2012 Interim Study Committees Announced

Throughout the summer and fall when the Indiana General Assembly is not in session, numerous interim committees and commissions are convened to conduct in-depth research and analysis on many complex issues facing the state. The recommendations formed over the next few months by the work of these committees, which includes public testimony, are included in proposals likely to be considered during the next legislative session. Most study committees must complete their work by November 1st.

Yesterday, the Legislative Council approved a resolution adopting a variety of topics for study, including:

• The effectiveness of the Department of Child Services, the child abuse hotline and best practices concerning child mental health care and child welfare – new Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee
• The implementation of permanent outdoor stage equipment safety regulations – new Outdoor Stage Equipment Safety Committee
• The study of the scope, purpose and effectiveness of enacted income tax credits – Commission on State Tax and Fiscal Policy
• The process of issuing specialty group license plates – new Study Committee on Special Group Recognition License Plates
• Teacher evaluation implementation and the application of A-F school grades – new Select Commission on Education
• Electing to disannex from one school corporation to join an existing or create a new school corporation – new Interim Study Committee on Education Issues
• Absentee ballot security and voter registration integration with the Department of Revenue –Census Data Advisory Committee
• The role of local municipalities, counties, towns and state government in providing 911 services statewide – Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
• The licensing of paramedics and the regulation of pain management facilities and prescribers of controlled substances – Health Finance Commission
• Limiting the dispensing of prescription drugs by pharmacists – Health Finance Commission
• Creating a centralized department of administrative judges within the office of the Attorney General – Commission on Courts
• Scheduled reporting of the financial and operating condition of state retirement plans –Pension Management Oversight Commission
• Solid waste management district’s ability to issue permits and impose and collect fees – Environmental Quality Service Council
• Financing solid waste management districts – Commission on State Tax and Fiscal Policy

Committee meeting dates, agendas, and minutes will all be available online at www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Sen. Rogers with Governor Daniels signing Erin's Law.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, promoting awareness of child sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. The month is dedicated to educating the public, building  community support and strengthening public awareness activities and programs.

Numerous organizations join together this month to spread the word on this serious issue and to encourage more people to join in the fight against child abuse. For more information on work being done across the country and how you might get involved, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway page.

Indiana Senate Democrats work especially hard on behalf of children and their safety. This legislative session, there were a number of initiatives proposed and approved by the General Assembly to strengthen child safety measures in the state. However, there is still much work to be done.

Hot Topics for the 2012 legislative session

Throughout the summer and fall when the Indiana General Assembly was not in session, numerous interim committees and commissions were convened to conduct in-depth research and analysis on complex issues facing the state. The recommendations of the committees have been released, which are likely to become bills when the next legislative session begins in January.  Below are highlights of the topics discussed and final recommendations from several interim study committees.

Economic Development:

Recommendations from the Interim Study Committee on Economic Development focus on creating stronger ties between the state’s colleges and universities to provide a better trained workforce and stronger marketing for the state’s economic regions. There can be many advantages for workers, local businesses and communities by making the connection between worker training and targeted industries, especially the manufacturing, defense, and technology industries.

Online Sales Tax:

The Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy concluded interim hearings that had centered on leveling the playing field for Indiana businesses. Retailers with a physical presence in the state are required to collect 7 percent sales tax on every sale. Online businesses with no Indiana storefront are not required to collect the sales tax; the responsibility is on consumers to remit the tax on their annual income taxes. This puts local businesses at an undue disadvantage and causes the state to lose an estimated $200 to $400 million annually in uncollected online sales tax revenue. A federal solution is being considered, but Indiana could move forward on it’s own policy as other states like Texas and California have. The state commission did not make a formal recommendation on the issue, but a proposal to require sales tax collection by all online retailers is expected for the 2012 session.

Military and Veteran Affairs:

Veteran-owned businesses could benefit from new set-aside programs and procurement preferences under legislation that will likely be considered in 2012. The Commission on Military and Veterans Affairs has recommended a bill that would require the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs in consultation with the Indiana Department of Administration to recommend how such programs could best be utilized in Indiana.

