Senator stands behind property owner tax break

Beef advocate to head USDA office in Indiana (Journal Gazette)

Bayh helps Gary seek $25 million for demolitions (Post-Tribune)

Clunkers come in all shapes and sizes (South Bend Tribune)

Bayh proposal seeks to reverse meth use (Post-Tribune)

Clinton tells Indiana Democrats Obama on right track (AP)

(http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=indystar&sParam=31005489.story)

 

Clinton tells Ind. Democrats Obama on right track

Posted 6/20/2009

By Tom Davies, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Former President Bill Clinton rallied Indiana Democrats on Saturday with a vigorous defense of President Barack Obama, saying that Obama has done what was needed to spark the economy.

Clinton said he believed Obama had acted correctly in pushing through his $787 billion economic stimulus package and the rescue plan for General Motors and Chrysler even though the federal budget deficit could reach a record $1.85 trillion.

"I know we need to worry about this debt," Clinton said. "First we've got to build a bridge over troubled waters and give the president's economic reforms in the finance system time to take hold."

Clinton spoke at a fundraising dinner for the Indiana Democratic Party in his return to a state where he made dozens of campaign stops last year on behalf of his wife Hillary as she faced Obama in the presidential primary.

Obama went on to became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Indiana since 1964, which Clinton told the 1,500 people at Saturday's dinner meant they had a great responsibility to help Obama succeed.

"We are now responsible and we need to get out of the blame business -- we're stuck with what we've got -- and deal with these challenges," Clinton said. "We will now be judged by what we do." 

Congressman sees economic recovery plan coming to fruition

Bayh presents tax relief proposal (Post-Tribune)

Tale of two budgets (Journal Gazette)

Tale of two budgets

Editorial -- Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

(http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090616/EDIT07/306169954/1021/EDIT&template=printart)

 

To the achievement gap challenge, Indiana school districts can add a second: The budget gap, the gulf between how their schools are treated under Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ plan and the House Democratic proposal.

 

Neither is likely to represent the end product. But urban and rural school districts – already struggling under declining or stagnant enrollment and serving students disproportionately affected by the recession – need a plan closer to the Democrats’.

 

The differences are stark. Under the governor’s two-year budget proposal, Indianapolis Public Schools would face a cut of $13.5 million next year and $29.7 million in 2011. House Democrats would also cut funding for IPS in their one-year budget, but only by $834,000.

 

In the fast-growing Hamilton Southeastern school district, the governor’s plan gives a 5.38 percent increase next year and 10.8 percent in 2011, for a total of $15.2 million. The Democrats’ plan offers a more reasonable 4.63 percent increase next year, about $4.3 million.

 

Urban schools have been well represented at hearings before the bipartisan budget subcommittee and the House Ways and Means Committee this month. But the two spending plans also have a dramatic effect on rural schools. Northeast Indiana’s smallest district, Hamilton Community Schools, would face a 7.62 percent reduction over two years under Daniels’ proposal – a loss of $445,000. The Democratic plan would give the district an extra $5,152 next year.

 

Stacey Hughes, superintendent of Central Noble Community School Corp. in Albion, said the $121,000 reduction her district would face under the governor’s plan represents salary and benefits for two first-year teachers. Although the district has been losing 35 to 50 students a year for several years, the enrollment loss is spread across grade levels.

 

“If I lose 10 kids and they are throughout K-12, it’s difficult to reduce a teacher,” Hughes said. “If I lose 10 out of the first grade, I might be able to cut one section.”

 

Chrysler challenge stirs storm

Indiana lawmakers return for special session

Local stimulus dollars go directly to students, programs

Budget would hurt urban, help suburban schools (AP)

Budget would hurt urban, help suburban schools

By Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writer

(http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=jconline&sParam=30916223.story)

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mitch Daniels says Indiana's schools are "among America's luckiest" since they have so far avoided cuts during the recession.

But only some Indiana schools would find four-leaf clovers under Daniels' budget proposal.

Suburban schools with booming enrollments would see funding increases, while urban and rural school districts that are losing students would see decreases. Whether that approach is a fair way to distribute money is at the heart of partisan squabbles dominating budget talks as lawmakers prepare to start a special session Thursday.

But Democrats and Republicans are also arguing about the school funding numbers themselves.

The Republican governor says his two-year budget would give schools an average funding increase of 2 percent in each of the next two years, and more than 70 percent of traditional public schools would see an increase from 2009 to 2011. But Daniels' budget relies heavily on federal stimulus money to provide those increases. That money -- around $400 million -- will run out in two years.

Democrats say Daniels' numbers aren't accurate and argue stimulus money shouldn't be considered school funding because it should only be used on one-time expenditures.

When stimulus money isn't factored in, 58 percent of Indiana's traditional public school districts would lose money from 2009 to 2011, according to an Associated Press analysis of school funding numbers provided by the Daniels administration. Those figures do not include charter schools. 

President Obama promises more than 600,000 stimulus jobs (AP)

Curb Chinese tires: Bayh

Curb Chinese tires: Bayh

Says imports hurt Allen plant

Sylvia A Smith

Washington editor 

(http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20090603/NEWS03/306039959)

 

The increase in Chinese-made tires exported to the U.S. hurts American manufacturers, including the BFGoodrich plant in Woodburn, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said Tuesday.

Bayh is among several members of Congress who are siding with the United Steelworkers, which has asked the Obama administration to cut the number of Chinese tire imports by more than half.

The union filed a petition with the federal government claiming that an increase in imported Chinese tires has caused a steep decline in U.S. production, sales, profitability and employment. It wants the U.S. International Trade Commission to ask the White House to put a quota on the number of tires China can send to the U.S., cutting the imports by more than half.

The Steelworkers union, which represents tire plant employees, said more than 5,100 jobs have been eliminated in the past five years when four U.S. tire plants closed. About 3,000 more jobs are slated to be lost by the end of this year when three other plants close or stop production of passenger and light-truck tires.

The union said imports of passenger tires from China increased 215 percent from 2004 to 2008. During that time, the United Steelworkers said, U.S. tire production fell 25 percent.

“These are troubling trends,” Bayh told the commission at a hearing Tuesday. “If we fail to respond, I fear we will see more tire plants closed, more jobs lost, and more erosion of American manufacturing.

