It is hard to believe that another legislative session has come and gone. I am proud of the accomplishments of the 118th General Assembly and would like to share with you four particular bills of interest: House Enrolled Acts (HEA) 1080, 1082, 1084 and 1423.
HEA 1080 passed out of both chambers unanimously and has already been signed into law by the governor. In light of the current recession, we thought it necessary to provide a bit of relief to retirees who had spent their lives giving back to the state. Currently, certain public Indiana pensioners receive 12 monthly checks as well as a monthly benefit based upon their salaries and years of service. This law provides a one-time 13th check based on years of service to members who retired or were disabled before Dec. 2, 2012, and are entitled to a monthly benefit as of July 1, 2013. Eligible recipients include members of the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund, Teachers’ Retirement Fund, State Excise Police and others.
HEA 1082 has also been signed by the governor. This bill came straight from the general public after I received multiple phone calls from people who had been given a hefty ticket for failing to sign their vehicle registration; an infraction which they were unaware even existed. This law removes the requirement that the person whose name appears on the vehicle registration must sign it. As the result, individuals who fail to do this will no longer be subject to a Class C infraction. This bill will take effect on July 1; however, I sent a request to Johnson Co. judges asking that they dismiss charges related to vehicle registration prior to that date.
HEA 1084 has passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting action by the governor. In my opinion, one of the most important provisions in this new law is the $50 mortgage foreclosure counseling and education fee. The party filing to foreclose a mortgage must pay $50 which will be deposited into the Home Ownership Education Account. The funds from the account will be used to educate homeowners in an effort to decrease the chances of the borrower being foreclosed on.
Lastly, I served as a coauthor on HEA 1423, which focuses on bullying in schools. While bullying is certainly nothing new, with the advent of social media, the way in which students bully is changing. With Facebook and Twitter becoming increasingly popular amongst our young people, many students feel as if they are unable to escape. After hearing numerous cases of students taking their own lives as a result of bullying, I felt compelled to act. This legislation requires the Department of Education to develop guidelines to assist school corporations in establishing bullying prevention programs, reporting procedures and disciplinary rules. HEA 1423 had bipartisan support in the Legislature and awaits the signature of the governor.
As I reflect on this session, I am pleased with all that we were able to accomplish. By working together, we were able to end session ahead of schedule. However, one thing that we did not compromise on was our commitment to high quality education and the protection of Hoosier taxpayers. We took the necessary steps to ensure that we are educating our citizens to thrive in the current economy as well as protect our state against future economic downturns.
The end of session does not mean that my work is done; it simply means that I will be shifting my focus back to the district full-time. I look forward to spending more time back home and the opportunity to gather your feedback. I will be hosting two town hall meetings in the next few weeks: Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Whiteland Town Hall Building and Wednesday, May 8 from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Greenwood City Hall Building.
What are your thoughts on this session? I value your feedback and appreciate your involvement in the legislative process. Please feel free to contact me anytime by phone at 317-232-9620 or via email at h58@in.gov.
