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FOOTNOTE:  EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Conference Committee Welcomes Final Testimony On The State Budget

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By Ashlyn Myers, TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Advocates from multiple health-care and state organizations testified before lawmakers Thursday as they worked through issues on the state’s next budget. 

Lawmakers from both parties of the Senate and House gathered in a small, cramped room on the fourth floor of the Indiana Statehouse to hear testifiers share their final concerns with Indiana’s financial priorities.

After passing amendments in both chambers, the budget bill, House Bill 1001, went to a conference committee, giving representatives and senators one final chance to iron out their disagreements. This comes after Wednesday’s budget forecast revealed lawmakers have over $1.5 billion in extra state revenue to decide what to do with.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, revealed that he and other legislators had worked until 11:30 p.m. Wednesday trying to come to an agreeable final budget proposal. 

Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, joked that while he wasn’t at the Statehouse quite so late, House Democrats still had some requests for the budget. 

“[The revenue forecast] means we have more opportunities to do more for individuals, residents of the great state of Indiana,” Porter said. “There are a lot of programs that are out there that we’re not funding in regards to SB 1 and 4 and 1422 dealing with Alzheimer’s. And we just hope that we will seriously look at those, those programs.”

Just days ago, Porter held a press conference to share his caucus’ proposed changes to the budget, which included more money for health care and K-12 education. 

Testimony requests 

Starting testimony, Chris Daley, executive director of the Indiana Association of Resources and Child Advocacy, urged lawmakers to look into his organization’s request for a $30 million workforce stabilization grant for child and family welfare agencies across Indiana. 

“We do know that children are sleeping in DCS offices again and staying in other unlicensed facilities,” Daley said. “Children are being placed far from home, and families in the community are having to wait for reunification because of the waitlist for services. All of that is due to the workforce.”

David Sklar, director of government affairs with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter, echoed Porter’s request to assist the Alzheimer’s community in the Hoosier state. 

His request is to fully fund House Bill 1422 at $1.5 million a year, which would establish a dementia care specialist program. According to Sklar, over 110,000 Hoosiers currently live with Alzheimer’s disease. 

“It would be the first direct investment both at the state level and around the state in a program specifically meant to address Alzheimer’s,” Sklar said. “Obviously, we have a number of programs that support living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, but this would be the first direct investment from the state in confronting that disease.”

Amanda Musser, a registered nurse and administrator for Homepoint Healthcare of Indiana, said the nursing field is “experiencing a crisis.” She said the state needs to allocate funds for long-term care patients to stay in their homes, which would ultimately save Indiana more money. 

Musser said that in 2018, one of her patient’s hospital stays cost the state $15,293.63 a day. Caring for the patient at home would instead have cost $391.76 a day.

“As you know, long-term care is super expensive, and plus it’s been proven that 75% of people want to stay in the home,” Musser said. “So we would just like to have a little extra help to make sure that we can provide care for those people and make sure this is successful.”

Tim Maloney, senior policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, requested that the budget fund Gov. Eric Holcomb’s request for more trails and land conservation.

“His proposal was for $25 million over the biennium for land conservation with the President Harrison Conservation Trust and $50 million for trails,” Maloney said. “I just encourage you to not see these as luxuries or as optional programs but really essential elements to our quality of life, to Hoosiers’ physical and mental wellbeing, to our economic wellbeing.”

Maloney said outdoor recreation contributes almost $13 billion a year to the economy, making it a valuable beneficiary of the budget’s funds. 

Lawmaker input

Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, shared his party’s desire to fully fund health-care bills Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 4. He also said he wanted to look into funding Martin University, Indiana’s only predominantly Black institution, and its $2 million request. 

In addition, Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said he wants to see more funding for infrastructure across the state. 

“There’s an opportunity with the revenue forecast to do more potentially with the community crossings program or the infrastructure funding formula to be sure that our communities are benefiting from good infrastructure,” Qaddoura said. 

He also called for more transparency when looking into the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) spending, so that Indiana’s taxpayers will “not be surprised with projects that get funded but the employment and the jobs don’t come with those opportunities.”

Rep. Jack Jordan, R-Bremen, shared that he’s happy with the Senate’s idea to move around some of IEDC’s funding. 