 

Tim Roemer: A well-chosen ambassador (South Bend Tribune)

A well-chosen ambassador
OUR OPINION 

Ag, Energy secretaries to visit Indiana today

Welfare privatization failures detailed (Evansville Courier & Press)

 

Welfare failures detailed

Gripe list belies 'modern'agency

By Eric Bradner

Monday, June 1, 2009

(http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jun/01/welfarefailuresdetailed/?print=1) 

INDIANAPOLIS — Ever since Indiana'sFamily and Social Services Administration rolled out a plan in 2007 tomodernize its welfare-eligibility system, the agency and state lawmakers havebeen besieged with complaints about long delays to speak with people at callcenters, the loss of individual case workers, lost records, and improper denialor suspension of benefits.

The agency has a 10-year, $1.16 billioncontract with a consortium of vendors led by IBM Corp. and Affiliated ComputerServices Inc.

But during the effort at modernization,Southwestern Indiana health care providers, social service agencies andlawmakers joined citizens in complaints of inconsistent answers from the newcall center and documents lost in the new computer system.

They are pressing FSSA to improvequickly.

Rep. Suzanne Crouch, R-Evansville, hasbeen an outspoken critic of the rollout in 59 of the state's 92 counties thatinclude Vanderburgh. Recently, St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville sentCrouch a list of complaints about FSSA service, which the Courier & Pressasked the agency to respond to.

 

Stimulus funds begin to spark new employment (Gary Post-Tribune)

Stimulus funds begin to spark new employment
(http://www.post-trib.com/news/1600621,stimprojects.article)

 

June 1, 2009

 

By Erik Potter, Post-Tribune staff writer

 

Employment effects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are beginning

The latest report from the Indiana Department of Transportation shows that 281 employees have logged nearly 5,300 hours, earning more than $170,000 so far this year doing work on 19 stimulus-funded road construction projects.

In all, INDOT has given contractors on 61 different projects the notice to proceed with work, though only 19 have shown up yet on the monthly employment reports INDOT is required by the Federal Highway Administration to file.

As results from the remaining projects are reflected on the monthly reports, those numbers are expected to shoot sharply higher.

Ellas Construction in Gary does a lot of bridge work for Lake County and other Northwest Indiana municipalities. This year, however, the amount of work just hasn't been there.

"Last year I had about 40 guys working for me at this time; we had four to five jobs going," said Marty Zurbriggen, project manager at Ellas. "Right now, I've got five (people) and we have one job going."

But they've got a stimulus project coming up in mid-June that will keep their crew busy once they're done with the current project. Then, come July, they have three more projects, including two stimulus projects. Zurbriggen said he'll have to hire new people to do those jobs.

Credit card rules shield good customers, Bayh says (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Credit card rules shield good customers, Bayh says
Vows to protect against raising fees in response

Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette

Credit card companies should think twice before raising fees on responsible customers to compensate for new regulations, Sen. Evan Bayh said Wednesday.

Bayh stopped in Fort Wayne to discuss recently enacted rules to keep credit card companies from gouging customers. He said the rules will protect consumers, who have had to use credit more recently as the economy worsens. He relayed stories of people seeing their rates jump from zero percent to 29 percent because a payment was one day late.

"Middle-class Hoosiers have been getting ripped off by credit card companies," said Bayh, D-Ind.

The new law prohibits those companies from raising interest rates on customers who faithfully pay their bills. It also has other protections, such as forcing bills to be mailed 21 days before they are due instead of 14 and requires the companies to give customers 45 days' notice of an interest rate or other fee change.

Some critics have said the rules will hurt customers who pay their bills in full every month and have not yet had to pay finance charges. They argue that because the companies will make less money off bad customers, they will have to make more money on good customers.

Bayh didn't think that would become reality. He said the credit business is highly competitive and if one company began charging its good customers, another company would try to lure those customers with better deals.

He also cautioned the industry against using such tactics, hinting that Congress might take another look at the law should the companies attack responsible customers.

"That is not going to be allowed to happen," Bayh said of punishing people who pay promptly.

The new law will likely make it more difficult for some people "on the fringes" to get a credit card, Bayh said, but the senator noted that isn't a terrible thing.

He compared it to the people getting mortgages they couldn't afford. The law should make better informed consumers, he said, which will help people better handle credit.

Ellsworth tours TH project locations (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

Ellsworth tours TH project locations

Staff report
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE May 27, 2009 10:53 pm

Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett is campaigning for federal support for several key local infrastructure projects.

On Wednesday, Bennett took Indiana's 8th District Congressman Brad Ellsworth on a tour of the city, which included stops at several project sites, including Margaret Avenue and the planned rural health education district north of Indiana State University.

"I think it went very well," Bennett said after Ellsworth's visit.

The goal of the tour was to help Ellsworth visualize some of the city's bigger infrastructure projects, Bennett said. "Over the past year, Ellsworth has been instrumental in securing much-needed funding" for a number of local projects, including railroad mitigation and improvements, wastewater treatment expansion and the Margaret Avenue project, according to a media release provided by Bennett Wednesday afternoon.

"The goal is to have him be able to see these projects," Bennett said.

The mayor took Ellsworth down Margaret Avenue, which is being expanded and improved. He also took the congressman to a potential rail yard site on the north end of the city, to Hunt Road near the Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field and the site of the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative, according to the media release. The RHIC is a plan for expanded medical education and other development between Indiana State University and Union Hospital.

Visiting the sites of these projects helps put them into perspective, Bennett noted in the media release. "It also allows you to see how several are actually tied together."

Hammond charter school plan earns queries, praise (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Hammond charter school plan earns queries, praise

By Carmen McCollum

HAMMOND | There were plenty of questions but also overwhelming support for a proposed charter school in Hammond.

The Hammond Academy for Science and Technology, first proposed by Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. in 2006, got a public airing Wednesday night to a standing room-only crowd at Purdue University Calumet's Calumet Conference Center.

It won't be your typical school, organizers said. It's going to be heavily focused on project-based education in which students will learn according to national and state-required standards, experience working with a team and apply that to everyday life.

Organizers say the new school will be in session an hour longer every day of the week except Friday, when school will let out about noon, giving teachers an opportunity for staff development.

Questions about the new school ranged from how the school will choose its students to whether there will be transportation provided to students, as well as before- and after-school activities.

Hammond resident Patrick Mysliwy questioned the building's physical requirements and the timetable for plans to finish construction in a year.

Resident Stan Dostatni asked how the academy would attract its teaching staff.

Cindy Murphy, who is a Hammond School Board member, said she didn't hear anything in the curriculum about foreign language, and she commented on the "more stringent" requirements that students are expected to meet to earn a Core 40 diploma, Core 40 with Academic Honors or Core 40 with Technical Honors.

The public hearing was hosted by Larry Gabbert, director of the Office of Charter Schools at Ball State University, which has chartered 29 schools in the state. He said he will present all of the comments to Ball State President Jo Ann Gora who is expected to make a decision June 9.

