Guest Column

Creating jobs for Hoosiers has been and continues to be my priority. That’s why I supported House Bill 1001 that made Indiana the 23^rd state to pass Right to Work (RTW) legislation.

Since Indiana became a RTW state on Feb. 1 of this year, 65 companies have communicated to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) that Indiana’s enactment of RTW will factor into their decision-making process of where to locate or expand their current projects. Seventeen companies have already accepted the IEDC’s offer, accounting for more than 1,600 projected new jobs and more than $259 million in investment.

Last week, the IEDC announced that so far this year it has worked with 145 companies that have made decisions to expand or establish new business operations in Indiana for a total of nearly 13,300 projected new jobs.

In May, Gov. Daniels announced the expansion of One Click Internet Ventures, LLC in Greenwood. The national e-commerce company plans to create up to 110 new jobs by 2015.

Indiana’s business environment has been making headlines across the country. In May, Indiana ranked sixth in the nation for its business climate according to Site Selection magazine. Indiana ranks fifth in Chief Executive magazine’s “Best States for Business” report.

Recent unemployment numbers show Indiana faring better than the national average. Indiana’s unemployment rate (June 2012) is 8 percent compared to the national rate of 8.3 percent. I’d obviously like to see this figure lowered, but I am encouraged that we are seeing improvement from the same time last year when the state and national unemployment rate were both 9.1 percent.

For Hoosiers seeking employment, websites like IndianaCareerConnect.com can help match careers with skill sets and experiences. The Web site also provides training opportunities to help job seekers get a desired position. Employers can post jobs and access thousands of Hoosier job candidates through customized searches that allow them to find candidates with the skills and qualifications that fit their needs.

I hope we will continue to build upon the good stewardship of these past two years and work to help create an environment that can continue to grow and expand Hoosier job opportunities.

The sweltering heat and lack of rain has had profound effects on all of us, especially Hoosier farmers, as many experts are comparing our current dry spell to the devastating drought of 1936. Almost 20 percent of Indiana is now experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions – the worst possible category on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Overall, about 87 percent of Indiana is now facing at least a severe drought.

Johnson County is one of 64 counties in Indiana designated by the USDA as a primary natural disaster area. An additional 16 counties are considered contiguous natural disaster areas.

The drought is having a ripple effect throughout our community. Last week, the USDA Farm and Foreign Ag Services Undersecretary Michael Scuse toured Merrill Kelsay’s sixth-generation dairy and grain farm in Johnson County to assess the impact of the drought.

The drought is affecting livestock farmers as well as crop farmers. Preliminary estimates predict 30 percent of corn crops will be lost, which is enough to considerably impact future grain prices. Additionally, the cost of feeding dairy cows is already up 25 percent, meaning beef prices are likely to increase as the year goes on.

Farmers are not in this alone as all of us are being affected by the drought. The farming industry does more than supply food – it provides jobs. Seventeen percent of the state’s jobs are agriculture-related.

As a result of the drought conditions, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources recently placed all of Indiana’s 92 counties under a water shortage warning. The water shortage warning is step two of three in the state’s emergency drought plan.

The warning impacts only significant water withdrawal facilities. Such facilities are asked to conserve 10-15 percent of their water intake.  The water shortage warning is only a voluntary and cautionary step and is not currently mandatory.

I strongly urge the farmers in our community to contact their crop insurance company and local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to report damages to crops or livestock loss. Please visit www.in.gov/drought for the latest updates and resource links.

After an unpredictable start, the final week of session was appropriately hectic as both chambers worked together to pass legislation before the week’s end. Nevertheless, we ended a productive session for the 117^th General Assembly just before 2 a.m. early Saturday.

Throughout the final week, I was pleased to have so many constituents inquiring about important issues that were still in limbo. I really appreciate your interest and feedback because it helps me represent your views better at the Statehouse.

The General Assembly ended up sending 161 pieces of legislation to the governor’s desk this session – though not all have been signed as of yet.