“There’s a significant amount of money going to IEDC, and as a rural state, I appreciated the proposal that the Senate came up with—a percentage being directed to economic activity to rural counties,” Jordan said. “So I just want to reemphasize my support for that fine work from our senators.”

The committee will have to meet again to nail down the budget’s final version, taking today’s testimony into account.

Gov. Beshear: Kentucky Drug Overdose Deaths Decline for First Time in Four Years

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Overdose deaths declined by 5% last year, the first decline since 2018

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 20, 2023) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that Kentucky’s drug overdose deaths declined in 2022 by 5% compared with 2021, marking the first decline since 2018.

According to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), 2,127 Kentuckians died from a drug overdose in 2022 compared with 2,257 in 2021.

“While we find hope in the decline in drug overdose deaths, this remains a public health crisis that we must continue to work together to address,” said Gov. Beshear. “We have done a lot of work to help Kentuckians fight addiction, but there is more to do and more lives to save. And I promise to be there every step of the way.”

On March 24, the Governor signed two pieces of legislation to support ongoing efforts to help Kentuckians fighting addiction. At that time, Gov. Beshear said, “I am proud that Kentucky has been leading the way in providing treatment services to Kentuckians through the state’s Treatment Access Program, which allows those without health insurance to enter residential treatment, and we have increased the number of treatment beds by 50% during my administration.”

Dana Quesinberry, co-principal investigator for surveillance of the Kentucky Drug Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program at KIPRC, joined the Governor for today’s announcement.

“I am glad to have good news to share today. Drug overdose deaths in Kentucky have been on the rise for the last four years, with a spike at the start of the world-wide pandemic,” said Quesinberry. “The numbers from 2022 show that prevention efforts are working, and we share this news today to continue to inform prevention interventions as we work together across state and local government to address this public health crisis and save lives.”

KIPRC has been tracking drug overdose-related deaths since 2011. The Office of Drug Control Policy, in partnership with KIPRC, will be releasing the 2022 Kentucky Drug Overdose Report in the coming months. The report will include additional data on the number of drug overdose deaths by county and various demographics.

Fighting the Epidemic 
Through partnerships across state government, including with the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Beshear administration is diligently working to provide wider and easier access to recovery, to reduce addiction and to prevent reincarceration to offenders. These programs will help continue the fight against the drug epidemic in the commonwealth while providing help for those who need it.

Before becoming Governor, Beshear was the most aggressive attorney general in the country in filing lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors. At the end of 2022, Gov. Beshear announced he was taking steps to make sure the settlement funds with pharmaceutical companies that he initially sued would get to communities impacted by the opioid epidemic.

In September 2022, Gov. Beshear announced nearly $2 million in grant funding from the federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. These funds provide much-needed resources for law enforcement agencies and nonprofit agencies throughout Kentucky’s 120 counties to enhance public safety and create a better, safer commonwealth for future generations.

During the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Beshear worked with a bipartisan group of state leaders to act on recommendations made by Pew Charitable Trusts on how to best address the opioid crisis. This includes signing Senate Bill 90 into law to provide eligible individuals an alternative to receive treatment for a behavioral health disorder instead of incarceration, expand recovery-ready housing and expand access to treatment for pregnant and parenting people in rural areas.

Additionally, the Governor took legislative action to help those suffering from an addiction who are not in a position to seek help for themselves. Casey’s Law, signed in 2004, has helped more than 6,000 Kentuckians battling addiction by allowing families and loved ones to seek a court order for involuntary treatment for anyone who is fighting addiction and refuses treatment on their own. Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 362 into law last year to expand on the benefit of Casey’s Law by permitting the court to determine if an individual should be ordered to undergo treatment for a substance use disorder beyond a reasonable doubt. At this time, the court shall order treatment for a specific amount of time. If the individual fails to undergo treatment, they will be held in contempt of court.

Also in April of last year, Gov. Beshear and ODCP announced $4.9 million in grants to expand treatment and recovery services to pregnant and parenting people. This funding will not only help parents recover from opioid addiction but will also address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, a condition caused by an infant going through drug withdrawal.