If approved, the school will open in August 2010 with 320 students in grades six through nine, growing each year until it reaches a student body of 550 students through 12th grade.

The academy board has partnered with Purdue Calumet in Hammond to develop the curriculum and instruction. Purdue also will be required to train students.

The charter school would be operated by the seven-member Hammond Urban Academy Board, whose current members are Kris Sakelaris, Sheldon Cutler, Tom Dabertin, Dan Repay, Owana Miller, David Ryan and Marty Wielgos.

The school will have an open-enrollment policy, but students will be chosen by lottery, Dabertin said.

McDermott, who got to the meeting shortly before it ended, said he wants to improve education in Hammond and "this is in no way an indictment of the School City of Hammond."

Audrey Polite, of Munster, who was at the meeting with her husband, said the academy sounds like an exciting opportunity.

Polite, who has two children in private school, said "the academy not only represents an opportunity for Hammond but for all of Northwest Indiana."

Roemer tapped as envoy to India (South Bend Tribune)

Roemer tapped as envoy to India
Fellow Dem Donnelly says ambassadorship critical for U.S.

By ED RONCO Tribune Staff Writer

President Barack Obama nominated former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer as ambassador to India, the White House said late Wednesday.

The 52-year-old Democrat represented South Bend and the surrounding region in the U.S. House from 1991 to 2003.

He also was a member of the 9/11 Commission, which studied the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, an original sponsor of legislation to form the federal Department of Homeland Security and a vocal campaigner for Obama's presidential bid.

He holds both a master's and doctoral degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Since leaving Congress, Roemer has been president of the Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that analyzes foreign policy and global security. He also served on a bipartisan commission formed by Congress to study threats from weapons of mass destruction.His nomination -- announced with 11 other nominations Wednesday night -- has been a badly kept secret for weeks. Numerous news outlets have reported it as a sure thing, although the White House and Roemer both kept mum.

Roemer could not be reached late Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, learned of Roemer's nomination about a week ago, and has spoken to him about it.

"He's very excited and is looking forward to it," Donnelly told The Tribune late Wednesday. "It's one of the most critical ambassadorships for our nation. I think that's why Tim was put in this position -- because he brings so much to the plate."

Bayh: Bill ends credit card abuses (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Bayh: Bill ends credit card abuses

By Keith Benman

Democratic U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh on Wednesday touted a bill signed by President Barack Obama last week that enacts sweeping consumer protections for credit card holders, including an end to surprise rate increases that have left some card holders gasping.

"The bottom line is, too many Hoosier families are being ripped off by unscrupulous credit card companies," Bayh told a small gathering at Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Bayh stood at the podium at the airport administration building backed by charts outlining the bill's protections. A poster behind him quoted a Granger, Ind., woman who had seen her interest rate go from 0 percent to 29 percent simply because she was one day late with her payment.

"These companies have the right to make a profit," Bayh said. "But they don't have the right to abuse people."

Darrolyn Sharp, executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northwest Indiana, said the bill was one of the most important consumer protection bills she had seen passed in her lifetime.

"It keeps consumers and credit card companies honest," Sharp said. "This has been a long time in the making."

Sharp introduced Bayh at the podium, and the senator's comments were also seconded by Mayor Rudy Clay, who said the bill will help protect and maintain the credit of citizens in Gary.

The bill, which passed both the U.S. House and Senate by overwhelming margins, was quickly signed into law by President Obama.

Last year, the Nilson Report estimated that more than 700 million credit cards were in circulation in the United States. That's more than two cards for every man, woman and child. And some of those cards carry hefty balances. According to the Federal Reserve, the nation's citizens are some $2.5 trillion in debt, excluding home mortgage debt.

Bayh said one of the most important protections in the bill is a requirement that anyone younger than 21 must get a parent or guardian to cosign for the card or show proof they have an independent means of paying off any balance.

Under the bill, any customer would have to be more than 60 days behind on a payment before seeing a rate increase on an existing balance. Even then, the lender would be required to restore the previous, lower rate if a cardholder pays the minimum balance on time for six months.

Bayh brushed off questions about whether credit card companies might implement higher fees or interest rates across the board for new customers to make up for any income they lose because of the bill's provisions.

"We have to make sure new abuses don't spring up to replace the old ones," Bayh said.

Bayh bill would add to nursing faculty (Gary Post-Tribune)

Bayh bill would add to nursing faculty

May 28, 2009

This nation always has pretty much taken nurses for granted. That's the first person you see at the doctor's office and sometimes the only one you'll see while in the hospital.

That is rapidly changing.

And much of the blame can be placed on baby boomers -- the offspring of the Greatest Generation, those who lived through the Great Depression and then fought World War II. As baby boomers age, they are placing a greater demand on nursing care. And as they age, they also are retiring -- often from the nursing ranks.

The baby boomers are just one of the reasons Indiana -- and the rest of the country for that matter -- is facing a critical shortage of nurses.

What is compounding the problem is a shortage of qualified nursing faculty. Indiana's 44 nursing schools reject 2,500 qualified Hoosier applicants each year because there aren't enough teachers.

With that many potential nurses being turned away, Indiana hospitals have 6,000 unfilled nursing positions. With that kind of shortage, patient care suffers and there is a great strain on nurses.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is acting to correct the problem. It seems that one of the reasons there is not enough nursing faculty is that they earn 20 percent less than their colleagues in clinical practice.

Bayh's Nurses' Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act of 2009 is designed to help alleviate the shortage of nursing educators.

For instance, nurse's with a master's degree, the minimum requirement for nurse educators, would receive up to $40,000 in student loan replacements if they teach for four years. With 37 percent of the Indiana nursing faculty to reach retirement age in six years, Bayh's bill would provide needed relief.

Oh, that $924,000! State owes WL (Lafayette Journal and Courier)

Oh, that $924,000! State owes WL

State never gave money owed in 2007

By MICHAEL MALIK

Due to a clerical error by Indiana Department of Revenue staff, West Lafayette did not receive $924,000 in tax revenue it was due to receive in 2007.

But the money will be coming soon.

Judy Rhodes, the city's clerk-treasurer, said she recently discovered that the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission's certified technology park fund did not receive $924,581 in taxes that the state listed as having been given to the city two years ago.

The certified technology park fund was created in 2003 when the state designated Purdue Research Park a certified technology park.

The fund, controlled by the city's redevelopment commission, can collect up to $5 million from different taxes, including sales and income tax, generated within the research park. The commission can then direct the money to be used for research park improvement projects, such as for infrastructure improvements.

Stephanie McFarland, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Revenue, said the $924,581 mixup was caused by a clerical error.

