Policy Update, March 7, 2014

Thank you for caring about sound public policy in Indiana. Contact us anytime with your feedback or questions. - Lucinda Nord, 317-921-1394 or cell 317-502-8504

Know someone without health insurance?

There are only 23 days remaining of open enrollment

The countdown is on--only 23 days remaining of the open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace. In order to be eligible for a tax credit or subsidy, individuals must enroll by March 31.

Certified Indiana Navigators are available to assist with the application and enrollment process.
Find an event near you through the calendar maintained by Indiana 211 Partnership.
Estimate your costs.
Learn more about options at healthcare.gov or by calling 2-1-1.

Child care bill passed in Senate; next to conference committee

Our highest policy priority this session, HB1036 Child Care and Development Fund Eligibility, passed out of the Senate on March 4 with a 36-12 vote, after being amended slightly. The House passed this important legislation in January with a 71-24 vote. The bill moves to conference committee next week.

HB1036 will ensure that taxpayer funds are being utilized at child care providers that meet common sense health and safety requirements, child-staff ratios, group sizes and minimal training of staff. See HB1036 Summary and Grid.

Tell legislators how you value tax credits

As we move into the final days of the 2014 legislative session, several bills include language to evaluate, alter or expire certain tax credits. The Legislative Services Agency completed two-years of 55-page studies in 2012 and 2013. See our draft summary of tax credits included in various bills or our partner ICHS' concerns.

IaUW supports comprehensive review for legislative purpose, utilization and actual outcomes. IaUW advocates that tax credits should be compared and evaluated in categories based on purpose (i.e. economic development, poverty reduction, charitable giving incentive). IaUW opposes arbitrary expiration of tax credits. We will continue to monitor possible changes (and advocate as needed) with:

Earned Income Tax Credit and Unified Tax Credit for the Elderly;
Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) and College Contribution tax credits;
529 College Savings, IDA, 21st Century Scholarship and School Scholarship tax credits;
and many more.

If you are concerned about "sunset" provisions with tax cuts, contact your legislator. Tell him/her how and why you value them. Ask that tax credits are not made to expire arbitrarily or without comprehensive review and debate. Contact your legislators.

Pre-K study commission headed to conference committee

HB1004, Prekindergarten study commission (formerly the "pre-K pilot"), would create a study of a range of public early education initiatives and their effectiveness, public and private funding options, income thresholds for beneficiaries, administrative structure and more.

Background: The original "pre-k pilot" bill aimed to provide low-income children with vouchers to attend high-quality school-based or community-based pre-kindergarten programs. A priority of Governor Pence and Speaker Bosma, this bill passed in the House on 1/16 with a 87-9 vote. HB1004 was amended by the Senate Education Committee on 2/19 to have the issue studied this summer.

Indiana General Assembly and conference time

The Indiana General Assembly has only one week left and will conclude by March 14. When the second chamber has amended a bill, the bill author may "concur" or "dissent" to the changes made. Bills with filed dissenting motions are assigned to "conference committees," typically with a conferee from each party from each chamber. Often, advisors are also assigned. The conference committee works to resolve differences and develop a report that all conferees may sign. The signed conference committee report must be passed by each chamber in order to move to the Governor's desk for signature. Check out the links most used by our readers:

See our IaUW bill list. While much of this issue if focused on our highest public policy priority with early care and education, IaUW is monitoring and/or active in a number of other bills.

Attend a "Third House" session with your legislator(s)

State legislators hold "Third House" or "Meet Your Legislator" sessions throughout the legislative session. Legislators share the latest updates from the Statehouse and usually take questions and feedback from constituents. IaUW updates the Third House calendar in two formats: a clickable calendar with map links and a downloadable document. Are you aware of other sessions? Email us.

Child Care Development Block Grant in Congress

The bill to reauthorize the federal Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), S.1086, is gaining momentum with bi-partisan support in the U.S. Senate. The bill would ensure the health and safety of children in child care, facilitate families' access to child care assistance and improve the quality of care, especially for infants and toddlers. See a quick bill summary or the joint support letter with many national partners, including United Way Worldwide.

Register for the Legislative Update Webinar or view prior session

IaUW partnered with Indiana Coalition for Human Services (ICHS) and Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network (NRN) to provide three webinars throughout the legislative session. Sessions require pre-registration, and the last "wrap-up" session will be held on Thursday, March 20, 3pmET/2pmCT. Register here. Participants receive related documents.

View the January 23 session starter recording or view the slides. The first webinar provided an overview of introduced bills and ways to advocate. A mid-session Feb. 20 update offered a summary of what bills are still alive. Learn what's happened with healthcare, drug testing for welfare, consolidation of study committees, tax credits and more.

IaUW Public Policy

IaUW is a nonpartisan organization that works to advance policy principles and compromise solutions for the common good. We focus on programs and policies that help:

children prepare for and succeed in school;
individuals achieve and sustain financial stability;
individuals access quality healthcare; and
communities thrive, including a strong 2-1-1 network and charitable sector.

Our policy priorities are developed and guided by our Public Policy Committee and our IaUW members, based on their work in Hoosier communities.

Frequently Requested Links / Documents

iauw.org - Learn about the Indiana Association of United Ways, current trainings and conferences and the ways we support local United Ways/Funds, partners and communities.

IaUW Policy / Advocacy info - Review and download IaUW Policy Priorities, Third House calendar, bill lists, fact sheets, talking points and testimony.

Advocacy Action Center - Contact your member of Congress or State Legislator, provided through our partnership with United Way Worldwide.

IaUW Policy Update Archive - Read prior issues, special articles and key documents produced by IaUW related to public policy and advocacy.

IN211.org - Search for human service information available through the referral database or by calling 2-1-1. Download reports about resources, needs, gaps and trends from Indiana 211 Partnership.

NRN Calendar - Register for high-quality and affordable training for nonprofit staff and volunteers by the Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network.

Funding and Other Opportunities - Explore current requests for proposals, funding and recognition opportunities.

Indiana General Assembly - Check the hearing or floor schedule, watch a live or recorded hearing or floor session and look up your legislators.

Library of Congress - Look up bills introduced in Congress. Note that the THOMAS site will be maintained through 2014 and fully replaced by Congress.gov.