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The Children’s Museum of Evansville Winter Hours
Supreme Court Issues Ruling On OSHA And CMS Vaccine Mandates
Supreme Court Issues Ruling On OSHA And CMS Vaccine Mandates
January 17, 2022
By: Chad J. Sullivan and Lucero Tennis Kieffer
On January 13th, the Supreme Court issued opinions in companion cases concerning governmental vaccine mandates. Regarding the OSHA vaccine/testing mandates for private employers with 100 employees or more, the Supreme Court, by a 6 to 3 decision, stayed the OSHA vaccine mandate. The Supreme Court held that the parties opposing the mandate were “likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the Secretary lacked authority to impose the mandate.â€
The Supreme Court held that Congress had not plainly authorized the Secretary’s mandate regarding broad public health measures and distinguished this from other OSHA workplace regulations because “a vaccination, after all, cannot be undone at the end of the workday.â€
In the companion case regarding the Health and Human Services vaccine mandate for Medicare and Medicaid facilities (the “CMS Ruleâ€), the Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion and lifted a stay of injunctions prohibiting the enforcement of the rule. Regarding the CMS Rule, the Supreme Court held the Secretary was granted authority for the rule within the language of the Medicare statute. The Supreme Court held that the Secretary was within the statutory authority in requiring that in order to remain eligible for Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the facilities covered by the CMS Rule must ensure that their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The key deadlines under this rule are now January 27th and February 28th.
Both of these opinions are only as to the stay of enforcement of the rules, not a final and ultimate ruling on the merits. Litigation in both cases will continue in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court specifically noted that both decisions will terminate upon the denial of a writ of certiorari or if the writ is granted, upon the final judgment of the Supreme Court. The opinions also leave States free to regulate employees regarding COVID-19 vaccines, which some States may have already adopted or approved the OSHA plan.
Indiana Housing Dashboard
If you haven’t had a chance to look at the Indiana Housing Dashboard mentioned in last week’s note, take a few moments to click around. In the meantime, here are a few tips as to how the site can help you learn about Housing in Indiana. The first thing that pops up when visiting is a brief user guide which includes a video that highlights the many functions of the site. Continuing to the Dashboard’s front page, you will notice the four main data points (Population, Housing, Housing Availability & Jobs) at the upper left. In addition to viewing these statistics for the entire state, you may review them for each of our 92 counties, or even compare counties to each other or to the state as a whole. Did you know that Hillenbrand, Inc. is the largest employer in Franklin County, or that the median salary in LaPorte County has increased nearly 14% over the past 10 years? A quick use of the comparison tool reveals that 69.1% of residences in Indiana are owner occupied, while those numbers are 77% and 61.8% in Lawrence and Vigo Counties respectively. You can also use the Export Full Report tab to produce a 32-page in-depth report. In the screen shot below, you’ll see a screenshot of Johnson County, which showed that 27% of all homes were built after 2000, and that home prices have increased an average of 42% since 2019 with a median listing price of $304,593. Since 2010, the median rent there has increased by 22% with a median rent at $955 as of 2019. All the data and statistics contained within will be continuously updated as new census and other data sources are utilized. All of the above and much more is available online 24/7 for individuals, housing providers, stakeholders and municipalities. |
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Indiana State Police Seeks Recruits for the 83rd Recruit Academy
ISP offering FREE Hiring Seminar at C.K. Newsome Center in Evansville
The Indiana State Police is accepting applications for the 83rd Recruit Academy. Individuals who are interested in beginning a rewarding career as an Indiana State Trooper must apply online at IndianaTrooper.com. This website will provide a detailed synopsis of the application process as well as information on additional career opportunities with the Indiana State Police.
Applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm (EST) on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted for the 83rd Recruit Academy. The first 200 applicants to successfully pass all phases of the application process (Physical Ability Test, Written Examination, Oral Interview, Polygraph Examination, & Background Investigation) will be reviewed by the Superintendent for consideration of employment (Note: the dates for the Superintendent’s Review on the selection process timeline.) It is imperative interested applicants engage in the selection process early.
Basic Eligibility Requirements and consideration factors for an Indiana State Trooper:
- Must be a United States citizen.
- Must be at least 21 and less than 40 years of age when appointed as a police employee. (Appointment date is December 15, 2022)
- Must meet a minimum vision standard (corrected or uncorrected) of 20/50 acuity in each eye and 20/50 distant binocular acuity in both eyes.
- Must possess a valid driver’s license to operate an automobile.
- Must be willing, if appointed, to reside and serve anywhere within the State of Indiana as designated by the Superintendent.
- Must be a high school graduate as evidenced by a diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED).
The current starting salary for an Indiana State Police Department Recruit is $1,615.39 bi-weekly during the academy training. At the completion of academy training, the starting salary is $48,000.00 a year. Effective July 1, 2022, an approved budget will increase the Trooper pay matrix. This will impact the Trooper Trainee (proposed increase to $45,000) and First-Year Trooper salary (proposed increase to $51,000).
Recruits of the 83rd Recruit Academy are offered an excellent health care plan, which includes medical, dental, vision and pharmacy coverage for both current and retired employees, along with their families, until reaching age 65. The Indiana State Police pension program provides a lifetime pension after 25 years of service. Additionally, the Indiana State Police Department provides comprehensive disability coverage and a life insurance program. Student loan forgiveness programs are being offered at this time through the following:  https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
New Information:
Indiana State Police is gearing up to host its next Trooper Hiring Seminar on Saturday, January 29 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST in Evansville at the C.K. Newsome Center. The seminar is geared toward helping those with interest of joining the Indiana State Police. This is a no cost seminar designed to offer valuable insights on how to be successful in the selection process, answer questions and workout with Troopers. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with members of the Human Resources Division and additional Indiana State Police staff to better understand what to expect and how to best prepare for each phase of the selection process. Spots for this seminar will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. Please respond quickly as availability is capped at 40 participants. Further instructions will be emailed once capacity is reached. Email ISPRecruiting@isp.in.gov to reserve your spot.