McFarland said the Department of Revenue collects taxes and determines the amount that should go to each municipality. The state auditor's office, McFarland said, then issues the funds to each municipality.

McFarland said it would take seven to 10 business days for the state to get the money to the city.

Larry Oates, president of the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission, said the lack of money in the certified technology park fund wasn't holding up planned projects.

Research park projects financed in part by the special fund include the Purdue Technology Center II building, an incubator building.

Rhodes said she found that the fund was short when she recently asked the Department of Revenue to confirm the amount of money distributed to the fund to date.

Rhodes said she compared the amount of money the state said had been sent to the amount the city had received, and the two numbers didn't match.

Rhodes said the only discrepancy occurred in 2007.

To date, the city has received $2,162,369.01 for the certified technology park fund. With the addition of the $924,581 due in 2007 and $1,118,926 in 2008, the city will have received $4.2 million toward the $5 million cap, she said.

Abusive lenders forced credit card fixes: Bayh (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Abusive lenders forced credit card fixes: Bayh

Sylvia A Smith
Washington editor

WASHINGTON - Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., happily acknowledges he's a "free-enterprise person," but he's been one of the most vocal supporters of legislation to tighten rules on credit card companies.

The Senate voted 90-5 Tuesday to adopt legislation Bayh said will protect consumers from "abusive practices." Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., voted "yes," as did Ohio Republican George Voinovich and Democrat Sherrod Brown.

"I believe in the right of companies to make a profit, and credit card companies are no exception," Bayh told the Senate. "But they ought to make it the legitimate, old-fashioned way, not on the backs of consumers through abusive practices."

The bill bars credit card companies from raising interest rates until a consumer is at least 60 days late in making a payment. Even then, the credit card company would be required to restore the previous, lower rate after six months if the consumer pays the minimum balance on time.

Bayh said the credit card companies' policies are particularly painful "during these difficult times when many middle-class families who have had economic reverses" rely on their credit cards to pay for basic living expenses.

The House adopted a similar bill last month with Reps. Mark Souder, R-3rd, and Dan Burton, R-5th, voting "yes." Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th, did not vote, while Ohio Rep. Bob Latta, R-5th, voted "no." The White House also backs the legislation.

Under the legislation, the credit card industry would be required within nine months to change the way it does business: Lenders would have to post their credit card agreements on the Internet, let customers pay their bills online or by phone for free, and give customers 45 days' notice and an explanation before interest rates are increased.

The banking industry has warned lawmakers that the legislation would restrict credit at a time when Americans need it most. They defend their business practices as necessary to protect themselves when providing money to consumers with no collateral and little more than a promise to pay it back.

Bayh said people caught in the credit card companies' practices "are decent hard-working people who ask nothing more than for a fair shake in life and, too often, they are not getting it because of these abusive practices."

Bayh said he has received many complaints from Hoosiers, including a woman who had an $8,000 balance on a credit card account she had closed.

"She was not buying anything. She had always paid her bill on time. And out of the blue one day," Bayh said, "her credit card company doubled her minimum payment. She is a woman of modest means, and she could not make the higher payment. She called the bank, and they would not work with her, even though she had never missed a payment or been late, not once.

"Soon the credit company started adding late fees and compounding her interest. Over the course of two years, her balance tripled from $8,000 to $24,000, without (her) making a single purchase. She had bought nothing. She had done nothing wrong. And she is getting gouged like this. This is the kind of thing that has to stop."

Unacceptable errors (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Unacceptable errors

State officials should stop hyping their system for welfare benefits and pay attention to independent data that support what advocates for the poor have being saying for months:

The new system too often fails. People who need and qualify for benefits aren't getting them the way they should.

More than 12 percent of food stamp applications for the fiscal year ending September 2008 were improperly denied, according to USDA data posted by the National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement. That translates to about 75,000 people, as Angela Mapes Turner's Sunday story explained.

The report - coupled with other evidence of untimely, late approvals and numerous anecdotal stories - should prompt officials of Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration to stop denying that the $1 billion contract to privatize the system for determining welfare eligibility has significant problems. Unfortunately, state officials continue to diminish the criticism and tout what they see as improvements.

State officials have heard numerous accounts of applicants' supporting material being lost and citizens being told to wait for phone calls that never came. Fortunately, the gradual rollout of the computer-centered program has been frozen while state officials look at the issues - even while spinning them to downplay the problems.

Indiana's error rate, the federal food stamp data show, is among the worst five states and is twice that of the previous years. Yet state officials continue to make excuses.

Criticism of the Republican administration's welfare eligibility program is bipartisan. Unfortunately, a bill championed by state Sen. Vaneta Becker - a Republican - to return human caseworkers to the system was shot down in the Indiana Senate.

When Daniels was running for governor in 2004, he examined the statistics of his Democratic predecessors to criticize their performance and demand better. He has delivered in many areas. But the supposed modernization of welfare eligibility has too often been the mechanism that wrongly denies benefits to worthy applicants.

Candidate Daniels would have found the 12 percent error rate appalling. Gov. Daniels should do the same.

Manufacturing rep: DWD should be held accountable (Associated Press)

Manufacturing rep: DWD should be held accountable

By Ken Kusmer, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - A key manufacturing representative said Thursday that the Indiana Department of Workforce Development should be held accountable for improvements in the state's unemployment system that it's promised to the federal government.

Indiana Manufacturers Association Vice President Brian Burton said Workforce Development has largely bypassed two state oversight boards in responding to the U.S. Labor Department's recent findings that the state agency miscalculated jobless benefits, broke federal laws in awarding contracts and violated other federal rules.

"I think we need a full airing of this," Burton insisted at a meeting of the State Workforce Innovation Council.

Burton is among the 36 members of the council appointed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to develop state policy on job training that then is implemented by Workforce Development.

His objections, which he said represented the positions of the GOP-leaning manufacturers group, underscore its recent dissatisfaction with the Daniels administration on job training and jobless assistance as the state copes with large-scale unemployment, particularly among manufacturers.

During Thursday's meeting, Burton said the council should review the Labor Department's full report dated March 9. He said he sent an e-mail message to the council's members Thursday making that request.

However, Gina DelSanto, the senior deputy commissioner of workforce development, limited discussion to the report's findings specifically on the Innovation Council. She said the council's executive board spent 3{ hours going over the seven Labor findings regarding the council.

DelSanto said the council will take up the full report next week, after the state submits its official response to the report's 41 findings to the Labor Department on Friday.

Burton was present at a meeting last month of the state Unemployment Insurance Board, another body that sets policy for Workforce Development, when agency officials limited discussion of the report to unemployment insurance issues.

