Yocum reflects on first year in Indiana General Assembly

With a history of wanting to give back, improve his area and service, Rep. Tim Yocum is continuing those three things despite the Indiana General Assembly being out of session.

The first year state lawmaker, who represents District 42 in the House of Representatives, recently hosted several town hall meetings to discuss his first year in the Statehouse. He admits those meetings gave him an opportunity to do what he enjoys most -- meeting with constituents and talking issues.

"I always maintained that I am here, call me, and we can have eye to eye contact and talk about differences. A lot of times, differences can be settled over a cup of coffee and just by talking. If someone calls me and says they want to talk, that is my job and I love doing it. The greatest time at the Statehouse is when you get to take people around, show them the Statehouse and have a talk," Yocum told The Parke County Post. 

Yocum's involvement in politics began in local politics in Vermillion County, where he once served as the Republican Party Chair and a county commissioner for almost a decade. 

"The one thing I always enjoyed was doing things in towns and cities through community projects. You see things that need to be done that haven't been done. I got involved with community projects and that was where I first realized I could make a difference. You have to be able to give and want to give, especially in political life. That proceeded on to being elected the Republican Party Chair. I slowly got involved in government and got elected as commissioner," Yocum said.

Yocum said his main priority as a local party chair was to have elections and bring about a two party system in Vermillion County. 

"Vermillion County was all Democrat at that time. When I was first elected, I was the first Republican elected to a county-wide seat in almost 20 years. It was a big change. My goal was to bring good elections to Vermillion County, where people had a choice and I did. I got involved because I thought my voice could be heard. If you aren't a servant before being elected, you better be after," Yocum said. 

From there, he spent almost a decade as a county commissioner, helping bring about an openness and transparency to local government. 

"I'm most proud about making government more open and transparent. We owe it to the people to make government open. It was a long road. There were a lot of things accomplished, especially the Community Crossing Grant. I think we got $10 million total and have the best road system in the state of Indiana for a small county. I wanted to be a service for the people, and I always put my cell phone number out there for people. I want to maintain that one on one communication with people," Yocum said.

In January, Yocum was caucused to replace Alan Morrison, who left the General Assembly to become the new head of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. He had run unsuccessfully against Morrison in 2023 and will serve the rest of Morrison's term, which ends in 2026. After joining the session after it began, Yocum was unable to author any bills, but spent the year learning the inner workings of state government. 

"The progression I went through, I think, is what should be done. You serve local and understand local. If you go to the Statehouse and haven't served locally, you have no respect for local government and it is hard to respect local government. In my opinion, the basis of all government is local government. Those people who serve on those boards and commissions are close to the people, and I think people fail to understand the importance of local government. Having been there for 10 years, it gives me a very real perspective," Yocum said. 

One thing Yocum learned during his first year is how amendments and changes are made to bills.

"There needs to be a better process in letting government entities know what is going on.There has to be a better way of communicating before these bills are passed so we can get feedback and understand the bills a little better. The value of local leadership is very important and them being involved with their legislators is even more important. It was totally different. We enact law, we abolish law or we alter law. It was unique to be there and learn the process. We had 1,200 laws when we started and almost 200 passed. It is a totally different animal from county government. I took the advice of people to listen and learn and next year, I will have the experience. Next year, I will be more understanding of how this process works and work to get bills passed," Yocum said. 

Yocum said he also learned rapidly how different the Statehouse is compared to local government. 

"It's just different. I am not being negative about it, but it's just different. I don't agree with the process and think it could be a lot better and changed. Just because you've done something for 100 years, doesn't mean it's right. I am thinking how can we change and do things better in state government, while being more open and transparent to the people," said Yocum, adding he doesn't like the fact that he can go to bed one night and wake up the next day and bills are completely changed with no time to read the changes but a vote is expected immediately. 

The veteran lawmaker said he looks forward to talking to voters and constituents about property taxes during the summer and leading up to the next session next year. 

"I think the biggest problem wasn't the housing spike, but we should have had a cost average over a five year period. There was a lot of stuff in that bill. I've talked with the State Board of Accounts, local assessors, local councils to better educate myself on how this process works. I think it is important to understand who owes what and where it goes to. The biggest misconception is people think the state gets a percentage of property taxes. The state gets zero. Property taxes are spent locally. I think we can do better on property tax reform. A lot of people say do away with property taxes, and my question back is what is going to take its place. It is important we get control of this property tax issue. Everyone wants to cut taxes, but when you cut something, you cut something somewhere else," Yocum said. 

When it comes to goals for the upcoming session, Yocum said he will look to bring his prior professional experience to Indianapolis with him. 

"I want to have open communication, and I think it's so important. In my years in county government, I had to go back to those people and continue to do so. When I go out and knock on doors, I ask if they remember me and tell them what I've done. Government ought to produce results and produce what people need. I am trying to find my place at the Statehouse and where I can take my expertise from the past and do the best. I want to be a service of the people, and maybe I can help them," Yocum said.