On Tuesday, members of the Interim Study Committee on Pension Management Oversight voted on a draft report that includes the recommendation that Indiana provides an annual 13th check or annual COLA to certain members of the public employees’ retirement fund, Indiana state teachers’ retirement fund, legislators’ defined benefit plan, and EG&C plan.

Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, a member on the committee: “I strongly support any legislation that would guarantee public retirees a 13th check or cost-of-living adjustment. Retirees have worked their entire adult lives and paid taxes that benefit the state and their communities.

“If we want Indiana to truly be a state that works, we must prioritize the well-being and dignity of both our current workers and our retirees. Many retirees face a significant set of unique challenges—from prescription costs to rising property taxes—and rely on the 13th check to make ends meet.

“A friendly reminder to my fellow legislators in the Indiana House and the Indiana Senate: Pension benefits to state employees are not a gift from the state, but a promise made by the state for their future security. We need to be mindful of the fact that these benefits were earned by our employees through hard work and dedication to their jobs and their workplace. Our goal should always be promises made, promises kept.”

Last week, Indiana Republican Party Chairwoman Anne Hathaway released the following statement congratulating Cyndi Carrasco on her victory in the caucus to fill the vacancy in the office of State Senator for District 36:

“While we are all still mourning the loss of Senator Sandlin, Hoosiers in the district should know they will be well represented by Cyndi. We are excited to have her join the rest of the Republican senate caucus to deliver results for District 36 and the rest of the state.”

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb was joined by Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter on Tuesday to commemorate the completion of the newly constructed Lowell State Police Post and Regional Laboratory facilities. The modern, 40,000-square-foot facility will replace the 8,000-square-foot facility, which has been home to the Indiana State Police in northwest Indiana since 1977. The Lowell Regional Laboratory provides forensic analysis of criminal case evidence for all local agencies across 15 counties in northern Indiana. 

Holcomb: “This is another great day for northwest Indiana as we celebrate the opening of the new Lowell State Police Post and Regional Laboratory. This project is years in the making and I’m grateful for state and local leadership that made it happen.”

Carter: “This building isn’t just for us, this state-of-the-art facility is for the community and for those who have been victims or have family members that have been victims of violent crime. It represents all that is the very best in law enforcement and our continuing and unwavering partnerships with those agencies in and around the Lowell District coverage area who, too, will benefit from the services provided by our dedicated laboratory personnel.”

On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, along with a group of Republican members on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to tech companies X, Meta, TikTok and Google seeking information on their content moderation policies during the Israel-Hamas war and asking the companies to commit to fully preserving a documentary history.

From the letter: “On October 7th, the world witnessed the largest mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Israelis and nationals from more than thirty countries, including the United States, have been kidnapped, tortured, and brutally executed by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas and its affiliated militant groups.

“Many of the horrors perpetrated by Hamas have been documented in real-time on social media platforms, including by victims, the media, the Israeli government, and the terrorists themselves. While steps should be taken to curb attempts by Hamas to weaponize social media for its own ends, it is indisputable that social media platforms have already played a critical role in exposing the international community to the genocidal atrocities committed against Israel. Much of this content is graphic and violent, and under normal circumstances, it might be removed under your company’s content policies.

“We believe it is imperative that we preserve a full documentary history of Hamas’s atrocities. Ordinarily policies limiting the distribution of disturbing content might make sense, but videos and images uploaded by soldiers, law enforcement, citizens, journalists, and those with real time access to acts of terrorism need to be preserved to aid in prosecuting war crimes, intelligence gathering, media reporting, and the historical record. The role of social media in documenting war crimes and chronicling what happens in times of war is relatively new but highly consequential. Google has a responsibility not to permanently delete any of this content but to preserve it in such a way that the public record and historical record can accurately document the horrific atrocities being carried out.”

Attorney General Todd Rokita and 41 other attorneys general have sued Meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens.

Rokita: “Our children are our most precious God-given gift, as they are our future generation. This is just the next step in our endless fight to protect our youth from harmful, toxic platforms.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, released the following statement in response to Israel’s recent entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program:

“I am glad that the Biden administration listened to my and Rep. Sherman’s requests to immediately allow Israelis to visit the U.S. without a visa. It’s an easy decision that could save innocent lives. Congress will continue to stand with Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorism.”