Burton said agency officials said at that time that the rest of the report would be taken up by the Innovation Council. He said agency officials have made assurances that they will implement changes that the Labor Department has called for, but they needed accountability.

"Somebody needs to look into this," he said in an interview afterward. "We do not know when those actions are going to be put into place."

Workforce Development Commissioner Teresa Voors said her agency has compiled about 50 pages of responses to the Labor Department findings and has already discussed them with federal officials.

"We've already gotten feedback on our responses, and it's been very positive," Voors said.

Rep. Randy Borror, R-Fort Wayne, was the only lawmaker on the council who attended Thursday's meeting. He said he had "full faith" in Workforce Development's response to the Labor Department criticisms.

"I think they will be corrected, and I think they will be corrected in a timely manner," Borror said.

Transparency needed on $300 million in cuts (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Transparency needed on $300 million in cuts

While lawmakers and their constituents continue to debate the wisdom of raising taxes on businesses to finance unemployment benefits, little attention has been paid to plans to cut an additional $300 million in benefits.

Business will pay $315 million more in unemployment taxes over the first year of the two-year budget and $365 million the second. Opponents of the legislation, which Gov. Mitch Daniels signed Wednesday, complain that businesses are bearing the entire burden while worker benefits were not cut. Though it is true that there is no across-the-board cut in benefits in the new law, lawmakers talk euphemistically about finding $300 million in savings and efficiencies over the next two years.

What they really mean is that some workers who have previously qualified for unemployment benefits won't in the future. In some ways, that is good - but the Daniels administration and legislative leaders need to be upfront with Hoosiers about exactly how the system will be changed to enable those cuts.

As examples, lawmakers say that people fired for bad attendance, showing up for work intoxicated or committing crimes at work will no longer receive unemployment benefits. While that seems like a no-brainer, these were possible holes in the existing law - Republican Senate leaders say they cost $20 million a year.

In addition, some administrative law judges who rule on denial of unemployment claims by employers have a reputation for erring on the side of the unemployed worker. Many employers have stories of workers fired for just cause who were nonetheless able to receive unemployment.

Some key language in the new law that could affect how the savings will be found:

The Workforce Development department "regularly shall monitor the hearings and decisions of its administrative law judges, review board members and other individuals who adjudicate claims to ensure that the hearings and decisions strictly comply with the law and the rules."

More uniformity is needed by the administrative law judges, and the Daniels administration should say how it plans to achieve it. New guidelines for the judges may well be in order - and should be shared with the public.

A hint of how the administration will address this issue came in a news release Thursday by four Republican senators - including Senate leader David Long and Dennis Kruse, who authored the unemployment bill:

"New training and review of administrative law judges will allow Indiana to discard the deck previously stacked against employers wanting to fight errant claims."

A new compliance center beginning in January will match information provided from a newly unemployed worker seeking assistance and the employer.

"If the information provided by the individual making the claim does not match the information from the separating employer, the department may not pay the individual benefits and shall refer the individual's claim to the department's unemployment claims compliance center for investigation," the new law reads.

This will catch some errors, but it also has the potential to create a bureaucratic logjam similar to problems incurred with the changes in welfare eligibility under the Daniels administration.

Workers receiving unemployment benefits will have to apply for at least one job every week. Such a requirement is reasonable and could wean some workers off the rolls much earlier, either because they find jobs or simply stop applying.

With luck, the changes will honestly and fairly result in $300 million in savings, taking away benefits only from people who do not deserve them. But if fewer savings are found, officials will either have to go back to the drawing board with a new financing plan or find ways not to pay some workers who justifiably qualify.

Theoretically, the efforts to cut costs are commended and long overdue. The Daniels administration needs to be transparent about how it makes those cuts.

Free Choice Act touted by visiting AFL-CIO leader (Evansville Courier & Press)

Free Choice Act touted by visiting AFL-CIO leader
Rally held at Labor Temple

By Garret Mathews

EVANSVILLE - The special assistant to the president of the AFL-CIO came to Evansville Thursday to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act that he said "will stimulate the middle class by restoring the freedom of unions to bargain collectively."

Stewart Acuff led a brief rally at the Labor Temple before encouraging workers to write Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, urging him to support the legislation.

Acuff, 54, said the measure was first proposed in 2003 where it passed the House, but failed to earn Senate approval.

"We knew it would take time and education to build awareness and support. We wanted to be prepared when the time was right."

Acuff said the chances of the bill passing this year are "excellent."

"Barack Obama was one of the co-sponsors when it reached the Senate. He's spoken favorably about the bill since becoming president. It's something he considers a priority."

The Employee Free Choice Bill strengthens penalties against companies that illegally coerce or intimidate employees in an effort to prevent them from forming a union. It also allows workers to decide how to express their choice to organize, either by balloting or majority sign-up.

"How will management feel if the bill becomes law? Corporate America doesn't like it, but they've been in the driver's seat for more than 30 years and they've steered the economy into a ditch."

Acuff said the economy has been in decline since the mid-1970s, "even though labor productivity has increased by 75 percent."

"CEO pay was 40 times that of the average worker in 1980. Now it's 400 times that salary."

The labor leader has been on a six-week tour of states such as Colorado, Montana, Nebraska and Arkansas "who have moderate senators that we think can be persuaded to see things our way."

Acuff noted that the sagging economy "makes this kind of policy even more important.

We understand that what's been happening in recent years laborwise has not helped the country."

He said the labor movement has seen an increase of about 500,000 new workers in the last two years.

"I see American workers turning things around under Obama.

"It's a new dawn."

Democratic caucus selects Michael Ciolli as new Vigo County commissioner (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

Democratic caucus selects Michael Ciolli as new Vigo County commissioner

Ciolli won on the first ballot
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - A Vigo County Democratic Party caucus on Thursday evening selected Michael Ciolli to become the newest member of the Vigo County Board of Commissioners.

Ciolli, 56, a former federal prison warden and Vigo County jail commander, will replace former Commissioner David Decker, who resigned his commissioner post after agreeing to plead guilty in federal court to distributing methamphetamine.

"I'm going to bring integrity and honesty to the department," Ciolli said after the caucus selected him on the first ballot. To be elected, a candidate must garner more than 50 percent of the votes cast.

This is Ciolli's first venture into elective politics, he said.

Ciolli will serve the remainder of Decker's term, which ends in December of next year. The newly named District 1 commissioner said he has not decided yet whether he will seek election to the office in 2010. He likely will make up his mind after the next six months, he said.