The commission also recommended legislation that would include members of the Indiana National Guard in the list of qualified service members eligible to receive assistance payments from the Military Family Relief Fund. They also recommended legislation to extend the period for assistance payments from the Military Family Relief Fund from 1 year to 3 years after the service member’s active duty ends.

Mental health care providers struggle to maintain accessibility amid Medicaid changes

The Commission on Mental Health and Addiction met on October 4th to hear testimony from advocates from Mental Health America and Indiana’s community mental health centers, as well as from representatives with the Department of Correction and AssureRx. Witnesses spoke to changes made to the Medicaid Rehabilitation Option (MRO) as a result of legislation passed by the 2010 Indiana General Assembly and how those changes have impacted the services they provide to consumers with mental health conditions.

Click to locate a community mental health care provider in your county.

Medicaid Rehabilitation Option

The Medicaid Rehabilitation Option (MRO) grants states the option to provide a variety of services and is most often used for the rehabilitation of people with mental illnesses. MROs allow states some flexibility in delivering services to consumers in their community and permits coverage of a broader range of services including those that assist in acquiring essential everyday skills.

Shifting costs

The committee took testimony from representatives from the Lawrenceburg Community Mental Health Center on their experience with recent changes to the MRO. Between FY10 and FY11, Indiana CMHCs saw the number of MRO consumers they serve drop 16 percent (-6,915). However over the same period the CMHCs observed an increase of 8 percent (5,384) in non-MRO consumers. The centers can only assume that without access to a Clinic Option, the increase most likely represents a rise in uncompensated care.

Overview of national redistricting trends

The Interim Study Committee on Redistricting met September 20 to hear testimony concerning the redistricting practices of other states, including a presentation by the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL).

NCSL Redistricting Presentation (PDF)>>

 

 

 

 

 

The committee is charged with reviewing the process by which Indiana redraws its district maps and recommending ways to improve method by 2021, the year maps will be redrawn again.

 

Budget Committee looks at university tuition increases

The State Budget Committee met on September 8 to hear from Indiana’s public universities on recent tuition increases at their respective institutions. Committee members pressed university presidents and board of trustee members on alternative methods for securing the necessary funding to preserve Indiana’s status as a state that provides high quality, affordable and accessible higher education.

Reductions in state funding for public institutions of higher education have, in part, pushed universities to increase tuition to accommodate operational costs.

• Budget Committee presentation on higher education tuition in Indiana (PDF)>>
• Appendices (PDF) >>
• Ball State presentation to Budget Committee (3MB PDF) >>
• Indiana University presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>
• Ivy Tech Community College presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>
• Vincennes University presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>

Project labor agreements under study

The Interim Study Committee on Employment met on September 7 to hear testimony on project labor agreements (PLAs).  This topic was assigned to the committee during the 2011 Session in HEA 1216 as a compromise to passing legislation that would have banned the use of union-only PLAs for public works projects in Indiana.

PLAs are a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project.  Before any workers are hired on the project, construction unions and contractors negotiate with each other to determine the wage rates and benefits of all employees working on the project and agree to prevent any strikes, lockouts, or other work stoppages for the length of the project.  Indiana law currently does not regulate the use of PLAs or what can and cannot be in those agreements.

Recent large scale construction projects built under PLAs in Indiana. From the Central Indiana Trades Council.

Commission hears testimony on services for transitioning Hoosier soldiers

The Commission on Military and Veterans Affairs met on August 23 to discuss the needs of Hoosier service men and women returning from conflict abroad and heard testimony from the Indiana National Guard and the Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

View the Indiana National Guard’s presentation here.

Download the Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs presentation here.

The Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, R. Martin Umbarger, presented the commission with an Indiana National Guard deployment update and an overview of the programs currently in place supporting Indiana’s service men and women.

Deployment

The Indiana National Guard currently employs 14,738 soldiers and airmen with 64 readiness centers, two aerial gunnery ranges, one intelligence wing and one air base. Approximately 580 Guardsmen are currently deployed in Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and around the United States. Over 3,200 soldiers are scheduled to deploy within 18 months.