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning has announced the Employer-Sponsored Child Care Fund, part of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s 2023 Next Level Agenda, to mobilize employers and communities to create or expand child care offerings that address the needs of working Hoosiers. The $25 million program, a partnership with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, uses a portion of the state’s remaining federal relief funds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holcomb: “Employers know first-hand the critical needs of their employees, and are best positioned to partner in their communities to create child care solutions that will help build and retain their workforce. This targeted grant program will boost Indiana’s economy and most importantly empower the state’s youngest learners with the tools they need to be successful in the years to come.”

Courtney Penn, OECOSL director: “Families will benefit from more convenient child care options in their communities, giving children the opportunity to learn, grow and develop alongside their peers. This grant will give parents more opportunities to learn, grow and develop in their careers as well.”

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb recently joined the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the town of Plainfield, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and New City Development to celebrate the official opening of the recently completed Vandalia Trail extension and to mark the start of a new chapter for Hobbs Station. The 2.32-mile asphalt multi-use trail received support from a $1,712,000 Next Level Trails grant that was announced by Gov. Holcomb in March 2021.

Holcomb: “Powered by partnerships, and blazing new trails, Next Level Trails continues to help Indiana connect communities and one another. I’m excited to see the private sector, local and state government partners all come together to set a new national standard. The Vandalia Trail connection to Plainfield’s new Hobbs Station development perfectly represents our statewide momentum and will draw Hoosiers across the region for years to come.”

U.S. Reps. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, and Jeff Duncan, R-South Carolina, sent a letter calling on the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to deport student and foreign exchange visa holders who have supported Hamas.

Banks: “We’ve already had a record number of illegal immigrants from terrorist-harboring nations. We need to shut down our border and then deport all non-citizen Hamas sympathizers. The Biden administration has the legal authority and an obligation to do both—anything less betrays America’s national security.”

U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, lead Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, has cosponsored legislation to immediately reinstate sanctions against Iran.

Young: “The terrorist attacks in Israel are a warning about how dangerous the world is becoming. If American power and will recede, bad actors will feel empowered to fill the vacuum. Iran facilitates the actions of Hamas, as well as other groups intent on destroying Israel. The Biden Administration must freeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets currently held in Qatar and hold Iran accountable for its violent and destabilizing actions, including support of Hamas. Additionally, the United States also must reimpose all sanctions against Iran. The Biden Administration’s decision to ease enforcement of these sanctions has given Iran tens of billions of dollars to finance Hamas, Hezbollah, and its other terrorist proxies.”

On Friday, members of the State and Local Tax Review Task Force heard from Neva Butkus, state policy analyst at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy. Butkus, whose presentation was requested by Rep. Gregory W. Porter, D-Indianapolis, reported to the task force that Indiana’s current tax policy is “regressive” and requires low- and middle-income Hoosiers to pay more taxes than the wealthiest 20% of Indiana residents.

Porter: “It is abundantly clear that Indiana needs a balanced tax structure that looks out for the little guy, and that’s not what we have right now. To make matters worse, Indiana Republicans are fighting to make our tax system even more unequal by advocating to get rid of the state income tax. We’ve already been told by two former Republican lawmakers that this proposal is not sustainable, and Ms. Butkus’ presentation today showed us clearly that this proposal would force lower-income Hoosiers to pay more in taxes and give the wealthy yet another tax cut.

“If we truly want Indiana to be a state where everyone has an opportunity to prosper, we have to find a tax structure that doesn’t help the rich get richer and the poor to pay more than their fair share. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single person household in Indiana needs to make roughly $31,560 a year to earn what is considered a living wage. Over 20% of Hoosier families make less than that, but still pay the most in both total state and local taxes, as well as the highest rates of sales and excise taxes. It is unconscionable that Republicans are vying to eliminate a tax that will benefit the wealthy while ignoring the glaring disparities in our current structure.

“I’d like to thank Ms. Butkus and the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy for sharing their findings with the tax force and urge my Republican colleagues to do right by the majority of Hoosiers by working with Democrats to find a tax system that works for everyone, not just the top 1%.”

The bipartisan Korean American VALOR Act introduced by U.S. Sens. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. This legislation will allow the approximately 3,000 Korean-American Vietnam War veterans who have since become naturalized American citizens to enroll in VA healthcare paid for by the South Korean government.

Braun: “This legislation guarantees that the men and women who bravely fought alongside U.S. troops and have become American citizens will have access to the care and benefits they deserve, paid for by the South Korean government.”