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Bill Looks At Allowing Businesses To Appeal County Health Mandates

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Bill Looks At Allowing Businesses To Appeal County Health Mandates

March 21, 2021  
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By Taylor Dixon

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Senate Bill 5 would allow people to appeal emergency orders put in place by local health officials. While county health officials have been in charge of mandates within their community, including imposing rules stricter than the state, this bill would require them to collaborate with local government officials before making decisions.

SB 5 was heard Wednesday by the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee, where testimony from both sides was heard and discussed. The bill will be voted on in the committee next week.

Some, like Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, who co-authored the bill, said health departments are given too much power and should be working in collaboration with local government officials.

Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, co-authored SB 5, which would require local government officials to be involved in mandates released by county health departments. Photo provided.

“I don’t think that appointed people like health commissioners in each county should be the sole individual to shut down businesses and take away the livelihoods of people,” Alting said.

However, with nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, health officials argue that this bill is unsafe and that it would be a safety hazard to challenge health mandates put into place.

One of the testimonials came from Dr. Virginia Cane, director of the Marion County Public Health Department. She opposed the bill, saying that the economy can’t bounce back until public health is addressed.

“Public health provides long-term economic success through smart, evidence-based strategies and through smart, long-term disease prevention strategies,” Cane said. “We can’t have a healthy economy without healthy consumers and healthy workers.”

Dr. Roland Walker, the health commissioner of Gary, said health care officials are putting these precautions and rules in place to protect people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People will be harmed by this,” Walker said. “There will be an increase in morbidity and mortality. More people will get sick and more people will die.”

FOOTNOTE:  Taylor Dixon is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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Vaneta Becker Supporting Schools Through The Pandemic

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HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HOST VIRTUAL WORLD TB DAY EVENT

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GOVERNOR SIGNS INDY SOCCER STADIUM PLANS INTO LAW

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Indy Eleven and Indianapolis will have more time to finalize plans for stadium after governor signs bill into law

March 19, 2021 
Posted by:

By Hope Shrum

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—A bill extending the date for Indy Eleven and the city of Indianapolis to finalize plans to build a new soccer stadium has just one final step to become law.

Since Senate Bill 385 passed through both chambers without any amendments, it will be heading straight to Gov. Eric Holcomb to sign into law. The law passed during its final reading in the House Thursday.

The central building of Eleven Park is the 20,000-seat multipurpose stadium, which will host a variety of games and events. Rendering provided by Indy Eleven.

Rep. Mike Speedy, R-Indianapolis, was one of the bill’s sponsors in the House. He briefly talked about the bill before its final vote.

“As a result of the economic slowdown in the hospitality and sports industries caused by the pandemic and how the government has responded to the pandemic, the city of Indianapolis believes it’s appropriate to push back that start date to two years from now,” Speedy said.

The Indy Eleven and the city of Indianapolis were supposed to create a new professional sports development area, or PSDA, by July 1, 2022—as outlined in SB 7, which passed into law in 2019. Now, SB 385 gives them until July 1, 2024, to establish a new PSDA.

Aside from the soccer stadium, the development project would include an entire neighborhood with apartments, a hotel, an office, and retail and public space. The project will be named Eleven Park.

During SB 385’s final reading in the House, Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis, questioned Speedy about why the Indy Eleven needs another two years when it has been trying to build the stadium for nearly a decade.

Speedy said that’s why SB 7 was made—to get the formal process started by creating a new PSDA.

“They started those negotiations once the bill was finalized in 2019,” Speedy said. “Their efforts have been ongoing beyond that.”

Moed asked Speedy if he supports “delaying the government accountability in this bill” by two years because of the “pandemic’s impact on their ability to build the stadium.”

Speedy replied that he supports moving the deadline so the Indy Eleven can “accomplish what they sought to accomplish in Senate Bill 7.”

The bill passed with 83 of the 89 voting representatives saying “yes,” including Moed.

