While serving in the Senate, Tallian, a progressive, has supported medicinal prescription and the decriminalization of marijuana, and has authored bills in its favor.
[9] Expressing frustration with the way the Republican majority ran the Indiana legislature, Tallian retired in mid-term at the end of October, 2021.
[14][17][18] As president of the Portage Parks Foundation in 2003, Tallian initiated the acquisition of Brennan Woods near the Salt Creek.
[22][23] Tallian first ran for town council in Ogden Dunes in 1991, but lost to the Republican candidate Trusten Lee, a dentist.
[24][25] She previously ran for the bench on the Porter County Superior Court in 2000, but lost to incumbent Judge Jeffrey Thode.
[26][27] Tallian first joined the State Senate in December 2005 as a replacement for Sen. Rose Ann Antich-Carr, D-Merrillville, who stepped down after 15 years to become Clerk Treasurer of her city.
[17] Larry Chubb, an opponent of hers in the caucus who had previously opposed Antich-Carr in a primary, did not successfully complete the paperwork and was disqualified.
[27] Incumbent Democratic candidate Tallian won her first re-election on November 7, 2006, to the Indiana State Senate District 4.
[29][30] Tallian's first opponent Paul Childress, who won the Republican primary, dropped out in August, and Brewer was the late entrant.
Another issue throughout the campaign was Tallian's opposition to the solution of Governor Mitch Daniels to lease toll roads for 75 years in order to fund his Major Moves program, which other state Democrats also opposed.
[34][35] After the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the public was told Tallian had accepted $500 from the British Petroleum political action committee, which she kept and said it was not a quid pro quo donation.
The Republican majority has blocked all of her attempts to amend the budget to provide more funding for schools in poorer districts.
[60] The Senate Democrats have been working on amending the Indiana Civil Rights Code to include LGBTQ protections.
[65][66][67] In the 2015 General Assembly Session, Tallian proposed an amendment that would increase the state minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
[68] Throughout the process and as a ranking minority member of the Pensions & Labor Committee, Tallian was a critic of the Republican proposals.
She argued that the legislation would lead to lower wages and that the promised favorable atmosphere for business lacked evidence.
[74] Tallian told Nuvo in April 2015: "Frankly, I will tell you that as long as our current governor (Mike Pence) is in office, I don't think this is ever going to happen.
[31][32][78] Another charge that Tallian leveled against the Major Moves program was that it bypassed normal bidding processes in favor of direct negotiation.