Calling all young authors!

Senator Lanane joins essay winner Megan Moran and her parents prior to the Statehood Day ceremony at the Statehouse.

The Indiana Statehouse Tour Office is once again sponsoring an essay competition in conjunction with “Indiana Statehood Day,” a celebration of Indiana’s 194^th birthday. Winners will be honored at the Statehood Day Celebration taking place on Friday, December 10, 2010, from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M. EST, at the Indiana Statehouse.

The topic of the essay should convey what living in the state of Indiana means to the student and what makes them proud to be a Hoosier.

The competition is open to any Indiana 4^th grade public, private or home school student. Essays must be at least 100 words and no longer than 400 words, handwritten or typed. The  student, teacher, and school name, along with the an address and telephone number must be included in each essay. The school name should be on every essay if essays are sent from an entire class.

Essays must be received or postmarked October 25, 2010.

Check out last year’s Statehood Day celebration here!

Essays may be  sent to:

Jennifer Hodge, Coordinator, State Capitol Tour Office,

200 W. Washington St. Room 220

Indiana Statehouse,

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.

For more information on the contest, call 317-233-9830.

• Judges will choose first, second, and third place winners.

• Winners will be notified on or before November 24, 2010.

Foreclosure outreach events offer help to homeowners

On September 1, the state will host a series of borrower outreach events to provide free help to Indiana homeowners facing foreclosure. All events will run from 3 pm – 8 pm (local time). All events are free and open to the public.

Homeowners can stop by anytime between 3 and 8 pm to attend a free workshop, speak with a counselor and begin preparing to meet with your lender. No registration is required.

The events will be held in the following locations:

Indianapolis: 3612 West Minnesota Street, Indianapolis
Hammond: 2530 E. 173rd Street, Hammond 46323 (CST)
South Bend: 1901 S Kemble Avenue, South Bend 46613
Fort Wayne: 130 Cook Road, Fort Wayne 46825
Columbus: 2160 Arnold Street, Columbus 47203
Evansville: 3300 E. Division, Evansville 47715 (CST)
Terre Haute: 3614 Maple Avenue, Terre Haute 47804
Richmond: 1200 W Main Street, Richmond 47374

Video: Errington supports Open Government Initiative

Open Government Initiative announced

On Monday, August 16, members of the Senate Democratic Caucus announced the Indiana Open Government Initiative, a plan to improve transparency in state government budgeting and spending.

Senate Democrats will introduce legislation during the 2011 legislative session that pushes for more accountability to foster better budgeting practices, safeguard taxpayers, promote good jobs and improve efficiency. 

The legislative proposal will include the following:

1. One stop online public access to track taxpayer dollars in state budgets, spending and contracts.

2. Corporate accountability for state economic development incentives.

3. Restrict “Pay to play” for fair competition in awarding state contracts.

Share your ideas

Also announced under the initiative is an online forum where Hoosiers can submit their own ideas for increasing transparency in Indiana state government. Ideas submitted on the initiative website will be considered for inclusion in the final legislative package.

Watch Senate Democrat Leader Vi Simpson’s video inviting you to contribute to the plan>

Background

Thirty-two states allow residents to access detailed information about government expenditures online. Open government initiatives can save millions of taxpayer dollars through more efficient government operations, more competitive contracting bids and lower risk of fraud. Transparency also allows states to track how well subsidies and tax incentives deliver results and to reinvest dollars from underperforming programs into more successful ones.

Background on Senate Democrats’ work for transparency >

Update: Federal unemployment benefit extension

On July 22, President Obama signed The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213). The bill extends unemployment benefits through the end of November and retroactively restores benefits to the roughly 2.5 million long-term unemployed whose benefits ran out at the end of May.

According to the Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development (DWD), approximately 220,000 unemployment vouchers have been filed totaling $54 million in benefits through the federal unemployment extensions since July 28. Payments on eligible vouchers filed over the weekend are expected to be completed today.

WorkOne offices have extended hours this week and will be open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through Friday, Aug 6. WorkOne Express offices will maintain normal business hours.

Who qualifies?

Unemployed Hoosiers who exhausted the regular state unemployment or emergency unemployment extension after May 29, 2010, may be eligible. Hoosiers who had a balance remaining on Extended Benefits when that program ended on June 12 may also be eligible.

Those who fully exhausted Extended Benefits are not eligible.

How do Hoosiers apply?

Complete online vouchers for each week of benefits to collect. Verify unemployment, report weekly job searches and applications, and report any outside income earned each week.

Hoosiers who have exhausted their Tier 4 benefits are required to apply in person at the local WorkOne Center and will not see vouchers online. A letter from will be received from DWD with instructions for filing for extended benefits at the local WorkOne Center.

What happened to the additional $25 benefit?

This new federal legislation changes the $25 weekly federal additional payment. Anyone who previously collected the $25 per week will continue to collect this money weekly.

Individuals who file new initial unemployment claims after May 29, 2010, will not receive the additional $25 per week.

Resources for more information

Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development: July 2010 Federal Extensions Frequently Asked Questions