In all, 79 precinct committee members cast secret ballots in the caucus, which lasted about 30 minutes and took place in the Vigo County Annex. Ciolli received 44 votes on the first ballot, said party chairman Joe Etling, who conducted the caucus. Cindy Wallace-Andrews received the second-highest vote total with 21. Each of the remaining seven candidates received six votes or less.

Vigo County Clerk Pat Mansard swore in Ciolli just moments after the vote.

Ciolli walked around the crowded caucus gathering after the vote, shaking hands and thanking people for their support. To those who voted for another candidate, Ciolli said, "I hope I can earn your trust."

It was "very surprising" to be chosen on the first ballot, Ciolli said. "All I can do is say I'll give 100 percent."

The newly appointed commissioner will join elected commissioners Judith Anderson and Paul Mason.

Ballard’s abandoned homes issue has lost focus (Indianapolis Star)

Ballard's abandoned homes issue has lost focus

By Matthew Tully

It was a big deal in early 2008 when Mayor Greg Ballard announced the creation of a high-profile position to deal with the city's abandoned homes problem.

Two months into his new job, Ballard's move was bold. For decades, various attempts to deal with the city's empty and decaying homes had stalled and stumbled, and more and more neighborhoods were suffering from the blight, crime and depressed home values that follow vacant properties. Ballard said the job was crucial enough to make it a priority -- and to give the person in charge an office on the 25th floor of the City-County Building, where other top administration officials work.

He reached across the political aisle and asked police officer and former Democratic City-County Councilwoman Sherron Franklin to tackle the problem. While others would be involved, having a high-profile appointee as the point person was considered critical.

Franklin, Ballard said at the time, would "wake up every day thinking about abandoned homes."

But now, 14 months later, Franklin has moved out of the position. Without fanfare, she recently transferred back to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

How quiet was Franklin's departure? The mayor's office didn't publicly announce the move or the elimination of the job she left.

Paul Okeson, Ballard's chief of staff, said the administration remains as committed as ever to tackling the problem. But, he said, "leadership is about leading toward outcomes" and best directing resources, and the mayor's office decided to charge a different city department with the challenge.

The move isn't likely to surprise many in the City-County Building. When asked earlier this year to name the disappointments of his first year in office, the mayor quickly identified the abandoned homes initiative. And it appeared from the start that Franklin might not be the right person for the job. As a council member, she was known for being blunt and often at war with fellow politicians.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. But the issue of abandoned homes is full of legal, political and budgetary landmines, and Franklin never seemed comfortable maneuvering through the politically treacherous and often slow-moving world of city government politics.

"Stuff moved kind of slow," Franklin acknowledged, "or at least not as fast as some people wanted."

She insisted there is no bad blood between her and the mayor's office and said she simply wanted to return to the police force. But she added that the city needs to get the message out about abandoned homes -- meaning the mayor's office needs to more clearly spell out to the public the scope of the problem and the potential costs of fixing it.

That task now shifts to the city's Department of Metropolitan Development, a well-run office that handles zoning, planning and other quality-of-life issues in the city. Leaders in that department -- who already have been working on the plague of abandoned homes -- say they will focus on those vacant properties most linked to crime. They're also looking for ways to speed up the process of dealing with them.

"We're going to try to be more aggressive," said Janna Mayes, who will help lead the department's effort.

Still, there are concerns now that a high-level, much-touted 25th-floor position has been eliminated.

"I hope this doesn't reflect a loss of status for the issue in the mayor's office," said Pat Andrews, vice president of the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations. "Because this is a core issue in the city."

Daniels turning IDEM into rubber stamp (Gary Post-Tribune)

Daniels turning IDEM into rubber stamp

May 13, 2009

It really shouldn't surprise anyone that Gov. Mitch Daniels' adminstration has hired longtime coal industry lobbyist David Joest as the new attorney for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Before that, for most of his 25-year legal career, Joest was a registered lobbyist for the largest coal company in the world, Peabody Coal. And, in his capacity there, he regularly fought against environmental legislation that would have hurt the company but helped the regular citizen.

An IDEM spokesman promised there would be no conflicts of interest for Joest in his new job because he spent the past 4 1/2 years working for an energy company in Michigan.

Still, his former coal company has a pending permit for coal mines before the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which oversees mining regulations. And IDEM will have a say in those permits, as that agency oversees any impact to air, land or water.

The selection of Joest should not be surprising on two fronts.

First, Daniels is applying the lessons he learned from his mentor, George W. Bush, who regularly made Department of Interior appointments from a roster of pollution industry lobbyists.

Second, Daniels is systematically turning IDEM into a rubber stamp for industry, operating under the archaic and disproven belief that jobs are solely important and environment is solely not important.

If you did not believe this before, look to the attorney's office in IDEM, where you'll find a former coal lobbyist.

Looking for leadership from the gov (South Bend Tribune)

Looking for leadership from the gov

By JACK COLWELL Tribune Columnist

Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer suspects that Gov. Mitch Daniels scuttled a bipartisan budget proposal at the legislative deadline in order to force a special session in which the governor could come out looking better.

There is a political theory that governors win in special sessions because they can portray legislators as failing to get the job done.

Bauer, the long-time Democratic legislative leader from South Bend, says he thought until 10: 30 p.m. on the final night of the regular session that a proposed budget backed by Republican leaders in the GOP-dominated Senate -- and passed there 37-13 with bipartisan support -- would also pass before midnight in the House, where Democrats have a precarious margin, in another bipartisan vote.

Since the budget was given more Republican flavor in the Senate, taking $100 million out of proposed school funding in order to protect the state surplus, Bauer knew his House Democrats wouldn't be thrilled to vote "yes," especially if they were going to be accused at election time of voting for big spending.

So, Bauer said amid final budget negotiations that House Democrats could be counted on for at least 25 of the 51 votes needed for passage, with Republicans needing to come up with the other 26 in order to make bipartisan passage certain.Then, Senate Republicans as well as Bauer were surprised with word that Daniels found the proposal unacceptable and would veto it if it passed. So, it didn't pass in the House. And there was no time left for negotiating anything else.

Bauer retains support of Democratic legislators by refusing to throw them off the Statehouse balcony on tough political issues, sometimes taking the heat himself for halting politically sensitive proposals. And he told Democratic representatives that they were free to vote as they pleased, no whipping into line.

The proposed budget failed in the House, 71-27, with all 27 "yes" votes from Democrats and all the Republicans just saying "no."

Now, a special session. If the governor really did want to force that in order to bash the legislators, especially Bauer, and seek to make himself look better, it could be working.

