spring 2013 header 
In This Issue
Bill Watch 2013
Upcoming Events
Aveda & HEC Together Again
Public Transit Bill Update
3rd Quarter Goals
Conservation Bill Update
We need your help to continue our work on Green Energy, Sustainable Agriculture and 21st Century Transportation legislation.  Donate Now!

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Bill Watch 2013

HEC is still tracking and weighing in on dozens of bills during the legislative session. For more information on bills affecting Indiana's environment please visit Bill Watch! You will find fact sheets, talking points, action alerts, and events - including Meet Your Legislator events around the state.
Earth Month Events

It's April and that means it's Earth Month! Besides attending many Aveda-related events around the state, HEC staff will be at a plethora of April events, maybe even in your own neighborhood!

Check out our calendar of events for fun and informative things to do during the month.
Hoosier Environmental Council and Aveda Take a Stand for Cleaning Indiana's Water
    
We are excited to announce that for the 4th year in a row Aveda is joining HEC in taking a stand for Indiana's lakes and rivers by raising awareness of Indiana water challenges. During the month of April, Aveda salons and retail locations across the state will be raising money to support the clean water efforts of HEC by raffling off exciting prizes (including a kayak!) and offering discounts on haircuts and other services.

Aveda Earth Month On April 28th, Aveda and HEC will host the Catwalk for Clean Water - a fashion show inside the stunning ambiance of Indianapolis's newest eco-luxury hotel, The Alexander.  All proceeds will support HEC's efforts to improve water quality across the state. To purchase tickets, please stop by your local salon featuring Aveda products or purchase them online

For more about the partnership and a listing of other events Aveda is hosting for HEC, please visit our micro-site, hoosierwaterwarrior.org
Senate Committee Modifies Public Transit Bill
 
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On April 2nd, the central Indiana public transit bill, HB 1011, took an unplanned turn when a Senate committee deleted the bill's substantive content and instead required that a study committee examine the topic this summer. Even though the IndyConnect transit plan has undergone extensive public review and analysis, some senators believe it needs more study before they authorize new local funding for a regional transit system.  

 

Transit advocates including HEC will continue urging the legislature to approve local control over the region's transportation future.  Please ask your state senator to support HB 1011 moving forward, and to allow local voters to decide whether central Indiana should invest in a 21st century public transit system. Visit HEC's BillWatch 2013 to learn more and take action. 

HEC Releases Third Quarter Dashboard on our Progress

Last fall, we unveiled our first-ever Dashboard, a way for you to keep track of HEC's quarterly progress towards our annual goals. Here's our third quarter update. Thanks to your support, you'll see that we are meeting or exceeding many of our goals!  To help keep us on track, you can always visit our website to make a tax-deductible contribution.

Conservation Funding Makes Progress in Budget Bill

 

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photo: IDNR/Outdoor Indiana magazine
On April 4th, the Senate Appropriations committee amended HB 1001, the two-year state budget bill, increasing the Indiana Heritage Trust (IHT) appropriation to $597,000 a year. HEC and our partners in the Indiana Conservation Alliance sought annual funding of $2 million a year in general funds for the IHT, the state's cornerstone public land acquisition program. The Senate budget version maintains the House-passed Clean Water Indiana (CWI) appropriation of $1 million a year in general funds.  We are seeking $1.3 million annually for CWI and the Division of Soil Conservation. CWI funds voluntary water quality protection efforts by farmers and other landowners. 

Please contact your state legislators and urge them to increase funding for these critically-important conservation programs.

We Need Your Help to Stop "Right to Harm" and the "Ag-Gag, Whistleblower" Bill

 

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Several bills were introduced this legislative session aimed at limiting the ability of citizens and regulators to hold polluting industrial livestock operations accountable for the harm they cause to public health and safety, our food supply, animal welfare, and the environment. Two could still become law. Senate Joint Resolution 7 would provide unprecedented, constitutional protection for the livestock industry. Senate Bill 373 would criminalize on-site documentation of conditions inside factory farms when the documentation is given to the media.

Both SJR 7 and SB 373 have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. SB 373 is scheduled for a hearing this Monday, April 8th at 10:30 a.m., in Statehouse room 156-D. Please watch our latest webinar for more detail about SJR 7 and SB 373, attend the committee hearing if you can, and please contact your Representative as well as members of the House Judiciary Committee with your opposition. Contact information is available here
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