Indiana Association of United Ways Logo 
Policy Update, April 14, 2017 
Thank you for your interest and support. The Indiana Association of United Ways provides its Policy Update on "even Fridays" (2nd and 4th Fridays). Contact us  if you have any questions or comments about content (past, present or desired for the future).
Charitable Sector Priority Area United Way State Leaders Conference and Annual Meeting highlights
Indiana Association of United Ways held its annual meeting and the State Leaders Conference April 13, 2017. Highlights included:
  •  An opening keynote presentation delivered by Wallace R. "Ace" Yakey, VP for Community Development from Lilly Endowment, Inc. on the important role United Ways play in communities.
  • Eleven conference sessionsthat provided opportunities for participating volunteers and staff to learn something new, network and take home best practices.
  • Golden Excellence in Media (GEM) Awards for outstanding print, video and other communications with donors and volunteers. The top three winners were Lake Area United Way, United Way of Monroe County and United Way of Wells County.
  • The community impact Bright Star Award went to United Way of Miami County for their implementation and progress in all six United Way Business Mobilization Framework elements.
  • Election of seven new board members: Christopher Caldwell of Mutual Bank, Geoff Gailey of Midwest Fertilizer Company LLC, Lucia Downton of United Way of Central Indiana, Carl Ellison of Indiana Minority Health Coalition, Thomas Paulson of UPS, Brent Wake of Indiana State Alliance of YMCA's and Jonathan Weinzapfel of Ivy Tech Community College Southwest and Wabash Valley.
  • IaUW presented the 2016 Annual Report which included details of our strategic plan for the future, Vision 2027.  
  • During the evening banquet, 9 individuals from around the state were nominated by their local United Way or United Fund for Volunteer of the Year awards and seven companies were honored as the Company of the Year. View the program.
  • Michael O'Connor (right) was presented the Castaldi Award, our highest honor, in recognition of his leadership and longtime commitment to United Way of Central Indiana and their education and policy initiatives.
Income Priority Area Indiana's demand for more middle-skill workers
According to a new report issued by the National Skills Coalition, Indiana has a high demand for more employees who can fill middle-skill jobs.  These jobs, which require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree, make up the largest part of America's and Indiana's labor market. In Indiana, middle-skill jobs account for 58% of the labor market, but only 47% of the state's workers have the training to fill these positions.  The analysis also suggests that between 2014-2024, 55% of job openings will be middle-skill.  These jobs are a critical component of Indiana's economy and there is a growing need for more Hoosiers to acquire the skills and education required to fill these positions.  View the Indiana fact sheet

The Indiana Skills2Compete Coalition is working to improve policies in Indiana to encourage more investments in middle-skill training and Workforce Ready Grants which would give more adults the opportunity to get certificates and training for high-demand jobs.
At the Statehouse
2017 legislative session wrapping upState Capitol
The Indiana General Assembly is nearing the end of the 2017 legislative session with only a week remaining before Sine Die.  Of the 850 or so bills that were filed at the beginning of session, 362 bills were alive to start the second half and 278 were alive after the third reading deadline.  Bills that have passed both chambers and were not amended in the second chamber will now move to the Governor's desk after being signed by the Speaker of the House, the Senate President Pro Tem, and the President of the Senate (Lt. Governor).  

Bills that have passed both chambers but were amended in the second half will be returned to the original author.  If the author agrees with the amendments added by the opposite chamber, the author will file a Motion to Concur and the entire chamber will vote on that motion.  If approved the bill will be signed by chamber leadership and head to the Governor's desk.  If the author of a bill does not agree with the changes made by the opposite chamber, he or she will file a Motion to Dissent, sending the bill to a Conference Committee.  At that point, chamber leadership assigns two legislators from each chamber to "conference" and debate the final details of the bill.  Once the committee reaches a final decision and the conference committee report is signed, that document becomes the bill and must be approved by both chambers before being signed by chamber leadership and heading to the Governor's desk.

