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Bill would allow guns in locked cars at schools

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By Erika Brock
TheStatehousefile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Members of the House Public Policy Committee are considering a bill that will allow students, faculty and community members to bring firearms on to school property in locked vehicles.

Reps. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, in discussion during debate about legislation to allow guns on school grounds if they're kept in locked cars. Photo by Zach Schmitt, TheStatehouseFile.com

Reps. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, in discussion during debate about legislation to allow guns on school grounds if they’re kept in locked cars. Photo by Zach Schmitt, TheStatehouseFile.com

The bill is put in place “to clarify existing language regarding our (Hoosiers) natural right to self-defense,” said Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, author of House Bill 1048.

Lucas said HB 1048 allows people to bring firearms on to school property or property that is being used for a school function, without receiving criminal charges. The bill will also redefine school property as the building itself instead of the building and property surrounding the school.

HB 1048 would allow individuals to leave firearms concealed in a lock vehicle in school parking lots.

Current law makes bringing a firearm on school property a felony. HB 1048 would lower the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. But not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.

Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, authored a bill that would allow guns on school property if they're in locked cars. Photo by Zach Schmitt, TheStatehouseFile.com

“I am uncomfortable with the fact that the bill changed the law for when someone walks into a school from a felony to a misdemeanor,” said Chairman Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte.

He proposed an amendment to maintain the felony law, something Lucas said he would agree to but doesn’t support.

One concern among lawmakers is the bill would let students who are 18 years old have firearms in their locked vehicles as long as they have a license.

“I want to have everybody who is recognized under the state of Indiana as legal to carry a firearm, I want them to be able to safely lock their firearm in a vehicle on school property without being subject to a felony,” said Lucas

Lucas also said he wants the bill to de-criminalize roaming school zones. Roaming school zones will be in placed starting July 1, according to current law. Dermody and Lucas both used a school field trip as an example.

A group of students at zoo would become a roaming school zone, which would then make it illegal to carry a gun in the area, Dermody said. Lucas said that needs to change.

“Our right to self-defense is very important to me,” Lucas said.

The committee postponed a vote on HB 1048 to consider amendments.

Erika Brock is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Zoeller: Nearly 300 Allcare victims receive payments

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Greg Zoeller

 

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced today nearly 300 former Allcare Dental & Dentures patients received partial or total refunds.

 

In 2011, the national dental chain abruptly closed its locations in Avon, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Mishawaka and Muncie. Closures left patients without services, their dental devices or refunds. Zoeller said 294 consumers who filed complaints with the attorney general’s office and submitted a claim form recently received more than $543,360 total via the state’s Consumer Protection Assistance Fund (CPAF).

Zoeller received a Consent Judgment last year against Allcare, but the company declared bankruptcy and consumer restitution was not paid. Those victims who received the CPAF payments reported losing more than $642,600 to Allcare – the average loss per person was about $2,100.

“Allcare’s actions were particularly egregious as customers were left in the dark and many paid thousands of dollars upfront for their dental procedures or dentures,” Zoeller said. “Thanks to the state Legislature for creating the Consumer Protection Assistance Fund, we were able to tap into it to make distributions to those harmed.”

 

Zoeller said patients’ losses ranged from $69 to $9,125, and the state was able to pay each victim the total amount owed up to $3,000 – which is the maximum allowed under the CPAF.

 

Many patients used a no-interest introductory rate healthcare credit card to finance their dentures and dental procedures. However, once Allcare closed patients were stuck with high interest-rate payments and left without their dentures or completed services. Zoeller said the company acted as a credit service organization, but failed to register with the attorney general’s office and file a $25,000 surety bond.

 

In 2011, the Indiana General Assembly successfully passed legislation creating the CPAF. The fund is made up of monies awarded to the state via judgments against companies caught violating consumer protection laws. Zoeller’s office can then use the funds to reimburse consumers in certain cases where judgments are granted, but restitution cannot be collected.

 

Bill authors included Rep. Woody Burton (Whiteland), former Rep. Jeb Bardon (Indianapolis), Rep. Randy Frye (Greensburg) and Rep Gail Riecken (Evansville). Senate sponsors included former Sen. Richard Bray (Martinsville), Sen. Tim Lanane (Anderson), Sen. Jim Banks (Columbia City) and Sen. Joe Zakas (Granger).

 

Former Allcare president, Robert Bates, surrendered his Indiana dental license last year after Zoeller’s office filed a licensing complaint against him for abruptly closing his business locations and abandoning patients. Bates also agreed to not reapply for a dental license in Indiana.

 

New agenda will propel the Hoosier workforce forward

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With the beginning of the legislative session come big changes, specifically through the announcement of the 2014 House Republican legislative agenda. The agenda, titled “Indiana: Working on Progress,” includes legislation centered around five key points: preparing kids for their careers, connecting crossroads to communities, equipping our workforce, cutting taxes and stopping burdensome regulations. All of these initiatives will continue to address key issues facing the Hoosier state. I would like to highlight some of these initiatives.

