Week in Review at the Indiana General Assembly

The State Senate unanimously passed legislation this week that includes language to allow the state's Public Employees' Retirement Fund (PERF) and Teachers' Retirement Fund (TRF) to divest from companies that actively support the Sudanese government which is aiding and abetting genocide. Specifically, the bill calls on PERF and TRF, in the capacity of shareholders, to request that companies with certain business activities in Sudan to cease those activities. If a company is unresponsive to the request, the fund managers would sell or divest all publicly traded securities held by PERF or TRF in that company. Passage of House Bill 1067 is meant to place economic pressure on the Sudanese government and compel it to halt its blatant human rights violations in the Darfur region where over 400,000 people have been killed and an additional 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes. Six other states have passed Sudanese divestment legislation and several more have legislation pending this year. Previous divestment campaigns have helped to end policies like apartheid in South Africa. The bill now proceeds to the governor for final consideration.

Integration of intelligent transportation systems

Legislation has been signed into law which requires the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to conduct a feasibility study of integrating intelligent transportation systems into Indiana's highway systems to determine if new technologies could reduce travel times and improve safety on Indiana's highways. Intelligent transportation systems encompass a broad range of communications-based information and electronic technologies such as advanced traveler information, traffic and incident management systems, and variable message signs. The study will include plans for reserving rights-of-way for power, communication and fiber cables, dedicated lanes for commercial and passenger traffic and parallel rail lines. Senate Enrolled Act 315 requires INDOT to report the results of the study to the public and General Assembly in an intermediate report due before January 1, 2008 and in a final report due before January 1, 2009.

Schools and courts will be able to work together on student matters through school notification and record sharing under a bill signed into law this week, House Enrolled Act 1382. Law enforcement agencies will be required to notify a school principal or superintendent within 48 hours if a child is taken into custody for allegedly committing certain crimes. Schools would also be notified by the courts within seven days of an original conviction or modification if a student is convicted of certain felonies. The notification requirements by law enforcement would apply to both public and nonpublic schools. In addition, the law requires parents to be notified if their child is interrogated on school property by a law enforcement officer regarding an incident in which the student is a suspect, even if the student is 18 years old or older. The Indiana Department of Correction reported that 39 children were convicted of a Class A, B, C, or D felony during 2004. Also, 811 were adjudicated as a delinquent offender for the aforementioned felony charges. These figures do not include the number of children who were place on probation.

Heating assistance for low-income Hoosiers

Additional funds will be made available for an energy assistance program for low-income Hoosiers under House Enrolled Act 1037, another measure signed into law this week. The new law will exempt heating and cooling bills from the state sales tax allowing more money to go toward helping low income families receive assistance. It affects customers who participate in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program, the state's energy assistance program that provides grants for winter heating and summer cooling assistance. Funding for the program comes exclusively from federal sources and dedicated state funds and is distributed through a statewide network of 24 community action agencies. More than 159,000 households were assisted last year.

Bills in conference committee

Deadline dates