Advocacy Update | 01.31.23
The third week of the Indiana General Assembly came with a flurry of committee meetings and bills moving both in the committee and throughout the floors of the House and Senate. Some bills have already passed their third reading and are waiting to switch chambers.
The focus of our Call to Action in 2023 includes talent attraction and retention which has four main concerns: Quality of Place, Housing Growth, Availability of Childcare, and Enhance Healthy Lifestyles.
As 1si is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), we are following the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC). IBLC announced their priorities for this session on January 23. For a full description of the IBLC’s 2023 legislative priorities, see the press release here.
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 first committee, heading to Ways and Means committee.
- HB 1160: Creates funding for workforce training program and fund.
- Passed first committee, heading to Ways and Means committee.
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 1599: Provides for creation of a tourism improvement district within a county, city, or town to fund tourism-based amenities. Specifies the contents of the tourism improvement district plan that must be filed with a petition to establish a district.
- 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.
- 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.
- SB 35: Requires students to take a financial literacy course.
As the session moves forward, the 1si Advocacy Leadership Team will review those bills that are being heard and weighing in with positions that are consistent with the 1si’s 2023 Advocacy Agenda.
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.
Insurance Based on Needs – Not Size
One Southern Indiana and UnitedHealthcare have relaunched 1si’s revitalized partnership program, Insurance Under ONE. By joining with a national carrier, this program makes health insurance affordable for member employers with two or more employees.
Payment Systems Discounts With Heartland
Accept payments anytime, anywhere, from any device for less with Heartland, one of the nation’s largest payments processors, based right here in Southern Indiana. For your secure card processing and payroll solutions, Heartland Secure is a comprehensive card data security solution that protects merchants.
ODP Business Solutions Savings Program
Don’t miss out on exclusive members’ savings from ODP Business Solutions!
With inflation on the rise, there is no better time than now to open your ODP Business Solutions account. We have negotiated incredible pricing on the solution categories your business uses most.
Member Savings on Workers’ Comp
ClearPath Mutual has partnered with One Southern Indiana (1si) to offer its members a 10% discount off their estimated annual premium.
ONE Fund makes no-interest loans available to certain downtown New Albany businesses
Loan program targets businesses impacted by bridge construction and downtown road improvements.
NEW ALBANY, IN (January 27, 2023) – Small businesses in New Albany impacted by unprecedented dual effects of the road and bridge improvement projects will soon be able to apply for no-interest loans through the New Albany Central Business District Loan Program (NACBDLP). This loan fund may be used to help cover overhead and operational costs such as payroll, rent, and utilities to assist these businesses in maintaining operations throughout these lengthy but necessary projects. The NACBDLP is a program of the ONE Fund, administered by One Southern Indiana (1si), and is intended to keep the affected small businesses viable so they can benefit from the public road and bridge investments.
Eligible businesses must operate out of a “brick and mortar” location within the Central Business District of the City of New Albany as an in-person retail, restaurant or bar, or personal services establishment. They must be able to show a current lease agreement, building loan agreement or building ownership. They must have 50 or fewer full-time employees, have been in business at least two years (or show monthly P&L statements and business growth), and have no federal or state liens nor any outstanding judgments.
Loan applications will be accepted from January 30 through February 10, 2023. Loan requests from $2,500 to $25,000 will be considered. The loan interest rate is 0%, with a maximum repayment term of 36 months, and the first payment due via ACH on January 1, 2024. Loans are not forgivable, and a personal guaranty is required. Funds for the NACBDLP were contributed to The ONE Fund by Floyd County.
Interested businesses can request complete eligibility requirements and loan terms by emailing Mike Fulkerson, 1si’s Small Business Navigator, at MikeF@1si.org.
Wendy Dant Chesser, president and CEO of One Southern Indiana, noted, “1si, together with our partners, launched the Community and Cultural Relief Fund in the spring of 2020 to provide emergency loans for small businesses impacted by the economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our hope is to replicate the success of that program for distressed downtown New Albany businesses adversely affected by the combination of the Sherman Minton Bridge Renewal Project and downtown road improvements within the New Albany Central Business District. This ‘double whammy’ has dramatically curtailed customer traffic to many downtown businesses, affecting both their short-term revenue and long-term viability. Our hope is that the availability of these no-interest loans will sustain them until customer traffic can return to normal levels.”
The ONE Fund was created by One Southern Indiana in 2022 to provide small business owners in the Indiana counties of Clark, Floyd, Jefferson, Scott and Washington with the capital required for start-up and growth initiatives. The Fund provides microloans to small businesses as their “lender of last resort” in order to support small businesses as they work toward stability and bankability.
About One Southern Indiana:
One Southern Indiana was formed in July of 2006 as the economic development organization and chamber of commerce serving Clark and Floyd counties. 1si’s mission is to provide the connections, resources and services that help businesses innovate and thrive in the Southern Indiana / Louisville metro area. For more, visit 1si.org.
