Week in Review at the Indiana General Assembly from State Senator Sue Errington, D-Muncie

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The State Senate has begun its consideration of 114 House-approved bills this week while the House reviews 149 bills and five joint resolutions which gained Senate approval. Committee hearing agendas are full as members wade through the myriad of proposals still moving through the process. The following brief summary highlights some of the bills heard in Senate committees this week.

Property tax relief

Property tax reform continues to dominate debate as the General Assembly moves into the second half of this session. The Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee has begun its review of House Bill 1001, the omnibus tax relief legislation approved by the House earlier this session. As amended by the House, a few of the bill's provisions would:

•            eliminate numerous levies.

•            increase the circuit breaker credit for homesteads, certain rental property, residential mobile home parks, agricultural property, and property of certain lower and moderate income senior citizens.

•            provide an additional supplemental standard deduction for homesteads.

•            provide property tax deferrals for senior and disabled citizens.

•            place a freeze on property taxes for low-income seniors who own homesteads with an assessed value of less than $200,000.

•            increase the Earned Income Tax Credit from 6 percent to 9 percent.

•            transfer the assessment duties of township assessors and assessor-trustees to the county assessor.

•            require the Department of Local Government Finance to establish a uniform and common property tax management system.

•            change the circuit breaker rate for agricultural property from 3 percent to 2 percent.

•            double the renter's deduction for income tax purposes from $2,500 to $5,000.

•            establish a $150 million tuition support rainy day fund and a school transportation rainy day fund.

•            increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent.

Committee members will conduct hearings on the bill over the next two weeks. Following the conclusion of testimony, amendments are expected to be introduced. Upon committee approval, the bill will proceed to the full Senate for its consideration.

Other Senate committee action

Members of the Education and Career Development Committee considered House Bill 1049 which would remove a stipulation that a student's eligibility for a higher education financial aid award does not extend more than ten years after the date the student's initial award is granted. The time limit would also be removed for financial aid awards made to part-time students. Also heard was House Bill 1232, an initiative which would exempt a college or university from paying a fee for a limited criminal history record of a student in the institution's school of education before the student begins a field or classroom experience. The bill would also require an expanded criminal history background check for a person seeking to obtain or renew a teaching license or certificate.

The Pensions and Labor Committee conducted hearings on House Bills 1019 and 1065, legislation regarding public employee retirement matters. Also considered was House Bill 1213 dealing with occupational health and safety training.

Several bills on the agenda for the Commerce, Public Policy & Interstate Cooperation Committee included House Bill 1017 which would require the Indiana Arts Commission to establish an arts and cultural district certification program. House Bill 1083 would require the Indiana Port Commission to conduct a study to determine the optimal sites in Indiana to establish the Hoosier Inland Ports for intermodal commerce and industrial development zones. House Bill 1165 would require the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to oversee and encourage a regional homeless delivery system; facilitate the dissemination of information to assist individuals and families in accessing local resources, programs, and services related to homelessness, housing, and community development; and determine the number of homeless individuals, including children, in Indiana.

The Health and Provider Services Committee received testimony on several initiatives including House Bill 1171 which gained unanimous support from members. Errington is a co-author of this proposal which would require Emergency Medical Services personnel to successfully complete a course of education and training on autism to better equip EMS personnel to understand special techniques to use when helping individuals with autism. According to the Autism Research Institute, autism is a developmental disorder which can cause severe social, communication and behavioral problems. In 2007, one in 150 children was diagnosed with a disorder that falls within the autism spectrum.

Healthy Indiana Plan

In a rare joint meeting of the House and Senate Health committees this week, the Family and Social Services Administration Director, Mitch Roob, provided members with an update on the state's Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) approved by the General Assembly last year. Roob reported that more than 21,000 applications have been received to date. Plan providers are now allowing unlimited free preventative care. Funds are available to cover 130,000 adults between the ages of 19-64 with a cap of 34,000 on the number of nonparental adults who can be covered. There is no application deadline and applications are being processed within 45 days. For more information on how HIP works, who is eligible and how and where to apply, call toll-free 1-877-438-4479 or go on line to www.HIP.in.gov.

Upcoming deadlines

• February 21 - Committee report deadline
• February 26 - 2nd Reading deadline
• February 27 - 3rd Reading deadline
• February 28 - Conference committees begin

To stay informed about legislation moving through the Indiana General Assembly, log on to www.in.gov/legislative/. From this site, you can research bills, review committee calendars and legislative floor calendars, view full bill texts and watch Senate and House sessions as well as some committee hearings which are broadcast live.

In addition, citizens can stay informed on bills scheduled for action in the House and Senate chambers through a free on line program available at www.BillWatch.in.gov/. This program allows you to track up to ten bills. Email notifications are sent once per day if action is taken on tracked bills and/or resolutions. If no action is taken, e-mail notifications will not be sent.

Feel free to contact me with your comments and concerns regarding pending legislation or other matters pertaining to state government. To reach me:

• send correspondence to: Statehouse, 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
• call toll-free 1-800-382-9467.
• send emails to www.S26@iga.in.gov or visit my web site at www.in.gov/S26

Source: Senator Sue Errington Press Release

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