Jobs and economic fairness bills awaiting committee hearings

Members of the Indiana Senate Democratic caucus have filed a legislative package for the 2012 General Assembly that would put Hoosiers back to work, help rebuild our state and promote long term sustainability for small businesses. As part of the Senate Democrats’ 2012 Legislative Agenda, the caucus members are now actively seeking hearings for these bills in the senate standing committees.

The Indiana Senate Democrats believe that jobs should be the number one priority for the General Assembly this year. With unemployment at 9 percent and a lowering of income that has put us 41^st in the nation per capita, Hoosiers need all the help they can get when it comes to employment opportunities and economic fairness.

Giving small businesses tax breaks, reducing discrimination against the unemployed and leveling the playing field between Main Street businesses and online businesses are just some of what the Senate Democrats are focusing on this session to get Hoosiers working again.

To voice your support for these bills: Contact your State Senator and the members of the senate standing committee to which the bill has been assigned (see committee assignments at the end of each bill description). Contact information for every State Senator is available on the General Assembly’s website.

2012 Jobs and Economic Fairness Bills:

Senate Bill 100: Leveling the playing field for Main Street business through online sales tax collection

Indiana retailers, who employ more than half a million Hoosiers, are losing an estimated $2.9 billion in business annually to online retailers. The proposed legislation would require all online retailers with any presence in the state to collect sales tax, leveling the playing field for local businesses and providing the state with an estimated $200 million in uncollected sales tax revenue. The bill is authored by Sen. John Broden (D–South Bend) who offered a similar measure in 2011.Senate Committee: Tax and Fiscal Policy

Senate Democrats Respond to State of the State 2012

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels delivered his eighth and final State of the State address Tuesday evening to a partially empty chamber in a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly. While a significant portion of the address reflected on a the governor’s accomplishments, he also used the event to push for the contentious so called “Right to Work” bill’s passage. During his address, protesters outside could be heard both inside the Statehouse and on TV. Following the address, protestors held a rally outside of Governor Daniels’ office.

Several Indiana Senate Democrats have released the following statements in response to Governor Daniels’ State of the State address.

Sen. Simpson: “I had hoped for a stronger message of leadership from the governor in this difficult time for our state. Indiana deserves state leaders who work together to take on the tough issues, protect those in need, and improve the lives of Hoosiers. That’s not the agenda the governor laid out tonight.”

Download: Simpson.SOSResp.11012.MP3

Sen. Lanane: “I have to say I was very disappointed that the governor spoke about this ‘hallmark’ legislation that he is pushing…”

Download: Lanane.SOSResp.11012.MP3

Sen. Arnold: “I keep hearing about the positives that Indiana is. We’re a destination site…”

Download: Arnold.SOSResp.11012.MP3

Sen. Breaux, “Yet another year where I wonder what state the governor is living in…”

Download: Breaux.SOSResp.11012.MP3

Sen. Broden: “I was very disappointed in the governor’s speech this evening. I did not hear a concrete plan to improve Indiana’s economy…”

Download: Broden.SOSResp.11012.MP3

Sen. Mrvan: “We have bragging rights about the state being the greatest state to do business in… “

Download: Mrvan.SOSResp.11012.MP3

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July unemployment rate up again to 8.5%

On Friday, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced that Indiana’s unemployment rate for July 2011 rose slightly again to 8.5 percent.  Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to sit below the U.S. rate of 9.1 percent, and stands lower than neighboring states Illinois (9.5 percent), Ohio (9.0 percent), Kentucky (9.5 percent) and Michigan (10.9 percent).

• County with the highest unemployment rate: Fayette 12.0%
• County with the lowest unemployment rate: Dubois 5.6%

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 – Statewide & MSAs

Employment Issues Study Committee covers “Right to Work” policy

On Tuesday July 26, 2011, a new Study Committee on Employment Issues met to hear testimony on the misleadingly titled “Right to Work” (RTW) legislation that prompted a five-week standoff during the 2011 session. Delaying a vote on the legislation and moving the subject matter to a study committee was the compromise made by legislators to end the standoff. 

A RTW policy would make it illegal for employees to negotiate with their employer an agreement that requires everyone who benefits from a union contract to pay their share of the negotiation costs. 

During the committee meeting, legislators heard testimony from both sides of the RTW issue from a variety of professors, economists, business owners, workers, and trade associations. This post recaps the major studies presented in committee and touches on the major issues affecting Indiana’s workforce. Form more information on all testimony, the official minutes of the meeting are also available.

