The legislative session is nearly halfway done, and I am proud of all that has been accomplished to improve our area of the state. I have worked diligently to serve our community and want to take this opportunity to discuss some of what has been accomplished so far.

The first bill I authored to pass out of the House was House Bill (HB) 1362. This bill would benefit Hoosier taxpayers and motorists by extending the amount of time that Indiana is required to reissue license plates. Currently, our license plates must be issued in Indiana every five years which was necessary in maintaining the plate’s quality. With the technology we use today to produce license plates, they are more durable, lasting several years longer and need to be replaced less often as we do now. Extending the life cycle of license plates is an innovative and effective strategy, and if enacted, HB 1361 could save taxpayers around $10 million per year.

As a budget session and member of the Ways and Means Committee, I remain committed to protecting Hoosier taxpayers and working to pass an honestly balanced budget that allows the state to live within its means. I am pleased to be a part of the team tasked with crafting our state’s budget and proud to support the amendment that delivers on the priorities outlined by the House Republicans in October. Those budget priorities include protecting taxpayers, significantly increasing our investment in education and funding our strategic priorities like public safety, while maintaining healthy reserves and a strong structural surplus.

The budget amendment utilizes Indiana’s envious fiscal condition to help fund projects including $36 million for the Southern Indiana Regional Medical Center, benefitting our community and the state. This project will play an essential role in our local healthcare system while impacting economic development in southwest Indiana.

The Safety P.I.N. (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) grant program, legislation I authored, would also be funded through our proposed budget, calling for $13.5 million over the biennium. This program allows groups to apply for grants that aim to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate, administered through the Indiana State Department of Health. Preference would be given to groups that address some of the leading factors of infant mortality like smoking during pregnancy or lack of prenatal care.

Another large focus for me, as a professional and business woman, is to increase workforce development. I authored legislation that addresses a situation that has been prematurely ending and sometimes entirely preventing mineral development projects when the mineral rights owner cannot be found while at the same time protecting the owner’s interests. Currently, if a developer of mineral rights, such as oil or natural gas, runs into a tract of land in which the mineral owner cannot be found (the owner of the surface and minerals are most often different individuals), the developer has to attempt to go around that property or entirely cease production. This legislation will help save good paying jobs, as developers will be able to continue their work and not prematurely terminate projects and providing protection for individual’s rights.

This session is flying by, and I am excited that many of the priorities and projects in our proposed budget will benefit southwest Indiana. I look forward to debating this legislation on the House floor as well as discussing Senate legislation as it moves over to our chamber. As always, it has been a privilege to serve our community this session, and I look forward to the rest of the coming months.

Highlights Work of First Lady’s Charitable Foundation

INDIANAPOLIS – On Saturday, February 21, First Lady Karen Pence presented remarks about her Charitable Foundation to other First Spouses from across the nation at the Spouses’ Lunch and Business Session as part of the National Governor’s Association’s 2015 Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Spouses’ Roundtable offers spouses of governors an opportunity to meet with peers and share insights and best practices as they serve in this unique role.

“When asked to give a presentation regarding the Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation to other first spouses in our nation, I was honored to do so,” stated First Lady Karen Pence. “The foundation has awarded grants to numerous, diverse charities all over the state of Indiana, touching lives of many Hoosier families and children. The foundation has given me a pathway to give back to deserving organizations whose mission is to help others. If sharing Indiana’s success story can spark a similar-type opportunity for other states, I will be thrilled. I have benefited from other first spouses sharing their initiatives and hope that I may pay it I forward by presenting the Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation.”

The First Lady’s Charitable Foundation aims to encourage and support Indiana youth and families. Following an awards ceremony which will be held March 10, the Foundation will have awarded a total of $170,000 to 83 recipients including individuals, schools, communities, families and family support organizations, and arts organizations. Last April, the First Lady hosted the inaugural First Lady’s Luncheon to promote and support Hoosier children and their families.

First Lady Karen Pence was one of four First Spouses, including New Hampshire First Gentleman Tom Hassan, North Dakota First Lady Betsy Dalrymple, and Wyoming First Lady Carol Mead, to present at the event.

Photos of the First Lady presenting at the Spouses’ Lunch and Business Session as part of the National Governor’s Association’s 2015 Winter Meeting can be found attached.

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Ezra Friedlander will retire in August, the court announced Monday, about a year-and-a-half before he would have faced mandatory retirement.

A statement from the court says Friedlander submitted his resignation to Gov. Mike Pence, effective Aug. 31. In his letter to the governor, Friedlander wrote, “It is my hope that I have been of valuable service to the citizens of the State of Indiana. I personally value having been able to be of service to the citizens of our State.”

Friedlander will turn 75 – the mandatory retirement age for Indiana appellate judges – in December 2016. His retirement will come in his 50th year in the practice of law, a career that has included more than 22 years on the appellate bench. Friedlander has indicated that he plans to seek senior judge status.

“I thought 50 years was a good time,” Friedlander said. “When you’ve done something for 50 years, it’s a good milestone.”

Friedlander was appointed by Gov. Evan Bayh and joined the Court of Appeals in January 1993. He was retained by election in 1996 and 2006. He has written 3,000 majority opinions and voted on more than 6,000 other cases. He said his career highlights include the opportunity to work with the court’s outstanding members past and present, and with the Indiana Supreme Court. He is especially proud of having started the Conference for Legal Education Opportunity summer internship program, or CLEO.

Friedlander said he is submitting his resignation now to give the governor and the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission adequate time to appoint his replacement. The merit selection process to fill the judicial position will include an application and interview. The final selection is made by the governor. The Judicial Nominating Commission will release details about the process on March 2.

Court of Appeals Chief Judge Nancy H. Vaidik said, “Judge Friedlander will be greatly missed for many reasons including his solid and sensible judicial opinions, his consummate collegiality, and his dedication to bringing diversity to the legal profession.”

Before his appointment, Friedlander’s private legal practice included significant trial and transactional work, mainly representing small businesses. He also served as a deputy prosecutor in Lake County and Marion County and was corporation counsel for the Indiana secretary of state, in which capacity he drafted Indiana’s then-new Not-For-Profit Corporation Act.

Friedlander’s many legal and community activities include service on the Indiana State Bar Association Board of Governors and as chairman of its Young Lawyers Section; the Indiana Bar Foundation; the Indiana University Foundation board of directors and Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences. He and his wife, Linda, are current members of IU’s Herron School of Art advisory board. He has two children and four grandchildren.

The Court of Appeals is Indiana’s second highest court. The 15-member court is asked to consider about 4,000 cases per year and decides about 2,000 by majority opinion each year. Members are appointed from geographic districts, but its three-judge panels do not sit by district. Friedlander represents the court’s second district, which comprises 19 central Indiana counties.

Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement after he signed into law SEA 62, the bill which allows the Indiana Department of Education to shorten this year’s ISTEP test, which would have been more than 12 hours for third graders. The bill passed unanimously in both houses.

“Hoosier students, teachers and parents can breathe easier now that this year’s ISTEP test will be significantly shortened. I commend the Indiana General Assembly for their unanimous support of this measure, and applaud the efforts of House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long in moving this legislation in time to impact this year’s ISTEP test. I also am grateful for the collaboration between our administration, the Superintendent and the Department of Education to achieve this reform. Our success in shortening the ISTEP test should reassure Hoosiers that we can accomplish much for our kids, teachers, and schools when we work together.”

A photo of the Governor signing SEA 62 can be found attached to this release.