Mar. 14, 2003 Letter From David O. for the 86th: 2003 Legislative Update

Tuesday, March 4, was the final day for consideration of bills that started in the House of Representatives.  At the close of that deadline, we passed 324 of the 1,032 House bills and 4 of the 10 House joint resolutions filed for action this year.  The bills and resolutions have been sent to the Senate for its consideration.

After taking a brief half-time break in our calendar, we are now turning our attention to the 194 bills and 2 joint resolutions sent to us from the Indiana Senate.  Here are some of the highlights from the first-half of the session:

•  BALANCING THE BUDGET -- As I mentioned in my last update, one highlight has been passage of House Bill 1001, a budget proposal that provides fiscal responsibility while responding to the need for educational achievement and economic development.  I would like us to have done more to ensure adequate support for schools and other critical programs, and I am hopeful that we can do better before we enact a final bill, but budget shortfalls impose serious constraints.

•  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -- I was pleased to see passage of a series of initiatives from the Energize Indiana proposal to invest in the creation of more high-wage, high-skill jobs; to develop a stronger workforce; and to expand health care programs for those in need.  In its current form, the Energize bill (House Bill 2008) will fund economic development with a part (35%) of the tobacco settlement dollars.

My own legislation, House Bill 1982, establishes goals for venture capital investment in Indiana for public pension funds and endowments of state universities that allocate part of their assets to venture capital.  A thriving venture capital industry is a critical component of strong economic development.  House Bill 1982 will help ensure that high-tech companies in Indiana can tap the venture capital funds they need to start here and stay here.

•  PROTECTING YOUNGER HOOSIERS -- House Bill 1434 will reduce the number of children who suffer devastating injuries from automobile accidents.  The legislation requires children from age four up to age eight to be in a child restraint system, which would include a booster seat or a safety belt, while riding in a motor vehicle.

House Bill 1268, which I authored, will allow child protection workers to move quickly to help all children in a home where sexual abuse has been documented.  Once one child has been abused, the other children are at very high risk of abuse.  It is critical therefore that safeguards be implemented for siblings of children who have been molested

•  SENATE BILLS -- and the Among the Senate bills that we will be debating in the coming weeks are several measures that mirror legislation already passed by the House. We have bills to restrict deceptive e-mails (Senate Bill 74) and predatory lending (Senate Bill 478).  There also are bills to get tough on people who drive without insurance (Senate Bills 263 and 373) and those who use and produce methamphetamine (Senate Bill 373).

Other important bills include legislation to improve charter school funding (Senate Bill 501), to deter identity theft (Senate Bill 320), and to shift more long-term nursing care from institutions to homes (Senate Bill 493).

Please let me know of your concerns or other perspectives.  You can respond to my legislative survey at http://www.in.gov/cgi-bin/legislative/survey/showsurvey.perl?chamber=hd&district=86.

If there is anything I can do for you and your family, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

David O