After graduation, students are expecting to enter the workforce. However, they cannot enter the workforce if they do not have the necessary skills to be successful. To address the skills gap, our agenda sets a course for schools and businesses to increase their collaboration and work together through select educational partnerships, which in turn, will also increase the potential earnings of Hoosier workers. About two-thirds of manufacturers in Indiana report a shortage of available, qualified workers. We need to provide the tools for Hoosiers to fill and be successful in these high demand, high wage jobs.

Connecting Crossroads to Communities is another effort to build upon Indiana’s renowned transportation infrastructure. Indiana cannot be known as the “Crossroads of America” without maintaining a good transportation system. More money will be used to address current roads and bridges needs to offset future maintenance expenses. In industries such as tourism, retail sales and agriculture, 1.7 million jobs are dependent on the state’s transportation system and, over $500 billion in goods traveled on Indiana roadways last year alone. Increasing our investment in roads would directly provide jobs through their design, construction and maintenance and would also allow us to realize further economic opportunities.

While many issues will be addressed, we as a legislative body will be looking to trim the size of government and the laws that are on the books. Unnecessary and outdated laws and regulations make government functions inefficient and consumer navigation more difficult. The private sector is always striving to be more efficient, and the public sector can certainly follow that lead – not to mention Washington D.C. Moving forward, we must continue to allow the free market to function, and look for ways to trim the government.

I am eager to address these and other issues this session and believe constructive solutions are to come. As we continue to move Indiana forward while still concentrating on the issues we currently have I keep in mind the overall goal, to make our State the finest state in our country to work, live and raise a family. I hope you are having a nice and warm start to 2014.

 

BREAKING NEWS: IS IT TRUE-JANUARY 18, 2014

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holli

 IS IT TRUE at the Vanderburgh County Republican party breakfast yesterday morning at the Hampton Inn-Evansville.  …that newly appointed District 78 State Representative Holli Sullivan announced at this gathering that she shall be voting to put the same sex issue on the state ballot.  …this announcement doesn’t surprise us because she was the founder and past president of a conservative group called “The Right Of Center”?

 

IS IT TRUE: Valley Watch Checks in on the West Virginia Toxic Spill

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toxic spill

IS IT TRUE the CCO believes the following assessment of the toxic spill headed our way by John Blair of Valley Watch is worthy of publishing for this Saturday’s version of IIT?

I had a discussion with someone this morning about the chemical spill headed our way. The worry expressed gave me reason to write this.

I told the person that I thought the stress that was being experienced was likely a greater threat to human health and the relatively low concentrations of the chemical that will be seen in Evansville by the time it gets here and assuming that Wendy’s discussion with Alan Mounts at the Water utility was valid and that the leak has been stopped and is not on going. Frankly, I was concerned with the seeming dismissive attitude of Wendy’s questions by Mr. Mounts

It is also true that activated carbon is a great way to remove hydrocarbons from water, although I am left to wonder what happens to the waste activated carbon that is now tainted with the chemicals it has removed. But if Mounts is right and the concentration of the chemical is below 35 PPB, I see little reason for stressful worry and the best thing to do is to simply not drink local water or take long showers or baths until the slug has passed.

I have more to say but do not have time right now to write a broader thesis on this subject. However, we would all realize that we are routinely exposed to a wide array of toxic substances every day. Each year, the polluters around us emit upwards of 58 million pound of toxic air pollution, some of which reaches us EVERY DAY regardless of the direction of the wind. Once while on the river I discovered about a dozen empty herbicide containers afloat.

When I first started dealing with these issues, there had been a study done that revealed that 450 different chemicals had been identified in Ohio River water. Around that time, too, we had a huge carbon tetrachloride spill from the FMC Corp way up river and a couple of nasty hydrocarbon chemicals call hexa and octa that were not only a threat to our water but closed down Louisville’s Morris Foreman Treatment plant for nearly a year forcing Louisville to dump more than 100 million gallons each and every day for more than a year.

As a result of those problems ORSANCO developed a great “early warning system” to track this sort of problem and I am confident it will be used effectively in the days to come as this slug of nastiness moves down river.

Last, our drinking water source is the Ohio River. When Valley Watch first formed there was little but non sport fish in it. Today, there are many more species that seem to be thriving. We are making progress due to regulations and technology. We are fortunate here to have a system of activated carbon treatment that can remove most of these nasty hydrocarbons and I reiterate: stress about this is likely to cause you and your loved ones more health issues than a rather limited concentration of a toxic chemical passing us by, especially with good treatment.

John Blair

EPD Activity Report January 17, 2014

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EPD PATCH 2012

EPD Activity Report January 17, 2014

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 DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

 

Bosma ‘exploring options’ for marriage amendment

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By John Sittler
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – House Speaker Brian Bosma said he’s “exploring all kinds of” options for moving a constitutional marriage amendment out of committee and onto the House floor.

The amendment – which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman – is currently stalled in the House Judiciary Committee where several of its 13 members haven’t said publicly how they’ll vote on the measure.

The committee took testimony on the amendment Monday but no vote is scheduled.

Bosma acknowledged he’s thought about replacing committee members or he could move the amendment to a different committee.

“I’m exploring all kinds of things,” he said. “I’m going to listen to our caucus.”