For Additional Media Inquiries:
Wendy Dant Chesser, President & CEO
One Southern Indiana
812.945.0266
Economic Update | Strong Payroll Gains for Southern Indiana
By Dr. Uric Dufrene, Sanders Chair in Business Professor of Finance, Indiana University Southeast
The latest county-level payroll data are out, and it shows impressive job gains for Southern Indiana. For the second quarter of 2022, the five counties of Southern Indiana gained almost 4,000 (3,826) jobs from the previous year. This is the largest gain since the 2nd quarter of 2021. If we remove the outsized gains from the Covid recovery year of 2021, the latest gain would be the largest since the first quarter of 2016. The region also showed the highest level of jobs in the history of the series, with almost 112,000 payrolls across the five counties. The previous high occurred in the 4th quarter of 2019, with a little more than 110,000 jobs. Average weekly wages increased by $71 from the previous year, rising to $928 for the 2nd quarter. This represents the highest average weekly wages for a 2nd quarter time period.
Hospitality led the gains with accommodation and food services adding 1,310 jobs. The second highest change came in administrative and support and waste management, adding 853 payrolls. This is likely due to the hiring of temporary labor services. Manufacturing also showed growth with another 729 jobs added over the year.
Nationally, the most recent unemployment claims showed a decrease from the previous week and came in substantially under the consensus expected. While the technology sector continues to report layoffs, primarily due to excessive hiring in prior years, overall layoffs remain at historic low levels. One of the reasons, but not the only reason, why the economy is now inching toward a soft landing (which could also include a mild recession) is due to the labor market situation. Claims need to be closer to 350,000 before we get close to a declared recession.
While we are not seeing a slowing economy through the eyes of the labor market, other signs continue to point to a slower economy in the year ahead. The ISM manufacturing indicator is now under 50, signaling contraction in manufacturing. The ISM services indicator also dropped below 50, pointing to contraction in the services economy, and this decline came as a big surprise.
One is on the inflation front. The latest CPI (Consumer Price Index) showed a decline from the previous month, and the PPI (Producer Price Index) sank month over month, declining by .5%. The 10-Treasury year yield has retreated from last year’s high of 4.2%, and the latest reading was 3.5%. A declining 10-year yield is not a sign of strong growth ahead, but declining yields will bring mortgage rates down, and this will be a boost to the troubled housing sector. The yield curve remains inverted, which means that shorter-term Treasury yields, such as the 2-year yield are higher than the 10-year. An inverted yield curve developed in advance of the past 6 recessions. The question is whether this time is different.
Adding to the slowing growth argument, retail sales declined by over 1% for December. This decline was larger than expected, and the equity markets took this as an indicator of a slowing economy. Over several columns, however, we made the case that retail sales had to come down. The nation’s economy saw a surge in goods spending, and this was made possible through government stimulus and a large part of the service economy that had been restricted. So, this decline was not altogether unexpected.
We are moving past the “bad news is good news” effect. With the Fed now moving toward smaller increases in interest rates, bad news will be just that: bad news. Weak economic reports will signal slowing growth, and the equity markets will respond accordingly. That said, evolving financial conditions are pointing to more of a “soft landing”, and at worst, we may see a mild recession.
Advocacy Update | 01.24.23
The second week of the Indiana General Assembly came with a flurry of committee meetings and new bill lists. More than 1,100 bills have been filed between the House and Senate. While new bills continue to be released, the deadline to assign bills to committee was Friday (1/20), so we anticipate no new bills to review moving forward.
Several House and Senate majority priority bills had initial hearings in committee last week. Ways and Means Committee held several hearings on the Governor’s proposed budget and will likely introduce the House amendment to the Governor’s budget sometime in the next two weeks.
Several bills have been submitted that align with the 1si Advocacy Agenda. The focus of our Call to Action in 2023 includes talent attraction and retention which has four main concerns: Quality of Place, Housing Growth, Availability of Childcare, and Enhance Healthy Lifestyles.
Bills that 1si is taking a position:
Supporting:
- HB 1005: Establishes the residential housing infrastructure assistance program (program) and residential housing infrastructure assistance revolving fund (fund).
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.
Monitoring:
- HB 1502: Establishes the workforce development board grant program and the workforce development board grant program fund.
- HB 1599: Provides for creation of a tourism improvement district within a county, city, or town to fund tourism-based amenities. Specifies the contents of the tourism improvement district plan that must be filed with a petition to establish a district.
- 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 37: Requires local units of government that impose a food and beverage tax to annually report information concerning distributions and expenditures of amounts received from the food and beverage tax.
- 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.
