citizens' distrust in the voting process. I have spoken with many people who say that they are not voting because they do not believe it matters if they do. Others have told me that they are afraid to use Floyd County's robust absentee or early voting options out of fear that their votes will not be counted.
We must increase voter confidence and voter turnout. I support expanding opportunities to register to vote including outreach to young people when they reach voting age, working with high schools and colleges to expand voter registration, and active efforts to identify newcomers to our state and encourage them to register to vote.
With respect to voter confidence, we must ensure that elections are safe and fair. Achieving this could include altering our current regulations regarding voter engagement at the polls to prevent candidate advocates from accosting voters as they enter the polling location. It also requires transparency in the method by which votes are collected and counted at the local level.
Community: Describe your stance on ICE and its role in immigration enforcement and detention.
Community: What role or responsibility do local and state governments have with regards to immigration enforcement?
Immigration is, by design, a federal issue. However, given the federal government's dangerous and, at times, deadly efforts to enforce immigration policy, it is necessary for state and local government to step up and protect their citizen and non-citizen residents. Local and state police can and should prevent the out-of-control policing strategies ICE engages in, including kidnapping people off the street without probable cause for the detention. We must hold ICE agents accountable for crimes committed within our state and our communities from misdemeanors to murder. And, of course, our governments should not contribute to ICE's outrageous conduct by agreeing to house its detainees (often at a significant financial burden).