Indiana legislative rules give the speaker power to adjust committee members as he sees fit.

Bosma has previously replaced committee members between legislative sessions but never in the middle of one.

“You couldn’t change the numbers (of Republicans and Democrats) but the members serve at the pleasure of the speaker,” he said.

Bosma’s comments came shortly after Republican leaders saw the results of an internal poll on the issue. Bosma said the poll – conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting – found 80 percent of voters want the opportunity to cast a ballot on the question.

The group surveyed 800 people and the poll results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Bosma said the poll reinforced his support of both House Joint Resolution 3 and accompanying House Bill 1153, which describes legislative intent.

“The biggest take away for me was that 80 percent of Hoosiers want a vote on the issue. That means people on both sides of the issue would like to have the opportunity to speak on it,” he said.

The poll also found that 54 percent of Hoosiers want to take out the controversial second sentence of HJR 3 which bans any legal arrangement that is “identical or substantially similar” to marriage.

But 54 percent of people also said in the poll they would vote in favor of the amendment with the second sentence still in it.

Bosma said removing the sentence is not currently “Plan A.”

John Sittler is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Bill would require concussion training, waiting period for football

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By Paige Clark
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana could soon become the first state to require high school football coaches to take part in a player safety and concussion-training course.

Senate Bill 222 – authored Sen. Travis Holdman, R–Markle – would require the course every two years.

“We’d be very proud to do this since USA Football, an arm of the NFL and players union is basically housed now and based” in Indianapolis, Holdman said.

The bill would also parallel a Washington’s state law by requiring football players to wait 24 hours before returning to the field of play after a concussion.

Holdman said Indiana is the eighth state to copy Washington’s law, but the first state to add the coaches’ training course.

Currently, the bill only requires high school football coaches take part in the training course, but Holdman said he hopes to work with soccer programs in the future.

“We went with football because of the complexity of the sport and the fact that we have a certified program in place for safety purposes,” Holdman said. “We just don’t have that in place for other sports.”

He said he has support from all over the state.

“I haven’t heard one objection to the bill so far,” Holdman said.

Bobby Cox, commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association said he doesn’t oppose the legislation, but doesn’t think it’s necessary.

“You don’t want the coach to be making that decision,” Cox said.

Current IHSAA protocol requires that if an athlete might have a concussion, the athlete must see a physician.

“We’ve had that protocol for over two years – before concussion language was written,” Cox said, “I think the protocols, as long as they’re executed, they’re appropriate.”

If athletes are cleared by a physician or an athletic trainer during the game and show no sign of concussion, they are allowed to re-enter. But if athletes are diagnosed with a concussion, they must wait 24 hours before returning to any athletic activity.

“In absence of a health professional, the official removes the athlete from the contest, and they cannot return until there is a written release forms a doctor,” Cox said.

Cox said parents or guardians receive the concussion protocol paper work before each sports season and must sign it for their children to participate.

“I think the (law) we have on the books right now is great,” said Dr. John Baldea, a sports medicine physician for IU Health. “I’d like to see the state law trimmed down a bit so that it exactly states that physicians only are allowed to do that.”

Baldea said other medical professionals – including chiropractors and podiatrists – can clear athletes with concussions to return to play under the current law

“We’re seeing some people who don’t know what they’re doing trying to clear athletes to return and play football,” said Baldea. “The IHSAA is very strict on that, but the state law is not very strict.”

Holdman said he does expect opposition, but expects it to pass.

“I think we have a great opportunity to put it into law,” he said.

Paige Clark is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Preschool Legislation Passes House

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STATEHOUSE—House Bill (HB) 1004, authored by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) and co-authored by House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis), passed out of the House today with a 87-9 vote. HB 1004 provides the opportunity for a high quality preschool option to more low-income families.

“I am very pleased that HB 1004 passed out of the House,” said Rep. Behning. “This legislation will help pave a bright future for Hoosier children of poverty and allow parents the opportunity to provide their children with a quality education. Right now children of poverty start almost a year and a half behind their middle-income peers, and HB 1004 aims to change that.”

HB 1004 creates a preschool pilot program. Eligible students must be 4 years old with a family income of no more than 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Indiana is currently one of 10 states that does not offer state-funded preschool programs.

“It is encouraging to see HB 1004 moving through the General Assembly with bipartisan support,” said Speaker Bosma. “A preschool program of this nature will provide high quality education opportunities to Hoosier children and their families which will help prepare them for future success.”

HB 1004 will now be heard in the Senate. To track this bill’s progress, visit http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2014/bills/house/1004/.

 

EPD Merit Commisssion Meeting Time Change

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EPD PATCH 2012The Evansville Police Merit Commission scheduled meeting for

Monday, January 27, 2014 will begin after the conclusion of the Evansville Police Department Appointment, Promotion, and Merit Awards Ceremony at The Centre.  The ceremony will begin at 1:00pm.

The Merit Commission Executive Session will begin at approximately 2:30pm, with the Public Open Session to follow.  The meeting will still be held in the Police Personnel and Training Conference Room, Room 129 of the Civic Center.

 

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