Senator Sue Errington Legislation Approved by General Assembly

Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 105 directs the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to conduct a feasibility study regarding implementation of a commuter rail system with service from Muncie to Indianapolis. The study would address the feasibility and implementation of stops along the rail system in the growing communities of Anderson, Noblesville and Fishers, as well as other potential stops. INDOT would also be required to commission six regional mass transit studies, which must be completed no later than January 1, 2009. The final bill was approved 49-0 in the Senate and 95-3 in the House. It will go into effect July 1.

SEA 185 gives preference to National Guard members returning from active duty priority for placement in employment and training programs provided by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development for up to one year after their discharge. The spouses of guard members on active duty will also be eligible for the priority placement. The final bill was approved unanimously by both chambers and signed by the governor March 30. It will go into effect July 1.

SEA 327 requires schools to provide parents of incoming sixth grade girls with information on the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer and inform them that a vaccine is now available. The vaccine is reported to prevent the types of HPV that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The final bill passed the Senate 45-3 and the House 81-14. It was signed into law by the governor April 26 and will go into effect July 1.

House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1027 ties Indiana’s minimum wage to the federal level. The bill was approved by the Senate vote 45-3 and in the House by a vote of 75-22. It was signed by the governor May 4.

HEA 1067 would divest state public retirement funds from companies that do business in Sudan in an effort to place economic pressure on the Sudanese government and compel it to halt its blatant human rights violations in the Darfur region. The bill would require the Public Employee’s Retirement Fund (PERF) and the Indiana State Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRF) to contact companies in which they are shareholders that do business in Sudan and request them to cease such activities. If the companies refuse to comply, PERF and TRF would then sell or transfer their investments in those companies. It requires PERF and TRF to report their Sudanese divestment-related activities to the General Assembly. The bill also allows a member of TRF who is a party in a divorce to remove the spouse as designated beneficiary under certain conditions. Each chamber of the General Assembly passed the bill unanimously. The bill was signed into law May 3 and will go into effect July 1.

HEA 1457 extends the Indiana Birth Problems Registry until 2017. It also establishes the Prenatal Substance Abuse Commission to develop a plan to improve early intervention and treatment for pregnant women who abuse alcohol, drugs or use tobacco. The commission will include physicians, a social worker, an advocate recommended by the March of Dimes and other experts on the issues of addiction treatment for pregnant women as well as legislators. The final bill passed both houses unanimously and now awaits action by the governor.