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Volume 5: January 11, 2010
Omnibus Alcohol Bill Filed by Crawfordsville Senator
 
Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville
, has filed an omnibus alcohol bill that is loaded with expansions for alcohol sales. Boots announced the bill when an interim study committee met this summer and has followed through in Senate Bill 189. Currently he is the author and only sponsor. The bill is now assigned to the Commerce and Public Policy and Interstate Cooperation Committee. The mixed bag of issues is not a good sign. The more items loaded into a bill, the more debate that follows. Many of the provisions are those sought by a so-called consumer rights group which identifies itself as Hoosiers for Beverage Choices. HBC is run by a lobbyist who works for the Corydon Group in Indianapolis. Many of the lobbying firm's clients would benefit from the expansions in this measure.
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Click HERE to read the full bill.

To contact Sen. Boots: [email protected] or 317-232-9400
Indiana Senate 1-800-382-9467
Legislative Assistant: Carol Matthews
 
Legislative Look-Up: How do I find a bill?
To find bills online:
 
Go to www.in.gov/legislative
 
Click on "Bills & Resolutions" on the left side of the screen
Click on "Complete Information for All Bills"
 
A keyword search is helpful if you're trying to find bills that contain specific words.
 
Note: Be aware that it may take awhile to update bills for every action taken as it goes through the process of committees and floor votes.
New Grants Announced for Youth Groups and Schools
The Starbucks Foundation 

The Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grants are designed to help young
people realize their natural potential to reinvent their local communities. The Starbucks Foundation accepts applications from organizations that provide young people (ages 6 to 24) with a continuum of service opportunities in social entrepreneurship.
 
Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. U.S. applicants must be tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
 
The deadline is described as "rolling."
 
Please contact The Starbucks Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding.
 
The Sprint Foundation
 
The Sprint Character Education Grant Program awards grants to school districts and individual schools in support of resources that facilitate and encourage character education among K-12 students.
 
The program will accept applications for character education programs that promote and/or address youth leadership, youth volunteerism, a positive school culture, and dropout prevention.
 
The Foundation will award individual school grants between $500 and $5,000 each and school district grants between $10,000 and $25,000 each. The program is open to all US K-12 public schools and U.S. public school districts.
 
The deadline is February 5, 2010
 
Please contact The Sprint Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding.
Hot Fundraiser Idea from Friends in Hawaii: Mahalo

Project RAD recently stumbled on a great idea for a fundraiser. In fact, we liked it so much we reached out via email to see if we could get more information from the creators of the program in Hawaii. We asked SIG Specialist Amanda Gregg how the popular firefighters calendar came to be for a local fundraiser. Here's what Amanda shared:

 

Where did the idea come from to feature firefighters in a calendar?

 

It was an idea based on the first calendar that was done five years ago as a fundraiser for the Kauai Firefighters Relief Fund.

 

How successful has this effort been to raise money for combating underage drinking in your community?

 

It was very successful considering some unforeseen circumstances that we experienced, including losing staff (a volunteer) mid-project; working within a short time frame with limited resources, and trying to persuade volunteerism for a worthwhile cause in this economic climate when employers and departments are already expecting staff to do more for less.

 

In addition, even just having our press releases run in the local paper meant we were getting the word out on underage drinking-and the mere publicizing of this issue is a success in itself.

 

What amount of money has been raised?

 

$5,000.

 

What has been the community response?

 

Very positive, we are still getting calls and our "calendar signing" was well-attended.

 

How do the firefighters like it (and how are they selected)?

 

They were selected by the training captain and were somewhat reluctant at first, but now they seem proud-after all, it was for a very worthy cause.

 

What would you recommend to other groups that would like to do a similar project?

 

Start early, have sales scheduled to promote it in advance of product launch so when calendar arrives, you're ready for them to sell like hotcakes; get the calendars in the hands of the firefighters, who are busy by nature, in advance of sales so some can be pre-autographed; and schedule as many public sales with firefighters and lifeguards as possible.

Correction: Hoosier Traffic Death Numbers
Thanks to Jasper County Sheriff Orville Perry for noticing a typo in our last newsletter and bringing it to our attention. The correct number of Indiana traffic deaths reported in 2009 was 680, which is an all-time low. We apologize for the error.
Today's Talk Points
There's a major difference in Indiana law when it comes to how retailers are regulated on the sales of alcohol. 
If package stores are cited for sales to minors or other violations, their permits can be suspended or revoked-effectively putting them out of business.
 Store Closed Sign
Other retailers, however, can remain in business if they lose permits because of illegal sales as they sell non-alcohol items.
 
Why the discrepancy in law? Indiana package stores are limited by law to selling 10 alcohol and alcohol-related items. Breaking the law essentially means being shut down.
 
For only the second year in a row, package stores in Indiana were open for sales on New Year's Day. To date, many retailers say the measure has produced a mixed bag on additional revenues--some reporting very little additional traffic from consumers.
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