Welcome to the 1si Advocacy Update! Every Wednesday while the General Assembly is in session, you will receive an update of 1si’s advocacy efforts. If you missed any of our previous updates from this session, please click here.
We are quickly approaching the final days for bills to be passed through their respected chamber. The last day for bills to pass 3rd reading is February 27 for the House and February 28 for the Senate. Some of the larger priority bills are finally seeing movement such as HB 1001 involving the State Budget, HB 1008 that focuses on the public pension system investing, and SB 3 which establishes a taskforce to review taxes.
As a reminder, our 2023 Call to Action includes talent attraction and retention which has four main concerns: Quality of Place, Housing Growth, Availability of Childcare, and Enhance Healthy Lifestyles.
No new positions were taken by our leadership team this week. We will continue to monitor bills as crossover is approaching. Crossover is the time where bills that have passed one chamber are then heard in the other chamber. Once bills have crossed into the other chamber, the deliberation process starts over again. This can be a tricky time for our leadership team as legislators try to take language from bills that have died and insert that language into bills that are moving.
Bills on which 1si is taking a position:
Supporting:
- HB 1005: Establishes the residential housing infrastructure assistance program and residential housing infrastructure assistance revolving fund.
- Passed House third reading and has been referred to the Senate.
1si’s second Call to Action is to “develop new and enhanced tools to build and maintain infrastructure in support of housing growth.” 1si is in support as this bill provides a tool for local communities to meet the needs of housing shortages and prepare for future housing growth.
- HB 1160: Creates funding for workforce training program and fund.
- Passed House third reading and has been referred to the Senate.
One of 1si’s 2023 Priorities is “Meeting Workforce Demands.” 1si is in support as this bill would increase access to and fund workforce training and education programs for career support. As workforce shortages are a need for our businesses in Southern Indiana and throughout the State, this bill provides a tool to help booster the pipeline of potential individuals to be trained to enter or reenter the workforce.
- SB 414: Provides alternatives solutions to residential onsite sewage system fails.
- SB 414 passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
1si’s second Call to Action is to “develop new and enhanced tools to build and maintain infrastructure in support of housing growth.” 1si is in support as this bill would establish an alternative for homeowners needing to replace and upgrade their septic systems so that their houses can remain viable. This bill provides homeowners with a tool to build and maintain infrastructure to support existing homes that may be deemed unlivable without these upgrades.
- SB 35: Requires students to take a financial literacy course.
- Passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
One of 1si’s Governing Principles is “Career-Ready Workforce and Educational Initiatives.” 1si is in support as this bill requires an individual to successfully complete a personal financial responsibility course before the individual may graduate and creates requirements for content that must be covered in a personal financial responsibility course.
- HB 1046: Provides that a military base reuse authority (such as River Ridge) is qualified to receive funds for an eligible project from the local road and bridge matching grant fund.
One of 1si’s 2023 Priorities is “Infrastructure and Housing.” “This is the time to assist communities in building and maintaining roads and bridges…which are essential economic growth strategies for Southern Indiana.” 1si is in support as this bill would allow River Ridge and other military base reuse authorities to apply for a grant fund to support road or bridge projects.
Opposing:
- HB 1278: Prohibits the Indiana economic development corporation, any other public authority, or any party negotiating on behalf of any of those entities (like 1si) from entering into a non-disclosure agreement designed to keep the details of the negotiation private until approval by a public body is warranted.
- No movement.
One of 1si’s Governing Principles is “Sustainable Economic Growth” as 1si serves as the Lead Economic Development Organization for Clark, Floyd, and Scott Counties. 1si is in opposition as this bill prohibits the State, or any party negotiating on behalf of any public authority for economic development proposes from entering into nondisclosure agreements. This bill would eliminate a tool that is used frequently in economic development to help meet the needs of different businesses. If passed, this would give Indiana a disadvantage to surrounding States that use nondisclosure agreements.
Monitoring:
- HB 1449: Amends the twenty-first century scholars program eligibility requirements for certain students and auto enrolls those students but students may opt-out.
- SB 186: Establishes a state tax credit for a taxpayer that makes qualified child care expenditures or qualified child care resource and referral expenditures in providing child care to the taxpayer’s employees.
- HB 1001: Appropriates the State budget.
- SB 347: Establishes a work-sharing unemployment insurance program.
- HB 1085: Provides that a percentage of the incremental property taxes of any new tax increment financing area shall be allocated to school corporations that maintain an attendance area that includes all or part of the allocation area.
- SB 317: Provides that a political subdivision may make advance payments to contractors to enable the contractors to purchase materials needed for a public works project of the political subdivision.
- HB 1209: Allows the Indiana Destination Development Corporation to establish a foundation.
- SB 20: Allows a city/town to designate an outdoor location as a refreshment area with approval of the alcohol and tobacco commission.
- SB 37: Sunsets any Food and Beverage Taxes except for Marion County, the surrounding Indianapolis counties, and Orange County (French Lick). Creates new requirements for future Food and Beverage Taxes.
We will keep you updated on our actions related to the 2023 Indiana Legislative Session, but for more information on our Advocacy Agenda, please visit www.1si.org/advocacy.