Legislative Report - End of Third Quarter
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Update for the C4HF Director
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As we enter the 4th Quarter of the 2019 Indiana General Assembly, I just wanted to let you know that we have a new
C4HF Advisory Board
, Haley Compston. Haley is a Junior at Purdue and is majoring in Communication. An interesting fact about Haley when she was 16 she was chosen to represent the City of Indianapolis at the Sister Cities Youth Leadership Summit. Haley has always been interested in government, politics, and writing. She joined the C4HF Advisory Board thinking it would be a great way to be more informed and to do her part for the community while gaining professional experience at the same time.
I also wanted to share with you that we will be losing our student leader,
Angela Weaver
. Angela will be graduating from Purdue in May and following graduation will be spending the summer in DC and then relocating to Indianapolis in August. When asked about her experience as the Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy Intern, Angela shared
“I enjoyed getting to learn about the legislative process and different efforts the Indiana General Assembly is doing to provide for low-income families.”
We are grateful to Angela for recruiting new ambassadors as well as advisory board members as well as adding additional content and interest to the newsletter. Under her leadership the quality of the content as well as the reach of the C4HF newsletter has improved. We wish Angela much success in her future career.
We are always
looking for volunteer C4HF Advisory Board Members
. C4HF volunteers have the opportunity to contribute newsletter articles, engage legislators, build the C4HF listserv, and assist with grassroots mobilization and community outreach activities. As Haley pointed out
“it’s great way to be more informed and to make a difference in your community while at the same time gaining professional experience.”
I am grateful to all of you for your interest and support of issues impacting low income families and individuals. Please continue to make your voice heard.
Godspeed,
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The Rev. Susan Brouillette
Director, Campaign for Hoosier Families
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Indiana State Senator Greg Taylor
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Highlighted Legislator
by Angela Weaver, Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy intern
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It comes with great pleasure to introduce our next highlighted legislator, Senator Greg Taylor. Senator Taylor was first elected in 2011, where he has proudly represented District 33. This district includes Northwest Indianapolis which includes the area around the Indianapolis Museum of Art and The Children’s Museum. Senator Taylor is married to Danielle and they have three children together: Jackson, Savannah, and Estella. He went to Law School at Indiana University. Senator Taylor is also a member of the Great Light Church, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the National Association of Bond Lawyers.
Like Senator Ron Alting who we featured in the last issue, Senator Taylor is very passionate about bias-motivated crimes prompting him to author Senate Bill 469. Although this bill did not make it any farther than the First Reading, this bill protected individuals who have suffered from personal injury because of a biased crime. During the 2018 Session, Senator Taylor also authored Senate Resolution 60 which called for an interim study committee to make recommendations on legislation in this year’s session. When asked why he authored the resolution, Senator Taylor told the
Indiana Senate Democrats
, “This is a huge step forward for all those in Indiana who has ever been wrongly harmed or had their property vandalized due to the color of their skin, their religious affiliation or their sexual orientation”. We are very lucky to have a Senator who is so passionate about resolving the issue of bias-motivated crimes. On behalf of the Campaign for Hoosier Families, we would like to thank Senator Taylor for all the hard work he has done.
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Biased Crimes Legislation - Senate Bill 12
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Progress for Indiana
by Haley Compston, Purdue Communication student
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A biased crimes bill (
IN Senate Bill 12
) authored by Senators Ron Alting and Mike Bohacek and sponsored in the House by Representatives Gregory Steuerwald and Anthony Cook, has now moved through the Senate and is currently awaiting hearing in the House of Representatives. In its current form the the bill’s language allows a court to consider bias as an aggravating factor when imposing a criminal sentence. Prior to final passage in the Senate, the bill was amended regarding victim characteristics and replaced with the words “including bias.” Supporters of the bill in its amended form site that it would allow judges to more freely determine whether bias was an aggravating circumstance when a crime is committed without being constrained by specific language. While some legislators are pleased with the bill in its current form, a number of individuals in the House and Senate are pushing for the bill’s original language. Many legislators are displeased with the lack of specificity. Foremost among them are the bill’s original authors, Senators Alting and Bohacek. Indiana’s Governor Eric Holcomb also supports reinserting victim characteristics in the bill. The Governor has indicated that any so called hate crime bill that did not include victim characteristics would signal that Indiana is reticent on hate crimes in general and would not have the intended effect of portraying the State in a favorable light. The business community in Indiana is pushing for the passing of this bill along with a list of specific victim characteristics, as many believe that having legislation regarding bias crimes would improve Indiana and its reputation, especially for business owners. It is noteworthy that Indiana is one of five states that do not currently have their own law regarding bias crimes.
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Indiana Minimum Wage Update
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As you know raising the minimum wage is a priority for Campaign for Hoosier Families. While the minimum wage bills introduced in this current session did not move through the Indiana General Assembly this year, we encourage you during the off session to let your State Representative and State Senator know that you support raising the Indiana minimum wage as well overall income equality so that they may be persuaded to address it next year.
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Let Your Voice Be Heard
by Angela Weaver, Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy intern
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Increasing minimum wage has been an ongoing issue in the State of Indiana. The majority of Indiana residents have stated that they believe our minimum wage is not enough and needs to be increased. The Campaign for Hoosier Families is interested in your opinion regarding the status of minimum wage in Indiana. We seek this information to guide our efforts in regards to the upcoming Indiana General Assembly Session. The Campaign for Hoosier Families strives to best represent those for whom it advocates and would greatly appreciate your input. Please complete this survey by clicking
HERE
.