Editorialists known for praising Daniels for what they view as the best new ideas since sliced bread quickly began portraying Bauer as mixing dough so crusty that the slicer can't cut it.But in a news analysis in the Indianapolis Star, where Bauer often is savaged in editorials and cartoons, reporter Mary Beth Schneider told what happened in those final budget negotiations and noted the legislative issues on which the governor struck out.

Maybe he did want another chance to bat in a special session.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, and Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, told how Daniels kept them guessing on what he wanted in the budget and in a bottom-line surplus.

They thought they had met his surplus goal and given him tools to cut more if needed.

"Now we'll finally get a chance to find out what he wants," Kenley said. "We need to have the governor more actively engaged."Kenley said he found out that Daniels would veto the last proposal from the Democrats, even though Kenley calculated that it left Daniels with an original goal of a $1.3 billion surplus. Thus, Kenley cut the $100 million in school funding, providing a $1.4 billion surplus.

But the governor never did say what he wanted, Kenley related.

Bauer describes Kenley as "an honorable man" who was negotiating in good faith.

A budget is needed by the June 30 end of the fiscal year. Can there be good faith negotiations again, especially if Daniels is suspected of bad faith before?

A danger is that more than the budget will be up for grabs. A governor can't limit the subjects in a special session.Bauer worries that if there are additional proposals, such as taxes to bail out Indianapolis sports facilities, other areas of the state will insist on tacking on their own projects, even a casino.

Legislative leaders need to set an agenda limited to the budget and perhaps some real emergency matter, with the governor finally joining to make clear what he wants.

Visclosky cites glut of NWI subprime loans in call to Senate (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Visclosky cites glut of NWI subprime loans in call to Senate

By Marc Chase

A region congressman cited a glut of subprime loans in Northwest Indiana in his call to the U.S. Senate to approve legislation that would outlaw some of the high-risk lending practices.

In a legislative newsletter to his constituents this week, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., cited a recent Times investigation revealing that 4,984 subprime loans were originated in Lake and Porter counties in 2007. That accounted for about 22 percent of all originated home loans in the two counties that year, federal mortgage disclosure data shows.

The Time investigation revealed that neighborhoods with some of the highest concentration of subprime lending in 2007 are now inundated with foreclosed homes.

Economists and federal regulators have attributed the massive number of subprime loans nationwide for helping cause the current economic downturn and recession.

In his letter, Visclosky said he voted in favor of the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009, which now awaits Senate approval.

Among several provisions, the bill seeks to ensure lenders make loans that benefit the consumer and prohibit them from steering borrowers into higher-cost loans, Visclosky said.

"The bill would outlaw many of the egregious practices that marked the subprime lending booms, and it would prevent borrowers from deliberately misstating their income to qualify for a loan," Visclosky said.

IDEM should follow in the Fed’s footsteps (Gary Post-Tribune)

IDEM should follow in the Fed's footsteps

The New York Federal Reserve Bank recently handed over the meeting schedule of its former president, Timothy Geithner, who's now the secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

There was nothing terribly extraordinary about the list of visitors, phone calls and cell numbers -- except the implication that Geithner had seemingly close relationships with those he was supposed to oversee.

What is remarkable is how the openness stands in contrast to efforts at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to continue denying access to calendars and meeting records of its employees.

The Post-Tribune requested and sought an official opinion from the state public access counselor, who was compelled by precedent to deny the request.

Do IDEM officials think they must be more secretive than the New York office of the Federal Reserve Bank? Are they more important than them? Or do they have more to hide?

Consider that the Fed has long considered itself immune from the Freedom of Information Act. In fact, in releasing the records, its lawyer wrote that the bank "is not subject to FOIA, but attempts to comply with the spirit of FOIA when responding to requests such as yours."

The exact opposite is the case with IDEM. Officials and attorneys there have consistently fought openness and transparency.

And they have utterly failed to grasp a simple truth: The law says they "may" keep certain records closed. It does not require that it be so.

There seems to be little hope that IDEM will see the light -- or let the records bask in the sunshine.

Until then, we can only see Gov. Mitch Daniels' promise of transparency as hollow words.

Ind. bill would allow online voter registration (Associated Press)

Ind. bill would allow online voter registration

By Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Bills that would expand vote centers and allow online voter registration -- proposals supporters hope will make voting more convenient and could bring more people to the polls -- are on their way to the governor's desk after being approved by the General Assembly.

Secretary of State Todd Rokita, Indiana's chief election officer, said both concepts are 21st century changes that are past due.

"We use technology in every one of our other transactions in life," Rokita said. "For some reason, we're afraid to use technology in our most sacred civic transaction -- voting."

Gov. Mitch Daniels said this week that he hasn't yet looked at the election bills to determine whether he'll sign them into law.

One of the election bills would allow people with valid driver's licenses or state identification to file voter registration forms over the Internet. Currently, citizens can download registration applications online, but they must print and mail the forms.

Another bill would allow vote centers in Johnson County, which lost more than 400 voting machines in June flooding. Floodwaters climbed as high as six feet inside the office building where the electronic devices were stored.

"They were floating," said county Clerk Jill Jackson. "We opened them up and water just poured out of them."

Johnson County hopes to save up to $2 million if it becomes a vote center county, meaning residents there could vote at centralized locations spread around the county instead of at their individual precincts. The county would only need to buy an estimated 200 voting machines, Jackson said, and would further cut costs by using only about 150 poll workers instead of the more than 500 required under the current system.

"We really hope it saves the taxpayers a lot of money," Jackson said. "We're sure that it'll be more convenient."

Cass, Tippecanoe and Wayne counties already use vote centers as part of a state pilot program. Residents there can cast ballots at places like a church near their house, a downtown building on their lunch break or a supermarket before grocery shopping.

Rokita hopes lawmakers will eventually give all Indiana counties the option of using vote centers.

"While the General Assembly took another step forward in the evolution toward a more modern elections system, we are still only going to have vote centers in four counties," Rokita said. "We have 88 counties to go."

The bill would also require election officials to tell people casting provisional ballots -- often because they lack required identification or have a name that doesn't appear in the poll book -- why their ballot was treated as provisional and the steps they must take to have the ballot counted.

Rep. Kreg Battles, D-Vincennes, said voters who cast provisional ballots often don't know what to do next, and that the bill would help them make sure their votes count. People casting provisional ballots have 10 days after the election to present the proof that their vote should count.

But Rokita doesn't support part of the bill that would allow candidates and county political party chairmen to find out the names and addresses of people who cast provisional ballots. He said candidates could continue to hound voters for 10 days after the election.

"Where's the sense that the campaign is over?" Rokita said. "People should be left alone after the election."