EPA Outreach Events for Students and Recent Graduates of Minority Serving Institutions
| EPA is hosting targeted hiring outreach events for students and recent graduates of Minority Serving Institutions between January 15 and February 1, 2022. The audiences for these hiring discussions include Native and/or Indigenous Peoples; Black and African American Peoples; Latino/a/x and/or Hispanic Peoples; Asian-American Peoples and/or Pacific Islanders. There will be a spotlight speaker for each session and EPA staff will host Q&A sessions during each webinar to help students understand how to apply to opportunities at EPA.
No registration is required. Simply go to https://www.epa.gov/careers/hiring-outreach-events to access each session. Also, to provide increased opportunities for diverse employment at EPA, numerous Pathways and Entry-Level positions will be posted on the Federal Government’s hiring platform, USAJOBS between January 15 and February 3, 2022. These events are an excellent opportunity for students and recent graduates to receive valuable tips that they can immediately use when applying for positions in EPA. In additional to the virtual events, EPA recently launched a new Careers webpage. Take some time to explore our latest tutorials, programs, employee spotlights and more! We ask that you please share this information broadly with your networks and follow us on Twitter @EPAjobs. Microsoft Teams Webinar Schedule Black and/or African American students and recent graduatesÂ
Native and/or Indigenous students and recent graduates
Latino/a/x and/or Hispanic students and recent graduates
Asian-American and Pacific Islander students and recent graduates
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Supporting Human Trafficking Awareness Month
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Nearly 25 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking and yet this vile $150 billion industry is still invisible to many. Victims of this form of modern-day slavery often struggle with lifelong trauma as a result of repeated abuse, manipulation, and violence. To raise awareness of this criminal enterprise and honor human trafficking survivors, I co-authored a resolution recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Indiana and joined State Rep. John L. Bartlett (D-Indianapolis) to present the resolution at the Statehouse (pictured). Human trafficking is on the rise in Indiana, with 140 cases reported in 2020, compared to 95 in 2017, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. |
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I authored legislation to help protect young human trafficking victims by allowing them to record a video statement instead of being physically present in a courtroom with their attacker. The bill would also increase sentencing for perpetrators whose victims are under the age of 18, and rule out victim consent or belief that a victim was at least 18 years old as a legal defense. If passed, this legislation would deliver a clear message to all who traffic youth and adults in Indiana that they will be held accountable for their evil actions. If someone is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking, it should be reported immediately to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. |
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Responsive employer
Lady Trailblazers fall in road Region 24 matchup at Rend Lake
The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers hit the road Saturday afternoon and faced off against another team near the top of the Region 24 standings in Rend Lake College.
Vincennes fell behind in the second quarter before battling back in the fourth quarter but were unable to overcome the Lady Warrior lead as Rend Lake won 84-74 over VU.
The Lady Trailblazers got off to a fast start on the road, jumping out to a quick five point lead early in the first quarter.
VU would grow their lead to eight before the Warriors cut the deficit down to six with a late basket to end the first 10 minutes of play.
Vincennes continued to look strong early in the second quarter with their lead back to eight points before the Lady Warriors responded to close out the first half on an 11-2 scoring run to take a 32-29 lead into the locker room.
Rend Lake continued to ride this momentum in the second half as early turnovers by VU saw the Lady Blazers fall behind by 10 early in the third quarter.
The Warrior lead would remain in double-digits as VU trailed by 12 heading into the fourth quarter of play.
Rend Lake would continue to grow their lead midway through the fourth with the Blazers now trailing 72-55.
Vincennes then responded by finding some open shots near the basket and hitting a few shots from behind the arc to quickly cut the lead back to single digits.
Trailing by eight with just over a minute to play Vincennes played a full court press defense and managed to force Rend Lake into a few turnovers late.
The Lady Trailblazers were able to ca
THUNDERBOLTS BOMBARD HAVOC, FALL JUST SHORT IN 1-0 LOSSÂ
Huntsville, Ala.:  Despite pouring 38 shots on goal, the Thunderbolts suffered a tough 1-0 loss in Huntsville on Saturday night.  The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Friday, January 21st at 7:00pm CST as they host the Vermilion County Bobcats. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in person at the Ford Center Box Office.Â
The Thunderbolts outshot the Havoc 12-8 and 13-9, respectively, in each of the first two periods, keeping Havoc goaltender Hunter Vorva more than busy. At the Evansville end, Brian Billett went almost shot-for-shot, stopping every shot and opportunity he faced through most of the contest. Huntsville gained some momentum halfway through the third period and managed to convert, as Sy Nutkevich scored the lone goal at 10:42, and the Thunderbolts were denied thereafter, losing 1-0.  Brian Billett finished with 27 saves on 28 shots. The Thunderbolts next meet the Havoc on Friday, January 28th at Ford Center, face-off at 7:00pm CST.   Â
The Thunderbolts are currently competing in their fifth season in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). Season tickets are less than $9 per game. To order your tickets for this season, call 812-422-BOLT(2658).Â