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Capping Payday Loan Interest Rates
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Hoosier Are In Need
by Angela Weaver, Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy intern
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It is a sad day for all of us at Campaign for Hoosier Families. Senate Bill 104, which capped interest rates on payday loans, was defeated in the third reading with a vote of 22 yeas and 27 nays and will not continue any further this session. Consequently, the bill which we all had high hopes for is now dead. Originally authored by Senator Greg Walker and Senator John Ruckelshaus, this bill seemed to have the support needed at the State Capitol in order to pass both houses and become law. At the time of third reading, SB-104 had eight co-authors.
Senate Bill 84 and House Bill 1098 which also addressed small loan finance charges did not make it passed the first reading.
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Substance Abuse Prevention Programs
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The Promise of Senate Bill 111
by Eli Heindricks, Purdue Political Science student
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On February 27,
Senate Bill 111
was referred to the House for further consideration. The bill, authored by Senators
Eric Koch
,
Erin Houchin
, and
John Crane
, seeks to establish the Community and Faith Based Substance Abuse Program. If passed, SB 111 will enable the Division of Mental Health and Addiction to establish and administer this grant. The legislation would also fund a
Community and Faith Based Substance Abuse Transportation Assistance Grant Program
. Signaling widespread support for the bill, SB111 moved quickly through the Senate Family and Children Services and Appropriations committees. Twenty-three days after its first reading in the Senate, SB 111 passed with a roll call vote of 49 yeas and 0 nays. Unfortunately to date there has been no movement on the bill since being forwarded to the House of Representatives.
This bill, if passed, will help Hoosiers struggling with substance abuse across the state. Enabling both community and faith based programs to apply for grants to help with recovery is an important step in the right direction. According to a 2017 report by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, 5.9% of Hoosiers had an alcohol use disorder within a year of the study. 30.8% of Hoosiers also reported tobacco use in the past month. These numbers, as well as the continued prevalence of hard drug use by some, are alarming. Understanding that substance abuse is an issue which affects individuals and families across the state, it is commendable that the General Assembly is considering such a bill. Hopefully, Senate Bill 111 will become law in the not to distant future.
When asked to comment on whether the bill would be helpful to the homeless population served by Lafayette Urban Ministry
Emergency Shelter
director, David Heckert commented, “It would be another option for our homeless guests a majority of whom struggle with addiction. It would also be a resource for building the capacity of existing programs as well as helping to starting new ones by making additional state and Federal funds available. I am pleased that providers, policy makers, and law enforcement officials are now considering addiction to be a chronic disease rather than a personal choice.”
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Campaign for Hoosier Families - T-Shirts
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T-Shirts Available - While Supplies Last
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Take a look at two of our writers, Haley Compston & Angela Weaver, showing off their brand new
Campaign for Hoosier Families
T-Shirts.
In an effort to gain publicity and raise funds for our wonderful cause, Campaign for Hoosier Families are selling T-shirts! The shirts are $15, you can come pick them up from the Lafayette Urban Ministry, or we will ship it to you for an additional $5.
If you are interested, please fill out our attached order form, click below or email our intern, Angela Weaver, at
weaver85@purdue.edu
.
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Helpful Tech for Contacting Your Legislators
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Making Your Voice Heard in a Few Simple Steps
by Rob Krasa, LUM intern
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The 2019 Session of the Indiana General Assembly may be nearing its conclusion, but the need to let your representatives know where you stand should not end with it. Today’s technology has made the process of reaching out easier than ever. It offers us a chance to contact those who represent us, whether locally or on the national stage, with just a few mouse clicks or text messages. Here are a few ways to utilize the internet to get involved in the legislative process:
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Indiana General Assembly Website
This page on the Indiana General Assembly website makes it easy to find who represents you in both the Indiana State House as well as in the United States Congress. Simply entering your home address will provide phone numbers, email addresses and web pages to allow you to contact your elected officials with relative ease.
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ResistBot
ResistBot is an automated system which not only provides contact information for legislators that represent you, but allows you to generate and send correspondence directly to your representatives with a few simple text messages, tweets, or Facebook messages. Simply text the word “resist” to 50409, tweet it @resistbot, or send it in a message to ResistBot on Facebook and follow the system’s prompts to generate and send a formally-formatted letter to the representative of your choice. You can also use ResistBot to make your opinion known to relevant legislators based on particular topics and issues as well.
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Capitol Call
Capitol Call is an app for Android and iPhone which will locate your legislators for you and get you in touch with their office via phone with just one tap of a button. It also provides alternate contact information and easily links you to other ways to get in touch if you don’t prefer making a call. The app also maintains an Action Center to keep you up to date on current issues, and how to best direct your opinion to make a difference where you want to see it the most.
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Countable
Focused primarily on the U.S. Congress, Countable is another website and app for Android and iPhone which not only offers opportunities and assistance for contacting your legislators, but also stays up to date with summaries and progress updates for all legislation moving through Congress. Simply visit the website or download the app and follow the prompts to begin your bill tracking or contact efforts.
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