INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A major leadership change is coming to the Indiana State Senate. Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray announced he will not seek re-election to his leadership post, a decision that headlined this week’s edition of “All INdiana Politics.”

Bray, who has served as president pro tempore since 2018, faced pushback after opposing an unsuccessful attempt to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps last year. His decision to step down from leadership comes nearly three months after several anti-redistricting Senate Republicans lost their primary races.

Despite stepping away from the top role, Bray will continue to serve in the Senate through the end of his term in 2028. He praised his caucus’s accomplishments during his tenure, citing more than 20 tax cuts, initiatives to lower health care costs, increased school literacy rates, and record capital investments.

During an “All Indiana Politics” panel, political analysts Brad Boswell and Lacey Berkshire noted the upcoming leadership race will likely involve significant political maneuvering, as key committee chairmanships hang in the balance. Potential successors floated for the role include Sens. Chris Garton, Scott Baldwin, and Tyler Johnson.

Sen. Todd Young pushes for domestic shipbuilding, stock trading ban

U.S. Sen. Todd Young joined the program to discuss the Ships for America Act, which recently saw major provisions included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the U.S. House.

The legislation aims to incentivize domestic shipbuilding, with a goal of producing 250 merchant vessels over the next 10 years. Young emphasized the economic potential for Indiana, noting the state’s leading steel production capabilities could play a critical role in the supply chain.

Young also reiterated his support for the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would prohibit individual stock trading by members of Congress.

“Members of Congress … are sent here to serve the American people, not to manage their stock portfolios,” Young said, noting that restoring public trust requires lawmakers to avoid acting on sensitive, non-public information.

Addressing international conflicts, Young criticized recent intermittent bombing campaigns in Iran, arguing for a more unified, long-term strategy that includes a blockade to constrict the Iranian economy and prevent the nation from developing a nuclear weapon.

$120 million headed to Indiana rural health care

State health officials are currently reviewing proposals to distribute $120 million in rural health care grants as part of the Grow Rural Health initiative.

State health director Dr. Lindsay Weaver highlighted the need to move away from relying heavily on acute emergency department care. Instead, the grants will fund community-based resources such as mobile integrated health, food as medicine programs, and expanded pre- and postnatal care.

Winners of the grants, which aim to address severe health disparities and high chronic disease rates in rural regions, will be announced Sept. 1.

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