STATEHOUSE – House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1286 authored by State Representative Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville) was signed into law by Governor Pence.

HEA 1286 requires the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), the Indiana Finance Authority and Purdue University to provide annual reports to the Joint Study Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Assessment and Solutions regarding the condition of Indiana’s transportation network and infrastructure.

“This legislation is centered on government transparency,” said Rep. Sullivan. “The information gathered from these reports will give the study committee better insight into the needs of the transportation systems in Indiana and allow them to make more informed decisions. To great effect, this was practiced in last year’s summer study committee with the BMV and INDOT.”

“As the Crossroads of America, we need to continue setting a precedence of high standards and constant improvement for our roads and bridges and everything in between,” said Rep. Sullivan.

The annual reports will be submitted by Aug. 1st of 2014 and 2015.

 (Washington, DC) –On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers (SAW) Act.  H.R. 2575 repeals the 30-hour definition of “full-time employment” in the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, and restores the traditional 40-hour definition protecting hourly wages for American workers.

Following the passage of H.R. 2575, Congressman Larry Bucshon, a physician from Southern Indiana, stated:

“I consistently hear from individuals, businesses, school corporations, and local governments here in the 8th District that they are struggling under provisions in the ACA.  One in particular, the 30 hour workweek definition, is estimated to put over 2.6 million Americans at risk of seeing their hours and wages cut.

 “During the worst economic recovery since WWII, we should be helping Americans find work, not making it more difficult.  Unfortunately, the ACA puts employees at a disadvantage. It’s hard to find or keep a full-time job when the government penalizes employers for giving workers more than 30 hours of work.  How can hardworking Hoosiers care for their families when the ACA is putting jobs, wages, and hours on the line? It’s unfair and simply does not make sense.

“By repealing the 30 hour definition in the ACA, we are restoring the wages and hours the law puts at risk. This bill has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and from the American people. I sincerely hope the Senate will act immediately to send this bill to President Obama’s desk.” 

Yesterday, Dr. Bucshon took to the House floor during debate of H.R. 2575 to discuss the impact the 30 hour provision is having on Hoosier school districts and to urge his colleagues to support the legislation.

Bucshon stated, “The vast majority of these employees already receive health insurance either through their spouse or other sources and many of them have worked for their school corporation for many years. 

He continued, “School Corporations don’t have the luxury of raising taxes to pay for these provisions of the Affordable Care Act. They aren’t a major business that can raise their prices.  School corporations simply can’t afford the Affordable Care Act. These Hoosiers work every day with students and because of this provision in the Affordable Care Act, our students will suffer.”

BACKGROUND:

H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act, passed with a bipartisan vote of 248 to 179.  More information on the bill can be foundhere.

In June of 2013, Bucshon joined the Indiana Congressional Delegation to send a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warning that schools would be forced to cut workers’ hours to avoid the ObamaCare penalty.

by Marilyn Odendahl, for www.theindianalawyer.com,

The Evansville legal community, worried that its monthly talk-to-a-lawyer program was losing popularity, turned to the place where it seems everyone gathers – cyberspace.
Calls coming to talk-to-a-lawyer had dropped to an average of 35 to 50 per month, according to Scott Wylie, president of the Evansville Bar Association. Also, the questions many of the callers asked had been shifting from the family law and landlord-tenant issues to estate planning and probate. Many attorneys wondered what was happening when they realized the program’s advertising was limited largely to newspapers which often attract an older demographic.

To engage younger people, the legal community began touting the free advice program on Facebook. The Evansville Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee wrote a blurb, giving the time and phone number of the talk-to-a-lawyer event and invited callers. Then members of the bar association, the Evansville Bar Foundation and the Pro Bono District posted the blurb on their Facebook pages.

In addition, the access committee also created a Facebook page, “Free Legal Advice Evansville.”