FOOTNOTE:  Hope Shrum is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

SB 120 – The Slots Bill – Was An Unconstitutional Millionaire’s Stimulus Bill

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SB 120 – The Slots Bill – Was An Unconstitutional Millionaire’s Stimulus Bill

(This piece is respectfully submitted by Martin Cothran Senior Policy Analyst of The Family Foundation).

The so-called “historical horse racing” slots bill was passed by the Kentucky General Assembly. It was marketed as a bill that would protect the horse industry. In reality, it was an unconstitutional millionaire’s stimulus bill that, far from saving the horse industry, will ultimately replace it.

The legislation was in response to a unanimous 7-0 ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court that the machines were not pari-mutuel in the way they operated and therefore illegal.

In response, the legislature, ignoring the Court’s criteria for what constitutes pari-mutuel wagering, simply wrote a new definition for pari-mutuel wagering, one not shared by anyone outside Kentucky.

Lawmakers didn’t address the problems with the bill opponents had pointed out. Instead, it ignored them, and rather than the horse tracks and their allies on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission changing their actions to bring them into alignment with the law, lawmakers simply changed the law to suit a very wealthy and influential special interest.

But while arguments mattered in the legal system, other things mattered in the legislature — money and power matter. There slot machine advocates were able to deploy no less than sixty-two high-priced lobbyists to make their case, a case made more attractive in some cases by campaign contributions.

Supporters of this legislation argued that they were trying to create revenue for the state and save the horse industry. But while the state has received only about $57 million – only .13 percent of the General Fun, around $750 million has gone into the pockets of a small oligarchy of wealthy racing and casino interests. One of them, Churchill Downs, is worth over $8.3 billion, and the stock value of which has increased by over 1800 percent over the last ten years of the court proceedings.

There are people in this state who are hurting financially because of the pandemic. There are people all over the service industry who could use a stimulus check.

But Churchill Downs, whose CEO makes over $10 million a year, does not need a stimulus check. But they’re going to get one now.

One day, when slot parlors have spread across the state, players will look up from the machines and see pictures on the walls of the old days, when they used to race horses.

The horse industry made a deal with the Devil. And that’s never a good bargain.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

EPD REPORT

USI rallies, falls short in ninth

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University of Southern Indiana Baseball rallied with three runs in the ninth, but fell short of Quincy University, 6-5, Sunday at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles go to 4-10 overall and 2-6 in the GLVC, after today’s action, while Quincy is 8-4 overall, 5-3 GLVC.

USI got on the scoreboard in the third on a RBI-double by junior third baseman Michael Conner, cutting a three-run deficit to 3-1. The Eagles had spotted the Hawks a three-margin lead in the opening frame with a trio of unearned tallies.

Quincy re-extended the lead to three runs, 4-1, with a tally in the fourth before USI junior leftfielder Bryce Krizan cut the deficit back to two runs, 4-2, with a RBI-single to the opposite field to score sophomore catcher Lucas McNew.

The Hawks, once again, rallied to re-extend their margin with runs in the fifth and ninth to take a 6-2 advantage into the bottom of the ninth. USI ignited in the ninth with a three- run rally before Quincy shut the door on the Eagles’ 6-5 loss.

In the three-run ninth, USI scored two of its three runs on RBI-singles by freshman pinch-hitter Gavin McLarty and freshman first baseman Adam Wildeman, while freshman centerfielder Drew Taylor knocked in the final run with an RBI-double.

On the mound, freshman right-hander Tyler Wheeler started and took the loss for the Eagles. Wheeler (0-1) had a tough-luck first inning with three unearned runs, while allowing a total of four hits and three walks over 2.1 innings of work.

Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles hit the road for a four game series next weekend when the visit Maryville University March 26-28 in St. Louis, Missouri. Game times are 2 p.m. Friday for a single game; 11 a.m. for a doubleheader Saturday; and noon Sunday for a single game.