The administration is working to reduce addiction and prevent reincarceration through a statewide project that provides transportation at no charge to former inmates so they can access substance-abuse recovery facilities, medical appointments, job interviews, educational courses, probation and parole meetings and employment. The Department of Corrections (DOC) is partnering with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to serve nearly 50,000 Kentuckians, currently under the supervision of probation or parole, who can use this project.

In September 2021, Gov. Beshear announced the commonwealth had launched a new initiative to help employers address addiction, boost hiring and retention and support employees in the workplace.

STATE STATUTE THAT REGULATES ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO COMMISSION VIOLATIONS

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Over a month ago an official complaint was filed against a member of the local Vanderburgh County Alcohol Beverage Commission with the State Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.

One of the complaints alleges that Republican Mayoral candidate Natalie Rascher received illegal political campaign contributions from a bar owner while serving on the local board. The complaints are now in possession of the ATC prosecutor.

We feel that Natalie Rascher has been unfairly treated by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission members because she hasn’t been granted a hearing in a timely manner so she can defend the complaints against her in order to resolve this issue. We are told that the complaint not being resolved in a timely manner could cost her votes in the upcoming Republican primary election for Mayor of Evansville.

Attached is the link to the Indiana State Statute governing the State Alcohol and Tobacco Commission activities.  Please review the attached link to the State Alcohol and Tobacco Commission statute that regulates their activities.

We hope you can make any sense of this most bureaucratic State Statute concerning the alleged violations filed against local Alcohol and Tobacco Commission member Natalie Rascher and give us your opinions.

LINK Of IC 7.1-5-5 Chapter 5. Miscellaneous Crimes

IC 7.1-5-5-2

FOOTNOTE:  Please vote in today’s City County Observer “READER POLL.”

 

 

Increasing Birth Control Access For Hoosier Women

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Studies show that more than 19 million women across the country do not have access to some form of birth control. Currently, Indiana law only allows primary physicians to prescribe hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills, skin patches, IUDs and rings. Lack of access, especially in low-income rural and urban communities, continues to be a struggle for many Hoosier women.

To expand access, I supported legislation that would allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives if the woman is 18 years old or older and completes a self-screening process. It would allow pharmacists to be reimbursed after prescribing birth control to Medicaid recipients, ensuring low-income Hoosiers are not left behind. 

Women who receive prescriptions from a pharmacist would be required to consult with a physician within 12 months to ensure medical issues don’t arise. Pharmacists could object to prescribing contraceptives based on ethical, moral or religious grounds.

This legislation is an important step to support women and prevent unwanted pregnancies, especially those without a primary care doctor, or who are unable to afford transportation to a different city or county. It now heads to the governor where it could soon be signed into law.

Roosevelt Jones promoted to Director of Player Development at UE

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Jones was Director of Basketball Operations last season

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head men’s basketball coach David Ragland has announced that Roosevelt Jones has been elevated to Director of Player Development for the Purple Aces.

Jones joined the program in the summer of 2022 and served as the Director of Basketball Operations last season.  Before coming to Evansville, Jones was an Assistant Coach at the University of Indianapolis and IU-Kokomo.

“Rose is as competitive a person that I have been around.  The fact that he has completely owned the responsibilities of Director of Basketball Operations as passionate as he did this past season was vital to our program,” Ragland said.  “Rose has a great basketball mind and is going to positively impact our players on a daily basis on and off the court.”

Prior to his coaching days, Jones enjoyed a storied playing career.  The legend at Butler University completed a record-breaking career with the Bulldogs that saw him rank at or near the top in starts (1st), assists (4th), rebounds (5th), steals (8th) and points (11th).  The 2-time All-Big East Second Team player earned NABC All-District accolades in 2015-16.

Chandler Appoints New Police Leadership

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The Town of Chandler, Indiana, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kirk Tevault as the new Chief of Police and Jordan Carr as the Assistant Chief of Police for the Chandler Police Department.

