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 visit www.1si.org/advocacy.
The fourth week of the Indiana General Assembly came with a flurry of committee meetings and hearings throughout the floors of the House and Senate. Several priority bills were heard and debated as legislators, advocates, and constituents swarmed the hallways of the Capitol.
At 1si, 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. Of these focus areas, we are watching several childcare-focused bills in the Senate, hoping that one will catch traction in the coming weeks.
Bills on which 1si is taking a position:
Supporting:
- HB 1005: Establishes the residential housing infrastructure assistance program (program) and residential housing infrastructure assistance revolving fund (fund).
- Passed two committees, heading to House floor.
- HB 1160: Creates funding for workforce training program and fund.
- Passed first committee, awaiting hearing in Ways and Means committee.
- HB 1436 & SB 414: Provides alternatives solutions to residential onsite sewage system fails.
- HB 1436 passed first committee, awaiting hearing in Ways and Means committee.
- SB 414 passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
- SB 35: Requires students to take a financial literacy course.
- Passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
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.
Monitoring:
- HB 1502: Establishes the workforce development board grant program and the workforce development board grant program fund.
- HB 1085: Provides that 20% 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.
- Passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
- HB 1439: Requires a city council to approve all expenditures of a city redevelopment commission.
- SB 37: Requires local units of government that imposes a food and beverage tax to annually report information concerning distributions and expenditures of amounts received from the food and beverage tax.
- Passed Senate third reading and has been referred to the House.
- SB 411: Authorizes local units of government to adopt a commercial property-assessed clean energy program (PACE program) as a financing mechanism to allow commercial property owners to obtain financing for energy-efficient improvements.
- 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.
- SB 375: Requires the family and social services administration (FSSA) to develop a schedule for child care and development fund reimbursement of childcare providers under which the highest rate does not differ from the lowest rate by more than 50%.
- HB 1001: Appropriates the State budget.
- SB 347: Establishes a work-sharing unemployment insurance program.
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.