I-CAN Update - February 15, 2007
Thursday,February, 15 ,2007 Filed in: I-CAN
Despite the weather in Indiana the legislature continued its schedule. House committees were especially busy trying to meet the cutoff for committee work early next week.
Legislative sessions were held also.
SJR 7 Marriage amendment passed the Senate 39 – 10. The resolution now goes to the House for passage. It is likely to be taken up in March. It must pass the House in exactly the same form for the amendment to be eligible for a vote by Hoosiers in the 2008 election. If passed by a majority of Hoosiers, the amendment would become part of the Indiana Constitution. The amendment provides that marriage in Indiana consists only of the union of one man and one woman. It provides that Indiana law may not be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.
SB 327, Immunization for school age girls, passed the Senate 44 – 5. The bill now goes to the House for consideration. The bill was amended; it no longer requires that all girls be immunized. Schools will be required to provide information to parents about cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and of the availability of an immunization. Parents will be asked to decide if their child should receive the vaccine. The bill goes to the House for consideration.
HB 1167, Child and dependant care tax credit, passed the House 77 – 16. It provides a refundable income tax credit, of up to 50% of the Federal tax credit, to working families earning less than $45,000/yr. ICC supports the bill.
Committee action
HB 1351 Affordable housing and community development fund passed Financial Institutions Committee 8 – 0. The bill is a compromise that provides a funding source to provide affordable housing and support for temporary housing for homeless. The funds will come from recording fees of $5 for the first page and $1 for each additional page. 60% of fees will be distributed to units with affordable housing fund and 40% will be deposited in the housing and community development fund. Marion County could adopt additional like fee, which would support the same funds and programs. ICC supports the bill. Catholic Charities programs providing assistance for the homeless have need for the use of these funds. Limits on current funding have hampered programs and the efforts taken by persons needing this assistance. The bill was recommitted to Ways and Means Committee.
SB 463, Identification required for driver’s license, updates Indiana’s law to comply with Federal law. The Conference is interested in the bill because it provides ways in which immigrants without a Social Security number can obtain a driver’s license by verifying the person’s identity and lawful status in the United States. It passed the committee 8 – 0. It is eligible for passage in the Senate.
HB 1510, Charity gaming, passed the House Public Policy Committee. You may recall that last year charity gaming laws were revised and updated. Some of the changes, while an improvement, were not clear and left questions as to intent. Hence, this year again charity gaming laws are being further clarified. Most changes came at the request of non-profit organizations. ICC is supportive of the bill.
SB 135 Abortion matters and SB 194 hospital requirement for physicians performing abortions are the only bills dealing with abortion this year that are moving. Senator Miller heard the bills on Wed. but the bills did not pass out of committee because not all committee members were present. The vote on SB 194 (5 – 5) illustrated the problem. Should she take a vote next week, the outcome, if all committee members are present should be 6 – 5. We think the vote in the entire Senate will not be as close.
SB 135 strengthens Indiana’s informed consent statute by requiring that written information be given to the mother. Currently only oral information 18 hours prior to the abortion is required. SB 135 requires that the mother be notified that life begins at fertilization and that the fetus might feel pain. In addition to the risks of abortion, mothers are to be informed of adoption alternatives. ICC urges passage of SB 135.
SB 194 requires that physicians performing abortion be able to continue follow-up care at a local hospital should that be necessary. Complications can arise following abortions and patients should expect that the physician performing their surgery be available for follow up care. ICC supports SB 194 in so far as it may protect the life and health of the mother.
HB 1484, Sudan divestment, passed out of committee 8 – 0. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, requires that Indiana’s public retirement funds request that companies in which they hold stocks cease business activities in Sudan because of the genocide in Darfur. It took some effort to get a hearing but there was no opposition to the bill. While it may not have direct impact on the suffering of the people in Darfur, it may help to increase the pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the genocide. ICC supports the bill. We encourage calls to House members to support this bill.
ICC continues to follow Senate and House bills dealing with cigarette tax increase to provide health care for uninsured and underinsured. SB 503 continues to move in the Senate and is eligible for passage next week. The House unveiled its version, HB 1008 this week. It calls for a 54.5 cent increase in cigarette tax to pay for its provisions. ICC supports efforts to address the health care crisis. A cigarette tax increase should be restricted for health care only.
To contact your State Representative and/or State Senator
http://www.in.gov/cgi-bin/legislative/contact/contact.pl#house
In addition to the Update, one can obtain more detailed information regarding the bills and detailed information about legislative process on the web at http://www.state.in.us/legislative/session/calendars.html . You can access the archived updates, ICC positions and other background information at the ICC web site at www.indiana.nasccd.org