Governor Holcomb Wants To Curb Distracted Driving As Part Of 2020 Political Agenda

By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Gov. Eric Holcomb is focusing on reducing distracted driving by barring all drivers from using hand-held devices and raising the smoking age from 18 to 21 in the 2020 legislative session.

Holcomb unveiled his top legislative priorities at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Terre Haute Tuesday. Initiatives in transportation, education and public health are on his list of new laws he is asking legislators to consider.

Holcomb wants to decrease incidents of distracted driving by enacting a hands-free device driving law banning drivers from using cell phones unless they are hands free. Under the current law, texting while driving is banned but the law is unenforceable because there is no way to prove a text was being sent. Several states have already enacted similar laws.

The proposed new law is not about issuing tickets and collecting fines but about making Indiana’s roads safer and saving lives, the governor told the packed room.

“So be prepared for an extra presence on not just 70 or 41 but throughout the state of Indiana,” he said.

Under public health, Holcomb has prioritized the Tobacco 21 law, which would raise the purchasing age from 18 to 21 for smoking and vaping products. Several states have enacted similar legislation.

Holcomb cited data showing that 20% of high school students and 5% of middle school students admit to vaping.

“I thought I was pretty cool when I was in middle school sneaking gum and now we got kids in the sixth grade vaping and many times we don’t even know what it is,” Holcomb said. “So we have got to attack this with greater force than it’s attacking us.”

“We are especially pleased that the Governor has continued to make the health of Hoosiers a priority,”  Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said in a press release. “With the Governor championing this policy, in addition to all the other groups, it strengthens the effort and should move us across the finish line.”

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, opposed a similar bill in the 2019 session but has said that he now supports raising the age to 21.

The governor’s proposal would also increase penalties for retailers who sell to underage consumers. But neither the governor nor lawmakers are proposing a ban of flavored vaping products.

In education, Holcomb is asking the legislature to remove the controversial mandate for teachers to complete 15 of their 90 professional growth points in an outside work activity so they better understand career opportunities for students.

He is also asking the General Assembly to not penalize schools for recent low ILEARN proficiency test scores, which would mean that the scores would not have an adverse effect on teacher evaluations or 2018-19 school letter grades.

Thousands of teachers rallied at the Statehouse in mid-November to urge lawmakers to drop the outside work requirement, not punish schools and educators for low test scores and raise educator pay.

The test score and work provision have wide support from lawmakers in both parties, but teachers will likely have to wait for action on the pay issue. Holcomb has said he will wait another year for recommendations from the teacher pay commission before acting.

Democrats in the House and Senate said agree with the “hold harmless” proposal, but say the governor should do more.

“Yes, we should pursue ‘hold harmless’ legislation, but we also must explore the obsession with testing pursued by this Governor and the Republicans that has led us into this mess,” said Indiana House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, in a press release.

Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, called the agenda “nothing short of disappointing.”

“We must hold schools harmless as well as decouple teacher evaluations from standardized test scores and ultimately restructure our accountability system for a long-term solution to this continuing issue that monopolizes our students’ time at the expense of learning,” Lanane said in a press release.

As part of his healthcare agenda, Holcomb proposes establishing an all-payer claims database to produce a more transparent healthcare system that would allow consumers access to hospital pricing and insurance reimbursement.

He also wants Hoosiers to be protected from surprise medical bills by requiring providers to give an estimate of care costs, including the patient share, two to five days prior to the service if requested by the patient.

Holcomb also prioritized establishing a relationship between school corporations and a community health provider by 2022. This is not required but will allow schools to be eligible for Secured School Safety Grants.

“Currently, about 60% of our schools are already doing that but we want to make sure that is in place so that there is a phone number and there is a connection should something tragic happen,” Holcomb said.

Reimbursing emergency medical service providers, even when transportation is not needed is another priority for Holcomb in the 2020 session. Currently, if a patient does not need to be taken to an emergency room and simply needs in home care, such as care for diabetic shock, EMS personnel will not be reimbursed for their time or efforts.

Holcomb hopes changing the law will acknowledge that the EMS community does more than transport patients. This could also help cut down on unnecessary emergency room bills should EMS personnel have an incentive to provide in home care whenever possible.

The governor wants lawmakers to consider legislation that would provide workplace accommodations to pregnant workers or new mothers, such as frequent breaks and temporary job restructuring as long as it does not place undue hardship on the business. This is something 27 states have already required.

Under a category he calls good government, Holcomb said he is hoping to save Hoosier taxpayers more than $125 million by reallocating funds and integrating Indiana 2-1-1 into the Family and Social Services Administration call center to connect all health and human services.

Brynna Sentel is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.