USI leads the all-time series with Maryville, 8-2, after sweeping a three-game series at the USI Baseball Field in 2019. The Saints completed a four-game series with Rockhurst University with a 4-2 win Sunday to raise their record to 5-7 overall and a 3-2 GLVC record.

ADOPT A PET

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Softball clinches opening MVC series against Loyola

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Aces take 7-4 win over Ramblers

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A 5-run fifth inning made the difference on Sunday as the University of Evansville softball team earned a 7-4 victory over Loyola to clinch its first Missouri Valley Conference series of the 2021 season.

 

Evansville (13-7, 2-1 MVC) picked up six hits on the day but saw seven different players record a walk.  Jenna Lis was 2-4 with her second home run of the season and three RBI while Eryn Gould launched her second homer of the weekend.  Izzy Vetter picked up her seventh win of the season, fanning 10 batters in six frames.  She gave up just two hits.

 

Vetter was locked in to begin the game, striking out the first seven Loyola (5-13, 1-2 MVC) batters.  The first hit of the game was a big one in the third when the Ramblers got on the board with a solo home run from Caitlin Engleking.  Evansville’s first big scoring opportunity came in the bottom half of the third when the Aces loaded the bases on three walks, but could not push the tying run across the plate.

 

In the fourth, Evansville’s offense came through.  After Marah Wood reached on a walk, Jenna Lis connected on her second home run of the season to put the Aces on top – 2-1.  One inning later, the bats were right back at it.  Halie Fain led off with a walk before Eryn Gould drilled her fifth home run of the season to make it a 4-1 game.  Jenna Lis added an RBI hit down the left field line before two more runs scored on an error.  In total, the Aces scored five runs in the frame to extend the lead to 7-1.

 

Loyola made a furious rally, hitting a 2-run homer in the 6th before adding two baserunners with no outs.  Vetter regrouped and recorded three consecutive outs to preserve the 4-run lead.  The Ramblers scored once in the seventh, but could get no closer with the Aces earning the series win with a 7-4 decision.

 

Caitlin Engelking and Madison Ebeling posted two hits apiece for LUC.

 

Next up for Evansville is a 5 p.m. contest against SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday inside Cooper Stadium.

 

Eagles’ second half charge comes up short at Rockhurst

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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer saw its five-game winning streak snapped after dropping a 2-1 contest at Rockhurst University Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles are now 5-2-0 after today’s action, while Rockhurst moves to 4-4-2.

The Hawks tested sophomore goalkeeper Maya Etienne early, rolling a goal past her in the first nine minutes of the match of a free kick redirect. This broke Etienne’s incredible scoreless  streak at 459 minutes that set a new record and broke a 21-year mark.

Rockhurst added another goal before halftime with a tally coming off a well-placed header at 28:44 to make it 2-0 before the intermission.

USI seemed to struggle to get much going in the first half, only posting one shot on-goal which came from sophomore forward/midfielder Morgan Beyer which was swallowed up by the Rockhurst goalkeeper.

Beyer, however, would not be denied for long as she opened the second half, scoring just after two minutes came off the clock. Beyer’s first goal of the season and USI career came on a pretty through ball from junior teammate Katlyn Andres which split the Hawks lead in half.

The Eagles sensed a resurgence as they added another three quality shots on goal but were unable to come up with the equalizer. USI ultimately out shot Quincy 13-9 overall, holding the Hawks to a pair of harmless shots on-goal in the second half, despite falling in the road contest, 2-1.

Up Next for the Eagles:

USI comes home to Strassweg Field next weekend for a pair of GLVC games, hosting Southwest Baptist University Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Drury University Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

The Eagles lead the all-time series with Southwest Baptist University, 1-0-0, after winning the first match-up in GLVC and all-time, 3-1, on the road in 2019.

USI trails in the all-time series with Drury, 8-7-0, but has won the last four meetings over the Panthers. The Eagles won the fourth-straight over the Panthers, 1-0, in 2019 in Springfield, Missouri.

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