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 117th 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.