So far, the social media push has been successful. March 6 at the EBA offices in Evansville, the phones rang almost non-stop and call volume increased to almost 70 during the two-and-a-half-hour event. Wylie believes the message on Facebook not only alerted the public to the call-in program but also enabled attorneys to direct people, who they could not assist, to legal help.

The boost that appears to have come through social media, said Wylie, “has allowed us to remember that it’s important for us to reach all members of the general public. It’s more about being thoughtful and making sure legal help is available to everyone.”

Jason Gregorec brings over 20 years of experience to his new role

Tropicana Evansville today announced the appointment of casino executive, Jason Gregorec, to general manager of its popular riverfront gaming and entertainment complex.

“Jason (Mr. Gregorec) has both a proven industry track record and an innovative operational (corporate) vision,” said Tony Rodio, president & chief executive officer of Tropicana Entertainment Inc. “He’s exactly what we need to make Tropicana Evansville a continued success in our portfolio of thriving casinos.”

Gregorec began his gaming career as a gaming host at Harrah’s Joliet before climbing the executive ladder at Majestic Star Casinos and Hotel in Gary, Indiana with notable titles such as vice president of table games and VIP services. He then made the leap to the Vegas gaming market, serving most recently as Station Casinos’ vice president/assistant general manager of the Green Valley Ranch resort.

In addition to his impressive gaming career, Gregorec has also dedicated himself in service to his country and his community. He served in the 12^th Special Forces Group of the Army Reserve for eight years—a tour which included deployment to the Middle East for various operations. In addition to organizing casino night fundraisers for numerous charities throughout the Chicagoland area, Gregorec has held leadership roles with two leading organizations—sitting on the board of directors for South Shore Arts and TradeWind Services.

Gregorec, his wife and three young sons have recently moved back to the area from Henderson, Nevada to build a life and career in Evansville.

About Tropicana Evansville.  Tropicana Evansville is a $110 million entertainment facility that includes a 2,700 passenger riverboat casino, a 250 room hotel, a 96 room boutique hotel, an executive conference center, a 1,660 vehicle parking garage and Riverfront Pavilion housing pre-boarding facilities, retail shops, restaurants and lounge area.

About Tropicana Entertainment.  Tropicana Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded company that, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates eight casinos and resorts in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Aruba. Tropicana properties collectively have approximately 6,385 employees, 6,040 rooms, 7,090 slot positions and 218 table games. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

###

by Dave Stafford, for www.theindianalawyer.com 

The chief federal judge in Indianapolis quickly summoned lawyers to address a same-sex couple’s emergency request that Indiana recognize their Massachusetts marriage because one of the women is gravely ill.

Nikole Rai Quasney and Amy Melissa Sandler of Munster on Mondayasked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would enjoin the state from enforcing laws against same-sex marriage. The couple requested an expedited hearing because Quasney, mother of two young children, has stage IV ovarian cancer.

“Because of this aggressive cancer, Niki measures the rest of her life in weeks, not years,” a brief in support of the request says.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Richard Young of the Southern District of Indiana on Tuesday summoned attorneys for a telephone conferenceset for 2 p.m. Friday. Young advised them to be prepared to address the request for an injunction and temporary restraining order.

Quasney and Sandler also seek a court order that, in the event of Quasney’s death, the Indiana Department of Health be required to complete a death certificate listing her as married, with Sandler recorded as the surviving spouse.

Continued enforcement of the ban, the supporting brief argues, “will cause grave harm to a loving couple confronted with an impending tragic loss. The public simply has no interest in denying Amy the rights she is entitled to as a surviving spouse upon Niki’s death.”

The couple is one three who sued the state March 10 backed by the national organization Lambda Legal. The case is Baskin et al. v. Bogan et al., 1:14-cv-00355, and names as defendants the clerks of Boone, Porter and Lake counties, along with Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

Zoeller has vowed to defend Indiana’s prohibition on same-sex marriage in at least four cases to date, including Baskin, that seek to overturn Indiana’s ban in federal court.

Young presides in all the cases. He has also set a phone conference on Friday for scheduling purposes in the related matters.