From the Indiana National Guard's Family Assistance brochure, a map of current (green) and planned (red) Family Assistance Centers.

Veteran Resources

The Indiana National Guard and the Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs have taken action and put programs in place to provide assistance to veterans throughout their service. Indiana has 13 Family Assistance Centers around the state providing services, programs and assistance locally. Resources are also available for crisis intervention, including suicide prevention. The National Guard has realigned their focus to put emphasis on decentralizing suicide prevention efforts and including members of a soldier’s unit and community to assist with the Guard’s effort.

The committee hopes to visit the Indiana National Guard’s Camp Atterbury, a joint maneuvers training center, and the Indiana Veterans’ Home in the future. Interim committees must make recommendations for legislation for the 2012 legislative session by November 2011.

The General Assembly annually convenes interim study committees and permanent commissions to conduct in-depth research and analysis of issues affecting the state. Most study committees must complete their work by November 1. Recommendations from these committees are often the basis for future legislation. More information about committee topics, schedules and agendas is available online at www.in.gov/legislative/interim.

FSSA Hybrid Update

On August 23, 2011, the Family and Social Services Agency (FSSA) gave an update to the Joint Commission on Medicaid Oversight on the “hybrid” system for social services eligibility determination.  View FSSA’s presentation here.

Progress of the “Hybrid” conversion

Five of the seven FSSA regions have transitioned to the hybrid system.  Click on the map to view in greater detail.

The two remaining regions are:

• Tippecanoe and Wayne counties, which are scheduled for roll out in late 2011
• Marion County, which is scheduled for roll out in February 2012

May 2010: More on the history of the hybrid roll out >>

Dec. 2009: FSSA presentation on privatization costs and the hybrid plan>>

System Performance Update

FSSA reported that overall performance of application processing has improved with the transition to the hybrid process.  When IBM was processing applications, FSSA reports that 77% were processed timely, whereas now 88% are processed timely.  The number of days FSSA has to process an application varies by benefit applied for.

In addition, Indiana has moved from number 53 to number 10 in the nation for reducing the number of cases inaccurately determined to be eligible.  Indiana has moved from 45 in the nation to number 12 for reducing the number of cases inaccurately determined to be ineligible.

Background

In December 2006, Indiana signed a 10-year contract with IBM to modernize the State’s eligibility process for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP), and Medicaid.  The project transferred a majority of State employees to private contractors and modified the application process to move away from an in-person caseworker system to an online application, centralized call centers, and faxing or mailing required documents.

After the failure of the “modernization” project, the state ultimately canceled the contract with IBM and is now in a court battle with the company.

Issues affecting Worker’s Compensation

On August 24, 2011, the Interim Study Committee on Insurance heard testimony on Worker’s Compensation, including current issues affecting the program and possible legislative remedies.

What is Worker’s Compensation?
Worker’s Compensation is an insurance program in which employers pay a premium to cover benefits for employees in the event of a workplace injury. With Worker’s Compensation, an employee gives up the right to sue an employer for “negligence” or “fault” in exchange for assured but limited coverage. Every state has some form of a Worker’s Compensation program.

What benefits are available under Worker’s Compensation?
If a worker is injured on the job, he or she may be entitled to a combination of three different types of benefits.

• Partial Wage Replacement
  • This is known as Temporary Total Disability and replaces approximately 66% of an employee’s average weekly wage.
  • When calculating the average weekly wage, a worker’s income is capped at $975 per week.
  • This means the maximum amount a person can receive per week while receiving Worker’s Compensation is approximately $645 per week.

• Covered Medical Treatment
  • The employer is responsible for covering 100% of the medical bills associated with the workplace injury
• Impairment Payment
  • A payment in the event that medical treatment cannot return the worker to pre-injury health, often referred to as Permanent Partial Impairment (PPI).
  • A worker’s injury is given a degree designation and is reimbursed based on the “degree” of their injury.
  • A dollar amount is assigned to each degree and these rates are set in Indiana Code.

What are current issues affecting the Worker’s Compensation system?