As the session moves forward, the 1si Advocacy Leadership Team will review those bills that are being heard and weighing in with positions that are consistent with the 1si’s 2023 Advocacy Agenda.
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.
DRUG FACTS WEEK EVENT FOR EMPLOYERS AND HR PROFESSIONALS
Southern Indiana Employers are invited to a lunch presentation on how Second Chance Systems benefit businesses, individuals and the community
Shelley Jackson, partner with Krieg Devault LLP, will present and explain national and state-level programs and policies to support businesses in building solutions to the epidemic of opioids and other toxic drugs in their workplace and community.
Adopting a second-chance system can be a wise and financially sound business decision for an employer. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for individuals to gain or retain the employment they need as part of their recovery effort and become contributing members of the community.
The presentation will take place: February 8, 2023, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Fetter Training Center, 1613 E.10th Jeffersonville, IN. Parking is available on-site.
A light lunch will be provided. Registration is required by February 3 for the free event. Please email: clarkincares@gmail.com to reserve a seat at this informative session.
This special presentation is part of Drug Facts Week 2023 in Partnership with Clark County CARES, One Southern Indiana, Wellness Council of Indiana and Southern Indiana Works/Work One.
Clark County CARES, a coalition of family members, law enforcement, judicial system, service providers and people in recovery began in 2015 as a grassroots initiative to tackle the county’s substance abuse problem. This year marks the 8th Drug Facts Week for the organization.
Contact Persons:
Carolyn King clarkincares@gmail.com
Carrie Baylor Carrie.Baylor@salemcommunications.com
Other events during Drug Facts Week 2023 – February 6-11, 2023
Monday, February 6, 6 PM.
Annual report to the Community about THE MISUSE OF SUBSTANCES IN CLARK COUNTY. Moderated by Judge Brad Jacobs.
A panel of community leaders will report on the state of substance misuse and new programs available. Dr. Eric Yazel, Chief Ken Kavanaugh, Barbara Anderson, Dr. Beth Keeney, LifeSpring Health Services and others.
Location: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. 321 E. Market St. Jeffersonville, IN (live streamed)
Tuesday, February 7, 6:00-7:30 PM. Understanding Promising Programs with Law Enforcement and Legal Systems encountering people with SUD.
Facilitated by Phil Stucky, Thrive; Judge Jacobs
Learn about new and promising programs in the state and in Clark County: Brandon George; (President, Indiana Issues Coalition, VP of MHA); Jayme Whitaker,( VP of IN Forensic Services, MHA); Doug Huntsinger (IN Director for Drug Prevention and Treatment); Attorney, Andrew Adams and local Judicial Programs.
Location: Jeffersonville Police Dept. 2218 E, 10th St. Jeffersonville, IN (live streamed)
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 11:30 AM-1 PM. Second Chance Employment:
Establishing a Drug-Free and Felony Friendly Workplace
This presentation will describe how national and state “Second Chance” programs and policies benefit not only the employee, but the employer who hires people with drug and felony histories.
Box Lunch provided.
RESERVATION REQUIRED: Please email clarkincares@gmail.com to RSVP by Feb.3
Location: Fetter Training Center, 1613 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN
Thursday, (1) Feb. 9, 12:00 to 2:30 PM. Keynote Speaker: Author, Beth Macy
Award-winning author of Dopesick, the book and Hulu series, Beth Macy will present her findings on what she describes as: “hope, justice, and the future of America’s overdose crisis” chronicled in her latest book Raising Lazarus. A book signing will follow the presentation. A light lunch is provided.
RESERVATION REQUIRED by Feb 3:
Email: clarkincares@gmail.com
Location: Fetter Training Center, 1613 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN
Thursday (2) February 9, 6 PM.
Annual Dinner: Speaker Jay Chaudhary,
Director of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, will present the Behavioral Health Commission Report and describe changes this will bring for community mental health services. A question and answer session with legislators and community providers will follow his report.
Dinner will be served.
RESERVATION REQUIRED Email: clarkincares@gmail.com
Location: Clark Memorial Hospital, 1220 Missouri Ave. Jeffersonville, IN (live streamed)
Friday, February 10, 6 PM.
Movie Screening: “The Addicts Wake”
This award-winning film “will strike a chord for those in recovery and the people who care for them”. Filmed in Indiana, a panel discussion will follow the screening.
Location: To Be Announced
Saturday (1) Feb. 11, 10 AM-1 PM.
What’s Happening in Clark County? Family Fun In February!
A family-centered, prevention-oriented day of activities for children with door prizes, free food, games and information about positive programs for children in Clark County.
Location: Spring Hill EnVision Center
1423 Bates-Bowyer Ave., Jeffersonville, IN
Saturday (2) February 11, 6:00 PM.
Candlelight vigil at the Big Four Bridge
To remember friends and family members lost and suffering from Addiction.