RTW and Economic Growth: An economics professor from Ohio University presented a study conducted at the request of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, “Right-to-Work and Indiana’s Economic Future.”  In this study, the author argues that Indiana’s economy is in a slow, steady economic decline and RTW policies are a significant driving force behind economic growth.  To support this claim, the study states that on average, growth in real per capita incomes in RTW states is substantially higher than both the national average and non-RTW states (62% higher in 2008 than in 1977 for RTW states, and 53% higher for non-RTW states).

However, another study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) arrived at a strikingly different conclusion after using a more advanced statistical analysis.

Sen. Simpson’s comments on “Real Ideas, Real Jobs”

Watch video from the Senate Democrats’ Jan. 27 press conference on their jobs package.

Senator Lanane comments on Senate Democrats Jobs Proposals

Senator Taylor speaks out for Senate Democrat jobs proposals

Democrats call for Senate action on jobs package

Senate Democrats held a press conference today to call on Republicans today to begin hearing a package of legislative proposals aimed at spurring business activity and creating new jobs in Indiana. Senate Democrat Leader Vi Simpson (D-Ellettsville) and members of the Senate Democratic Caucus say the proposals would improve Indiana’s job market and generate income to support families and communities.

Senator Vi Simpson and members of the Senate Democratic Caucus

The bills focus on fostering entrepreneurial ventures and leveraging small business investments as well as additional accountability for state funds directed at job creation. Funded through the redirection of existing resources from ineffective programs to those that better serve Indiana’s employers and workers, the proposals require no new state funding or new taxes.

In a memo to Senate Commerce and Economic Development Committee Chair Sen. Michael Young (R-Indianapolis), the Democrats requested that four bills containing these proposals be scheduled for a hearing in the committee.

Included in the “Real Ideas, Real Jobs” package proposed by the Senate Democrats:

• “Small Business Concierge Team” for one-stop service to start-ups and expanding businesses (SB 348)
• Capital Access Fund for entrepreneurs and start-ups (SB 435)
• New hire tax credits for smaller employers (SB 583)
• Redirect job creation funds to successful initiatives (SB 435)
• Give preference in state contracts to companies that use Indiana labor (SB 369)
• Immediately begin work on state infrastructure and university construction projects

Watch video from the press conference

Video >>

Listen to audio from the press conference

Senate Democrat Leader Vi Simpson’s remarks:

Download: Simpson.JobsPressConfFullAudio.12711.MP3

Comments from Senate Democrat Assistant Leader Tim Lanane:

Download: Lanane.JobsPressConference.12711.MP3

Comments from Senator Greg Taylor, author of SB 583:

Download: Taylor.JobsPressConference.12711.MP3

State of the State

Governor Mitch Daniels delivered his seventh State of the State address on Tuesday evening to a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Democrat lawmakers responded to the speech with disappointment over the governor’s lack of attention to the state’s unemployment and economic problems. Democrats said the governor’s portrayal of Indiana’s job climate does not match the reality of Hoosiers who are out of work or the drop in Indiana’s standing against the national average personal income.

WATCH or READ the governor’s 2011 State of the State address>>

LISTEN: Senate Democrat Leader Vi Simpson’s response to the speech from a press conference immediately after the event.

“This speech was supposed to be about the state of the state….”

Download: Simpson.RealStateofState.11111.MP3

“Education reform starts with adequate funding…”

Download: Simpson.EdReformAdequateFunding.11111.MP3

READ: Senate Democrat Leader Vi Simpson also issued the following statement:

I was disappointed that the governor did not spend time tonight addressing what is on the minds of over 300,000 unemployed Hoosiers – Jobs. The real state of our state is that too many Hoosiers are out of work and the wages are dropping.

The state’s fiscal condition right now reflects that of Indiana households – high uncertainty about income and tough decisions on how we can best spend limited dollars.

Missed opportunity: H.I.R.E. program

In the latest update from FSSA, Indiana missed out on the opportunity to put as many as many as 10,000 Hoosiers to work at half the cost to employers between April and September 2010. The H.I.R.E. program approved in March never moved forward because the agency spent April through June of this year holding “several discussions regarding implementation.”

Meanwhile, Illinois moved forward with the Put Illinois to Work program and helped 26,000 otherwise unemployed workers bring home paychecks during that period. Read an earlier post on programs in Illinois and other states>>

The federal funds – and the state’s opportunity – expired on October 1.

The update was made available at the request of the State Budget Committee. Read earlier entry from that meeting>>