Chief Kirk Tevault (photo attached) started his career in law enforcement in June of 1988 at the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office. During his 32-year career at the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office, he had many roles. He served the county as a motor patrol deputy, K9 deputy, motor patrol sergeant, and he ended his career at the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office as the lieutenant of motor patrol. Once retired from the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office Chief Tevault began his career at the Chandler Police Department. Chief Tevault was sworn in as the Assistant Chief of Police in August 2020. Chief Tevault has assisted in evolving this department into what it is today. He possesses a lot of knowledge and experience and will continue molding this department into a better one.

Assistant Chief Jordan Carr (photo attached) started her law enforcement career with the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office where she was a motor patrol deputy. She was a graduate of the 224th class of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. She was hired at the Chandler Police Department in December of 2021. Since then, Assistant Chief Carr has shown great leadership skills and dedication to this department. She is currently a field training officer, crisis intervention officer, and is the evidence technician.

The Town is excited by the appointment of Chief Kirk Tevault and Assistant Chief Jordan Carr’s and look forward to their contributions to Chandler’s community.

Vincennes University Appoints Jaci Lederman As Executive Director Of IT And CIO

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Vincennes University appoints Jaci Lederman as Executive Director of IT and CIO

APRIL 21, 202

VINCENNES, Ind., April 21, 2023 – Vincennes University announces the appointment of Jaci Lederman as its new Executive Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, effective May 1. She was selected from a pool of more than 50 applicants and is taking over the position from Bob Wisler.

VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment, stating, “I am excited to welcome Jaci to her new role at VU. Jaci’s vast experience and knowledge in IT as both a leader and a faculty member make her an outstanding choice for this role. I am confident she will continue to build on our existing strengths and, through her leadership of our IT unit, enhance student learning and success and help VU continue to improve as an institution.”

Lederman has a deep connection to VU. Her impressive career at the University spans more than a decade. Lederman is a VU alumna who started in 2011 as a faculty member in the Information Technology Department, eventually achieving the rank of professor, and serving as department chair for more than five years.

For the past 14 months, Lederman has served as the Director of Enterprise Applications. She has helped lead the University’s IT modernization and digital transformation and also has been instrumental in launching multiple software tools, the new VU website, and other projects.

“Building strong relationships with stakeholders is crucial for driving successful digital transformation within any organization,” Lederman said. “As CIO, I will prioritize continued relationship building between the Information Technology Department and university stakeholders to create a culture of collaboration and trust that will enable the successful implementation of digital transformation initiatives.”

Her previous IT leadership roles in Southwest Indiana, coupled with her extensive project management experience, make her the ideal appointee for this position.

As she prepares to assume her new responsibilities, Lederman shared her thoughts, saying, “I am honored to be appointed as VU’s CIO and Executive Director of Information Technology. I look forward to working with President Johnson, the Executive Team, and my colleagues on the ITEX to build on VU’s technology strengths and support our mission of providing an excellent educational experience for our students.”

Her qualifications include a range of credentials, including IT, cybersecurity, and project management certifications, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in IT Management from Western Governors University, a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Phoenix, and an Associate of Science in Computer Programming from VU.

VU invites everyone to join in congratulating Lederman on her appointment and welcoming her to her new post at VU.
FOOTNOTE: Founded in 1801, VU is Indiana’s first college and is the only college in the nation founded by an individual who would later become President of the United States. William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. President, founded VU while serving as governor of the Indiana Territory. More information is available at www.vinu.edu.

 

Indiana State Police Detectives Searching for Missing Person

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Indianapolis, IN - Detectives from the Indiana State Police are investigating the disappearance of a Noblesville man, who was last seen on the south east side of Indianapolis March 2, 2023. The circumstances into the disappearance have been determined to be suspicious and investigators are asking for information from the public. 58 year old Patrick Stern was last seen driving a black 2012 Cadillac Escalade with Indiana “Colts” license plate IC840. The Cadillac is equipped with a trailer hitch on the back and has tinted windows.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mr. Stern or the Cadillac Escalade is asked to contact Indiana State Police Detective Brandon Alberts at 317-899-8577.  Information can also be given to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS). Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to www.CrimeTips.org to submit a web tip. This release may be updated as more information becomes available. Information given via Crime Stoppers should be considered anonymous.
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  • Patrick Glenn Stern (58)
  • White Male
  • 5’10” tall
  • 185 pounds
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