Links to help you follow are below: 

At the Statehouse - Take Action Register now for the final Legislative Update Webinar being hosted by IaUW and the Indiana Coalition for Human Services.  Live recording will take place on Friday, May 5 at 2:00pmET and the webinar will be available online after.
At the Statehouse - Take Action
Check out our Third House / Meet Your Legislator event calendar
IaUW is tracking Third House Sessions and "meet your legislator" events across the state.  These meetings are opportunities for constituents to talk to their legislators and learn about bills they are working on at the statehouse.  View our Third House Calendar that will be updated regularly throughout the legislative session.  Check back often for new events as they are posted.  Upcoming events include:
  • Columbus - April 17, 24 at 7:30am
  • Goshen - April 15 at 8:00am
  • Greater Kokomo - May 12 at 11:30am
  • Greater Lafayette - April 15 at 7:30am
  • Hendricks County - April 17 at 7:00am
  • Shelby County - May 19 at 11:30am
If you attend, drop us a note to share a little about your experience.
Charitable Sector Priority Area - Take Action
Survey of Indiana nonprofits survey icon
A new survey by the Indiana Nonprofit Sector Project will document challenges that Indiana nonprofits face.  The survey, jointly sponsored by the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will help inform state and local policy makers on how best to support and strengthen Indiana nonprofits.  Please complete the survey if you are invited to participate and encourage other nonprofit leaders to do so as well.  Most organizations in the sample will receive an invitation to complete the survey via email or paper copy in early April.  Read more about this survey effort.  
Health Priority Area County health rankings available
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings and Roadmaps can help United Ways and human services organizations use county-level data to understand what influences the overall health of local residents and identify opportunities and solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy.  There are county rankings for health outcomes which look at overall health and rankings for health factors which look at certain behaviors, clinical care and economic factors.  Key findings highlight the increase in deaths related to substance abuse in various community types and the health of disconnected youth that are not in school or working.  View the Indiana Health Rankings and the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Key Findings Report.

Overall County Rankings in Health Outcomes
(White 1st, Dark Green 92nd)
At the Statehouse
IaUW Public Policy 
IaUW is a nonpartisan organization that works to advance policy principles and compromise solutions for the common good. Our policy priorities are developed and guided by our Public Policy Committee and our members, based on their programmatic work in Hoosier communities.
  • Education, so that children are prepared for and succeed in school;
  • Income/Financial Stability, so that individuals and families may achieve and sustain financial stability;
  • Health, so that individuals may access quality healthcare; and 
  • Strong Communities, where a statewide 2-1-1 network and a strong charitable sector help communities thrive.
Review our  public policy documents , including fact sheets, testimony and bill summaries. 
Frequently Requested Links / Documents
  
iauw.org  - Learn about the Indiana Association of United Ways, current trainings and conferences and the ways we support local United Ways/Funds, partners and communities.

IaUW Policy / Advocacy info - Review and download IaUW Policy Priorities, Third House calendar, bill lists, fact sheets, talking points and testimony.
  
Federal Advocacy Action Center - Contact your member of Congress provided through our partnership with United Way Worldwide.

IaUW Policy Update Archive - Read prior issues, special articles and key documents produced by IaUW related to public policy and advocacy.

Community Report Card - Check out key indicators in Education, Income and Health for your neighborhood, county or region.

IN211.org - S earch for human service information available through the referral database or by calling 2-1-1. Download reports about resources, needs, gaps and trends from Indiana 211 Partnership.
  
NRN Calendar - Register for high-quality and affordable training for nonprofit staff and volunteers by the Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network.

Funding and Other Opportunities  Explore current requests for proposals, funding and recognition opportunities.

Indiana General Assembly  - Check the hearing or floor schedule, watch a live or recorded hearing or floor session and look up your legislators. 

Congress.gov   - Look up bills introduced or passed in Congress.