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.
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.
Bills are slowly starting to move since crossover. There are no new updates on bill status but today we will provide an update on the activity of our Advocacy Leadership Team.
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Chamber Executive Association hosted the Chamber Day at the Statehouse Event and Chamber Day Dinner Event on March 14. The Advocacy Leadership Team attended both events and connected with our local legislatures.
During the Chamber Day at the Statehouse Event, our Advocacy Leadership Team was able to learn about READI 2.0 opportunities, public investment in early childhood education, public/mental health funding, best practices for chamber advocacy, and received a federal update from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce highlighted bills that they are following as well.
The Chamber Dinner Event featured James H. Johnson Jr. as the keynote speaker. James is the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of strategy and entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center in the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina. He spoke on his research on community and economic development, the effects of demographic changes on the U.S. workplace, interethnic minority conflict in advanced industrial societies, poverty and public policy in urban America and workforce diversity issues.
Our Advocacy Council had our midpoint meeting on March 7. During the meeting, our Advocacy Leadership Team updated the rest of the Advocacy Council on current bill that 1si has taken action and any bills that are being monitored/followed, and any other bills that are on the radar of other council members.
Upcoming Advocacy Events features a Luncheon with Congresswoman Erin Houchin, representing Indiana Congressional District 9. This event will feature a fireside chat between our President & CEO, Wendy Dant Chesser and Congresswoman Houchin. The chat will focus on Congresswoman Houchin’s transition in roles from the Indiana State Senate to the United States House of Congress, any of her legislative priorities, and how she is still focusing on Southern Indiana business and residents even though she is in Washington D.C. There will be time at the end of the chat for questions from the audience so please come with potential questions.
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.