I would like to highlight some of these monumental bills we passed this year, including legislation relating to economic development, education and public safety.

Amidst contentious debate during the first half of session, we passed House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1001 allowing Hoosiers to decide whether or not to financially support a union. During the more than 40 hours of discussion on this legislation, economic development experts testified that a third to half of businesses looking to locate a new facility and create jobs do not consider non-Right to Work (RTW) states. However, with the passage of RTW in Indiana, as of late last week, 31 companies are now considering a move to Indiana with RTW being one of the main  factors in their consideration.

Another bill we passed aimed at enhancing Indiana’s local business community was Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 293, which gradually phases-out the state’s Inheritance Tax over a 9-year span beginning next year. This tax – often referred to as the “death tax” – is imposed on individual’s businesses and savings when they pass them onto their spouse and kin.

This phase-out will greatly benefit many family-owned farms and small businesses throughout our state, which make up the backbone of our state’s economy. Additionally, it will make Indiana more competitive as we are one of the last states in the country to still collect this tax.

Where education is concerned, we worked on multiple legislative provisions to enhance our education system this session, specifically involving kindergarten and struggling schools. HEA 1376 will significantly increase funding for full-day kindergarten and includes provisions to help turnaround struggling schools. In order to ensure our students’ education is not falling through the cracks, this legislation allows the state to intervene in schools that have been failing for the past six consecutive years. Accountability has proven to work in our schools in the past with many schools turning around their students’ performance, but some still require assistance at a higher level.

HEA 1376 also affects Hoosiers on a larger scale by providing approximately four million Hoosiers with a refund of at least $50 each when they file their 2012 tax returns through the Automatic Taxpayer Refund.

Many of us in central Indiana have been touched by the stage collapse tragedy at the Indiana State Fair last summer. With HEA 1376, the Indiana General Assembly also increased the compensation to victims of the stage collapse by another $6 million.  Furthermore, in an effort to prevent any similar stage collapses in the future, we passed SEA 212 to regulate outdoor stage equipment and create a summer study committee to further evaluate the issue.

One of the final bills we discussed as a legislature this session also involves Hoosiers’ safety. Specifically, SEA 1 reaffirms an individual’s right to protect their home against unlawful entry by any person – including law enforcement if the entry is unlawful. However, this bill is not endangering police officers, and, instead, stipulates any force against a police officer is not justifiable if the officer is acting lawfully. This legislation is primarily in place to reverse a decision made by the Indiana Supreme Court last year that removes – to some degree – an individual’s rights concerning unlawful entry. This bill restores the law back to what Indiana has observed for more than 200 years.

Although session is over for the year, my job as your state representative continues. I plan to brief you on additional pieces of legislation we passed this session in upcoming columns over the next few weeks. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions in the meantime, please contact me by calling (800) 382-9841 or emailing H58@in.gov. I will also be holding Town Hall meetings in the next few weeks to update you on all we accomplished this session, so please come out to those as well.

I want to start out this week in a slightly different tone than usual. I plan to brief you on all the legislation – and it was a lot – that passed through the House this week, but, first, I want to talk about my brother, Congressman Dan Burton.

He began his career as an elected official in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1967, where I am today. He went on to serve in the Indiana State Senate before being elected into the United States House of Representatives in 1983. On Tuesday, he announced on the Indiana House Floor – where his political career began – that he will not seek re-election.

I want to commend my brother on more than 40 years of public service to the State of Indiana and its Hoosiers. Throughout his time as an elected official, he never lost sight of the people he served. He leads by example and has always been a role model to me.

My brother is a consistent reminder of why I am working in a position of public service, to serve the people who elected me. For that reason, we have been busy as ever, and I would like to share with you some of what we accomplished.

As I mentioned last week, our first bill to go through the entire legislative process and be signed into law enforces stricter punishment on those involved in human trafficking. Senate Enrolled Act 4 makes it a Class A felony to force a minor into sexual conduct – an important law to have in place for this weekend’s Super Bowl.

