8^th District high school student to have work displayed in nation’s Capital

Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. will visit the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana to review submissions to his Congressional Art Competition and announce the winner on Monday, May 4^th, in Evansville.

The Congressional Art Competition is an annual event held by Rep. Bucshon open to all students who are currently enrolled in a high school located in the 8^th District.

The winner was selected by an expert panel from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and will be announced by Bucshon on May 4^that 4:00pm CDT.

Bucshon will be joined with students who submitted artwork to the competition and their families.

Who:                    Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08)
8^th District High School Students and families

What:                  Announce Winner of the 8^th District Congressional Art Competition

When:                 Monday, May 4 2015 @ 4:00pm CDT

Where:               Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana – 318 Main St # 101, Evansville, IN 47708

Media is invited to attend.

The winner of the 8th District’s competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside artwork from other contest winners nation-wide.  The winner will also receive two free roundtrip tickets to Washington, DC from Southwest Airlines, a gift card for the Marriott Hotel chains, tour of the Capitol, and an invitation to the Congressional awards ceremony.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

Governor Supports Giving Indiana State Department of Health Approval Authority in Cases of Public Health Emergency

Indianapolis – Tonight, the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 461 regarding the use of syringe or needle exchange programs in the case of public health emergencies like the recent HIV outbreak in Scott County. Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement:

“While our administration took swift executive action to intervene in the HIV outbreak in Scott County, our healthcare and law enforcement communities will benefit from the legal framework in Senate Enrolled Act 461, which allows limited and accountable syringe exchange programs where public health emergencies warrant such action. Such measures will save lives.

“This legislation permits local officials to request approval from the Indiana State Department of Health for a limited and accountable syringe exchange program in the event of a public health emergency, provides resources to our law enforcement community, and I look forward to signing it into law.

“Our administration worked closely with legislators in crafting this timely and important public health initiative, which I believe will enable our state’s healthcare and law enforcement communities to address this and future health crises.”

As session comes to a close, there is still much to do in a very short amount of time. In fact, after months of careful discussion, we are still working to put the finishing touches on the state’s biennial budget in order to bring the greatest good to the greatest number of Hoosiers.

Although much is still left to do, there has already been a great deal accomplished and multiple bills signed into law. Some of these new laws will benefit Hoosiers across the state while others might impact a certain county or specific area. One of these new laws, House Enrolled Act 1101, will have a positive impact in our local communities by promoting investment in wireless communication.

This new law establishes a center within the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, known as the Broadband Ready Communities Development Center, to facilitate certain communications projects. Once a local unit of government establishes a procedure to review applications and issue permits for the communications projects, the center will be able to designate them as a broadband ready community.

The procedure must include the following items: a single point of contact for all matters related to a project, a guarantee that all applications will be reviewed and either approved or rejected within 10 business days, an assurance that all inspections will occur in a timely manner and an authorization for all forms, applications and documentation to be filed and signed by electronic means.

The idea for this law came out of the Lieutenant Governor’s Rural Broadband Working Group, which was tasked with the important job of finding ways to bring fast, reliable broadband to Indiana’s rural communities.

These rural areas often do not see the same expansion of broadband services that more developed areas experience due to financial, regulatory and process barriers. While being designated as broadband ready will not guarantee investment, it will provide a way for communities to voluntarily distinguish themselves and encourage economic growth by attracting broadband providers.

Fast, reliable internet access is absolutely critical to remaining competitive in today’s fast-paced world. Ultimately, if we hope to encourage economic development in rural Indiana, we must ensure that these communities have the necessary tools to support existing enterprises, create new business and educate Hoosier students.

Our district is home to many communities that are great places to live, work and raise a family. In fact, at the beginning of the year, Boonville was named the ninth best city for young families in Indiana. However, if we want our area to continue to grow, broadband is consistently at the top of their wish list when businesses are looking to relocate or expand. I was proud to support this new law as it not only encourages economic development, but could also result in more jobs coming to our area of the state.

Sincerely

State Representative Ron Bacon