The meeting will begin at 1pm in the Senate Chamber and will include testimony from CTB/McGraw-Hill President Ellen Haley. CTB/McGraw-Hill holds the four-year contract to provide testing services to Indiana’s schools, running through June 2014. The contract was awarded in 2011 by then Superintendent of Public instruction Tony Bennett.

Current State Superintendent Glenda Ritz had earlier this month moved forward with an independent review  to verify ISTEP+ test scores. Student test scores factor into how both teachers and schools are evaluated.

The meeting is open to the public.

The governor moved to block the engrossed act following the close of the legislative session, expressing concern over language that would retroactively reauthorize local taxing measures in Pulaski and Jackson counties.

Opponents of the effort to override the governor’s veto noted that in both counties, the authorization for collecting the taxes had expired but Hoosiers had continued to pay the levy. Supporters pointed to other measures within the bill, including language supporting the families of disabled Hoosier veterans, as reason to overturn the governor’s veto and see the measure to become law.

A veto override is a tool by which legislators can consider proposals passed during the regular session but rejected by the governor. To override the governor’s veto, both chambers must again pass the vetoed measure by a simple majority.

The General Assembly adjourned sine die and lawmakers will return to the Statehouse over the summer and fall to begin interim study committees.

Rundown on issues the General Assembly will study this summer>>

Throughout the summer and fall when the Indiana General Assembly is not in session, 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 –including 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.

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

The newly-established committee will take up whether the state will continue to roll out Common Core standards or proceed in a different direction. The committee will compare the state’s current standards to Common Core and consider best practices in developing and adopting Common Core standards. The committee will also examine the cost of implementation and hear testimony from teachers, testing experts, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction among others.

Another new working group, the School Safety Interim Study Committee, will look to improve safety among the state’s schools and develop best practices for school resource officers hired under provisions laid out in Senate Enrolled Act 1. The bill provided schools with grant funding to hire officers to assist with school safety and security.

The Commission on Education will study the effects of unprecedented school voucher expansion in Indiana. The committee will consider the academic performance and graduation rates of choice scholarship schools and how they compare to traditional public schools. The committee will also study the demographics of students receiving vouchers including income, race, and special needs of choice scholarship students as compared to those students enrolled in public schools. Overall, the committee will examine why parents choose to enroll their child in the school choice scholarship program, as well as the student growth and achievement for students enrolled in the voucher program over time.

Following widespread issues with ISTEP testing across the state this spring, lawmakers will immediately review the testing process in June. The commission will hear testimony from the company behind ISTEP’s online testing software, McGraw-Hill, administrators and other concerned parties.

Formed in response to a string of high profile child abuse cases and a subsequent series of public hearings last interim, the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana will examine issues concerning vulnerable Hoosier youth. The commission will review legislation passed this session and work to improve continuity of services among the state agencies tasked with protecting children. Other issues to be reviewed by the commission include whether Indiana should require a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipient to show photo ID when receiving a benefit.

Read more on Dept. of Child Services reform>>

The committee is tasked with reviewing legislation passed in April overhauling the state’s criminal code before the law takes effect next year. Among other issues, the committee will look at providing the necessary resources to local corrections programs and make recommendations regarding advisory sentencing and the supsendibility of sentences.

Implementing federal health care reform will be the Health Finance Commission’s primary focus. The commission will begin by laying out the framework for Indiana’s health care exchange, the state’s one-stop resource for purchasing health insurance, and also define “essential health benefits,” or what medical services will be included as a part of the policies offered on the exchange.

The commission will also study biosimiliar biological products, the disposal of used prescription drugs, Medicaid false claims and whistleblower protections among other topics.

The result of legislation passed during the 2013 session, the Central Indiana Transit Study Committee will take up the feasibility of enhanced public transit connecting central Indiana counties. The committee will review the possible construction of a light rail line between Marion and Hamilton counties as well as rapid bus transit, added bus routes and how the initiative could be funded.

For a complete listing of study committee topics>>

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

Low-interest disaster loans are available to homeowners, renters, businesses, and non-profit organizations in Blackford, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Delaware, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Miami, Tipton, Wabash and Wells counties. Hoosiers in these counties can apply by visiting any one of the four centers or by applying on the SBA website.

Members of the SBA will be on hand to take questions and aid residents, small businesses, and non-profit organizations in the disaster loan process. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security will also have staff at the centers to provide flood victims with information about the Indiana State Disaster Relief Fund. Grants of up to $5,000 may be available for Hoosiers who suffered flood damage, but may not be eligible for a federal loan.

The Disaster Loan Centers will continue to be open Monday (May 20) through Thursday (May 23) next week.

Disaster Center Locations and Hours

Grant County
Marion City Hall
301 South Branson Street
Marion, IN 46952
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to Noon (Hours for 5/18/13 only)

Howard County
Howard County Alternate EOC
627 South Berkley Road
Kokomo, IN 46901
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to Noon (Hours for 5/18/13 only)

Tipton County
Tipton County Courthouse
101 East Jefferson
Tipton, IN 46072
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to Noon (Hours for 5/18/13 only)

Madison County
The Closed Water Company Office
1139 N. Anderson Street
Elwood, IN 46036
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to Noon (Hours for 5/18/13 only)

SBA Disaster Loans

Hoosiers can apply by visiting one of the SBA Disaster Centers or online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to a Disaster Loan Outreach Center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Individuals and businesses can call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for people with speech or hearing disabilities), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET or by sending an e-mail to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Those suffering damage to personal or business property must return applications by July 9, 2013. The deadline to return economic injury applications – which includes, for example, payroll, working capital and other business financial commitments – is February 10, 2014. 

Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Click here to report your flood or storm damage to the IDHS or contact your local emergency management agency.>>>

Visit the IDHS website for more information on how to prepare for severe weather and record damage reports.>>>

Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to hover a full percentage point above the national unemployment rate which fell a tenth of a percent to 7.5 percent in April. Ohio’s unemployment rate dipped to 7.0 percent, 1.5 points lower than Indiana’s. Kentucky jobless rate also decreased, falling to 7.9 percent. The unemployment rate in Illinois fell two tenths of a percent from March to 9.3 percent and Michigan’s 8.4 percent rate was down nearly a full percentage point below last year’s jobless rate.

County with the highest unemployment rate: Fayette- 11.4%
County with the lowest unemployment rate: Dubois- 5.2%

Employment Report (LAUS)

• Labor Force Estimates for U.S., Indiana, MSAs, Counties, Cities
• Ranking of Indiana Counties by Unemployment Rate
• Indiana County Map with Unemployment Rates

Jobs Report (CES)

• Seasonally-Adjusted Employment Table for Indiana
• Non-Seasonally-Adjusted Employment Table for Indiana
• Detail Employment Listing- Stateside & MSAs

The first regular session of the 118th Indiana General Assembly concluded in the early hours of April 27. Of the over 1,200 bills filed, 295 headed to the governor’s desk for final approval. Take a look at some of this legislative session’s most memorable moments, including floor debate over contentious issues like school funding  and visits from Hoosiers across the state through previously unreleased images.

State Senator Jean D. Breaux discusses important pieces of legislation for Marion County at the close of the 2013 General Assembly session. Topics include Marion County reorganization, mass transit expansion for Central Indiana and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Bowen served as Indiana’s 44th governor from 1973-1981 before serving as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan. He passed away on Saturday, May 2nd at age 95.