The second bill to reach the governor’s desk was Right to Work. House Enrolled Act 1001 does not require employees to financially support a union as a condition or continuation of employment.

I am glad that – despite a slow start to session – we were able to move so many important pieces of legislation through the House and Senate.

In addition to those bills signed into law, the House passed 72 pieces of legislation onto the Senate for further discussion this past week.

My own pieces of legislation with Johnson County roots also passed through the House this week. HB 1092 would allow for Johnson County to add a fourth Superior Court judge – an issue that has been of concern for years now. My colleagues agreed with me that a fourth judge is needed to enhance the efficiency of the court system.

Additionally, HB 1238 would allow foreclosure and abandonment action to occur simultaneously in an effort to reduce some of the hurdles local communities typically battle during this process. This is an effort to reduce crime and deterioration that may occur with abandoned and vacant homes persisting in local communities.

Finally, I authored legislation that would provide a 13^th check to retired teachers, state police officers, conservation officers and other public employees to help them cope with cost of living inflation and unforeseen financial stress. HB 1123 will now join my other legislation being heard in the Senate.

Just as we have forwarded legislation to them, the Senate has sent over a full load of bills that we will now review in committee and on the House Floor starting next week. We have no intention of slowing down the momentum we gained last week. Stay tuned.

In a change of pace, Minority Leader Pat Bauer (D-South Bend) took a break from his walkout to address House Republicans on the House Floor last week. Unfortunately, he was there only to deliver a message on behalf of the Democrats, still caucusing behind closed doors. Rep. Bauer addressed the proposed amendments to the Right to Work (RTW) legislation, and reinforced the Democrats refusal to attend session without a vote on these amendments.

Following Rep. Bauer’s speech on the floor, House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) publicly stated, like he had before, that he would allow a vote on the amendments to RTW, specifically the amendment concerning a referendum vote. Furthermore, Speaker Bosma requested that any member in the Republican majority that plans to question the constitutionality of such legislation to stand up and identify themselves.  Not one person stood up to question the constitutionality.

The majority is inviting the House Democrats to discuss, debate, and vote on the proposed amendments, and Rep. Bauer did not expect such a response. He looked a little confused standing before us when everyone remained seated. Nonetheless, I hope that he takes Speaker Bosma up on his offer because despite the inaction on the House Floor, we have been busy in committees and need a quorum of 67 out of 100 members present to proceed with state business.

On Friday alone, I attended House Committees on Insurance, Judiciary and Employment, Labor and Pensions. During the House Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions, I spoke on behalf of proposed real estate brokerage licensing legislation, House Bill (HB) 1102, that would extend broker licenses to reduce administrative workload. This bill passed out of the committee with a 9-0 vote and awaits a second reading on the House Floor.

Furthermore, legislation that I authored to help local communities identify abandoned residential properties in order to speed up the foreclosure process  passed out of the House Financial Institutions Committee with a 9-0 vote last week. With HB 1238, foreclosure and abandonment action may occur simultaneously to eliminate some difficulties communities are currently experiencing during this process.

Both pieces of legislation join HB 1123 concerning 13^th checks to public employees and HB 1239 concerning consumer credit, which are awaiting second readings on the House Floor.

My busy day of committees was broken up by a luncheon with the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. In addition to updating them on my own legislation, I was happy to discuss other bills on the forefront of this session and where we are in the legislative process with each one.

The widely discussed statewide smoking ban, HB 1149, which proposes to prohibit smoking in public places and enclosed areas of employment, has passed out of the House Committee on Public Health. Again, all legislation currently awaiting a second reading on the House Floor has been delayed due to the House Democrats’ walkout.

We had a very healthy discussion on all of these bills, but the Chamber also had a lot of questions concerning the RTW legislation. HB 1001, the catalyst for the minority walkout, has passed out of the House Committee on Labor, Employment and Pensions and is waiting a floor debate.

I look forward to proceeding with all of this legislation in the coming weeks. As always, I will keep you posted on all the happenings, so stay tuned.