Archive for February, 2012
Ellpermann Edition: Moving Towards the End of Session
Friday, February 24th, 2012
It is anticipated that the General Assembly will end March 9, a few days before the mandatory March 14 deadline. As such, virtually all committees completed their work this week. All Senate bills will be through third readings (final vote) on Wednesday in the House. This is followed by a 10 day Conference Committee time where bills which were amended in the other chamber must be reconciled or killed. I have two bills which have now made it through both sides and believe will make it through concurrence: House Bill (HB) 1312, Poultry Sale at Farmers Markets, and HB 1173, IOSHA matters. A third bill, HB 1214 Economic Development Incentives, hit a snag in Senate Tax Committee and is being held. There is some hope it might get absorbed into another bill….all part of the “sausage making” at the Statehouse.
A bill that would help Hoosier communities by significantly enhancing the Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC) is also making progress. HB 1111 would make the HPTC more viable for rural communities and would help reinvigorate downtown areas. The bill would increase the annual statewide limit for HPTC from $450,000 to $2 million and requires that at least 25 percent of the available credit be used on projects that do not exceed $500,000. It would also ensure that no project can receive more than 20 percent of the annual statewide cap.
Currently, the HPTC program is not reaching its full potential because it is too small and underfunded. Also, the program’s current structure overly favors large urban areas.
The enactment of this bill would give a boost to rural communities across the state and especially southwest Indiana. The credit would apply to the preservation or rehabilitation of historic commercial properties that have been vacant for at least one year. It is often the case that vacant and underused buildings present some of the biggest challenges and biggest opportunities in historic downtowns throughout the state. HB 1111 would give communities a tool for turning those building around.
Thank you for your continued support as we work to solve issues that affect our communities. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Ellspermann Edition: Go Red for Women
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
February is heart month and for the last few weeks the women in the Indiana House Republican Caucus have been raising awareness regarding the dangers women face from heart disease.
Cardiovascular illness is the leading cause of death in the United States, but in 2004 the American Heart Association (AHA) discovered women knew very little about this life-threatening disease. Studies showed many wom…en viewed it as an “older man’s disease” with little effect on them. In response, the AHA founded the Go Red for Women initiative to educate the public about a preventable illness that claims the lives of half a million American women each year.
Go Red for Women helps millions of women reduce their risk factors for heart disease through education and community programs. Participants in Go Red for Women are much more likely to eat a healthy diet, regularly visit the doctor, follow an exercise routine, and undergo standard tests to measure heart health.
As a woman in the Indiana House of Representatives, I want to help all Hoosiers learn the risks posed by heart disease. In raising awareness and providing education, we can continue to fight the number one killer of women and become a healthier society.
To learn the early warning signs of a heart attack and for more information on heart disease in women, visit www.goredforwomen.org or www.heart.org. For a message from the women of the Indiana House Republicans that could help save your life or the life of a woman you love, follow the links above.
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Rep. Ellspermann Co-Sponsors Bill to Help Protect Women
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
STATEHOUSE – A bill to protect women who are victims of violence and their children passed the House Judiciary Committee today unanimously. State Rep. Sue Ellspermann (R-Ferdinand) is cosponsoring Senate Bill (SB) 190 that would allow a woman who has been raped to file a petition in court to terminate the biological father, the rapist’s, parental rights.
“As the mother of four young adult daughters and grandmother for a first time, I know our family has been blessed,” said Rep. Ellspermann. “However, my heart breaks to even consider the trauma that a victim of rape endures.”
It is difficult to know how many women conceive during a rape since sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in the United States. The FBI reports that less than 28 percent of sexual assaults are reported to police. In Indiana it is estimated that one out of every seven women are victims of rape. Women who would conceive during a rape have the ability to abort.
“There are women who are determined to keep the baby, and we must do everything in our power to provide them with the support that they need during a difficult time. This is a difficult issue to talk about, and I know it is an epidemic in our nation, which is why we must begin to address these issues now and make our state more responsive to rights that victim’s not only deserve, but need,” said Rep. Ellspermann.
The bill will now be heard by the full House.
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Protecting Women Who Are Victims of Violence and Their Children
Friday, February 10th, 2012
As the mother of four young adult daughters and grandmother for a first time, I know our family has been blessed. However, my heart breaks to even consider the trauma that a victim of rape endures.
I am sponsoring Senate Bill (SB) 190, Termination of Parent-Child Relationship, a bill which allows a woman who has been raped to file a petition in court to terminate the biological father, the rapist’s, parental rights. Believe it or not, in Indiana a rapist may claim his parental rights for the baby forcing a woman who courageously chooses to raise the baby, rather than abort or give her child up for adoption, to deal with her rapist and share her precious child with him.
Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) drafted this bill after hearing firsthand from a female law student, who had been raped, dealt with this situation and then researched Indiana’s lack of protection for women like her and their children.
It is difficult to know how many women conceive during a rape since sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in the United States. The FBI reports that less than 28 percent of sexual assaults are reported to police. In Indiana it is estimated that one out of every seven women are victims of rape. Women who would conceive during a rape have the ability to abort; there are women who are determined to keep the baby, and we must do everything in our power to provide them with the support that they need during a difficult time. (more…)
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Ellspermann Edition: Halftime and Moving on to Senate Bills
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
The Indiana House passed 108 bills in the first half including one enacted House Bill (HB) 1001, Right to Work, and one enacted Senate Bill (SB) 4, Human Trafficking, prior to the Super Bowl. The greatest attention, by far, was paid to passage of Right to Work as Indiana became the 23rd state to provide this workers’ right to choose whether to pay union-related fees. Job commitments have already been made in Northeast Indiana and location inquiries are increasing, including in SW Indiana, based on this important job creation legislation. Indiana is now the “shining buckle” of the Rust Belt states.
However, many other important pieces of legislation were passed this session including HB 1199, Phasing Out of the Inheritance Tax, which allows numerous farmers, small business owners and families who have worked hard to create modest wealth to pass it along to their loved ones and to keep these family businesses alive. The Smoking Ban, HB 1149, passed the House again this time with various casino-related and private club exemptions, but including an 18 month phase out of bars, rather than a full exemption. (more…)
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Rep. Ellspermann: Health Care Compact passes out of House
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
STATEHOUSE- State Rep. Sue Ellspermann (R-Ferdinand) has coauthored legislation that would adopt a Health Care Compact (HCC), an agreement which would allow Indiana to remove itself from the federal government’s universal health care mandate. The legislation, House Bill (HB) 1269, passed out of the House with a 61-34 vote on Tuesday.
HCC is an alternative to the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and would allow Indiana to remove itself from the existing Federal law. An interstate compact is an agreement between two or more states that can be adopted as part of the law in each state with the consent of Congress. The HCC has to be approved by Congress and signed by the president, before it can be implemented.
“The Healthcare Compact that Indiana passed today is one of our best opportunities to provide effective healthcare while managing its costs for Hoosiers. This is the first step to joining other states with similar healthcare compacts to encourage Congress to pass enabling legislation.”
As part of the HCC, the Indiana General Assembly, working with a cross section of medical experts and citizens’ input, would determine if and how a health care system would operate in Indiana. The compact would allow Indiana to modify specific federal laws, regulations and orders concerning health care. Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas have all passed HCC and 18 other states are currently considering an agreement. (more…)
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