The vote center bill could also prevent future partisan fights such as one last fall in Lake County over satellite voting locations. Current law requires county election boards to unanimously approve satellite vote centers, where people can cast absentee ballots before an election, but the bill would only require a majority of the board.

Lake County Republicans fought last year to close three early voting locations in Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, saying the Democrat-controlled election board had approved them in violation of state law. A special judge and the Indiana Court of Appeals said the centers could remain open.

Obama adds 2nd fundraiser to May 17 stop Downtown (Indianapolis Star)

Obama adds 2nd fundraiser to May 17 stop Downtown

By Vic Ryckaert

President Barack Obama will attend two fundraisers in Indianapolis on May 17, with tickets ranging from $250 a person to $15,000 a couple.

According to an Indiana Democratic Party statement, the first stop will be a Keep Indiana Blue event at 4 p.m. at the Westin, 50 S. Capitol Ave. It will raise money for four of the state's five Democratic House members: Reps. Andre Carson, Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill. Tickets are available for $250, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000.

The second fundraiser, also at the Westin, benefits the Democratic National Committee and is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., according to a Democratic Party source.

Tickets for that event are $15,000 per couple, the source said.

The fundraisers are scheduled on the same day Obama will deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame.

Mayor unveils series of housing programs (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Mayor unveils series of housing programs

Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette

Even in a depressed economy, Fort Wayne is seeing some interest in rehabbing its foreclosed homes.

Mayor Tom Henry Monday announced a host of programs the city offers to help strengthen the city's neighborhoods. The programs help improve abandoned homes, help people with down payments when buying homes and even help people prevent foreclosure.

"The heart of every city is the neighborhood," he said. "Fort Wayne's more established neighborhoods enjoy a sense of history and richness that is unique."

The city is using $7 million in federal money to entice private developers to rehab some of the thousands of foreclosed properties in the urban core. Heather Presley, deputy director of Community Development, said the city has 16 buyers interested in the program.

The city provides a developer with acquisition and rehab costs for a property. Then it is sold on the open market and the city recoups the sale price. If it sold for less than the city's costs, the extra amount is written off as a grant. The returning money is recycled into the program to use on more homes, she said.

Presley said the city focused the rest of its federal housing dollars on the neighborhood this year so all types of homeowners could benefit. The money will help someone repairing a roof or furnace, installing handrails for senior citizens or help landlords improve their rental properties.

For example, $700,000 is available for homeowner repairs, $350,000 for down payment assistance and $100,000 for mortgage foreclosure prevention.

The city asked people interested in the program to go to http://www.cityoffortwayne.org or call 427-1127.

Daniels’ legislative winning streak ends (Indianapolis Star)

Daniels' legislative winning streak ends

His major moves went nowhere; legislators say he offered no road map

By Mary Beth Schneider

Gov. Mitch Daniels, known for hitting legislative home runs in his first four years in office, struck out this year.

He didn't get any of the local government reforms he sought. Lawmakers failed to pass a budget -- and even if they had, it wasn't the budget he wanted. And his one parameter for an unemployment compensation fix -- cuts in benefits -- isn't in the bill legislators passed.

Daniels, who in his first term liked to punctuate each legislative season with a scorecard showing his wins, didn't bother Thursday when he met with reporters to reflect on the session's carnage.

Asked about what he'd accomplished this session, Daniels said: "Well, we had the school discipline bill."

That relatively minor bill, aimed at protecting teachers from frivolous lawsuits, hardly compares with the kind of success Daniels is used to, including the "Major Moves" Indiana Toll Road lease in 2006 and property tax reforms last year. Which is why Daniels immediately added that he didn't "quarrel" with the poor assessment of this year's session.

Some of it was beyond his control. Instead of sweeping policies, this was a year dominated by the budget, and, thus, the economy. It's also easier -- and politically safer -- to champion cutting property taxes than cutting education funding.

Although Daniels didn't really sell his local government reforms to lawmakers and the public until they were being watered down -- if not outright killed -- by his fellow Republicans in the Senate, the Democrats who control the House made it clear they were dead on arrival anyway.

House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, also insisted from the get-go that the House wasn't going to take up another of Daniels' priorities: putting property tax caps already in law into the constitution.

Still, some of the governor's losses this session seem to be a result of Daniels -- who in past sessions laid out very specific proposals and demanded bold action from lawmakers -- staying on the bench.

He never put out a plan to fix unemployment insurance. He didn't get involved in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bail out the Capital Improvement Board, which runs Marion County's professional sports and convention venues.

"He was missing in action on UI. He was missing in action in the CIB bailout. And he was a moving target on the budget," said Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Ellettsville.

What happened with the budget -- and that depends greatly on whom you ask -- might best illustrate where Daniels came up short this session. But it remains the governor's best bet at redemption.

Ed Feigenbaum, publisher of the Indiana Legislative Insight political newsletter, said that "what surprised me was that he didn't use his incredibly strong popularity from the election, his mandate and his continuing popularity to push (his agenda) or even to push a budget."

"He did not make himself particularly clear on the budget early on, nor even late in the process," Feigenbaum said.

During these stark economic times, he said, a case could be made that "this was a particularly appropriate occasion for a governor to literally lay down the law and say, 'Hey, look, this is all the state can tolerate in terms of spending . . . and I will veto anything that doesn't meet this.' "

Now, Daniels will have to call legislators into special session to pass a budget before the fiscal year ends June 30.

This time, Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, R-Fort Wayne, and Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said Daniels should put his own budget proposal on the table, or at least go through the final GOP proposal that was shot down and say what is acceptable and what is not.

"Now we'll finally get a chance to find out what he wants," Kenley said. "We need to have the governor more actively engaged."

Daniels made some initial proposals for a budget -- freeze K-12 education funding, cut higher education funding, eliminate some programs and leave intact the current reserve of $1.3 billion. But even his fellow Republicans negotiating the budget say he left them guessing in the final critical hours about exactly how much spending, and how much reserves, he wanted.

Kenley knew Daniels would veto the last budget proposal from the Democrats, even though it left intact Daniels' original goal of a $1.3 billion surplus, thinking it still spent too much and tied his hands to make cuts. So Kenley went back to the drawing board to develop a plan that would cut an additional $100 million in school funding.

Less certain was what the governor would sign.

Daniels, Kenley said, never did say exactly what he wanted.

"He'd say, 'I'm uncomfortable with this' or 'I'm uncomfortable with that' or 'I need more this' or 'We're not being realistic,' " Kenley recalled. "He did say in at least one of the meetings that he'd veto (a budget) with $1.3 (billion in reserves). But he never exactly said he'd veto the $1.4 (billion).

"I was reading this the way I wanted, maybe," he said, "but I felt like he'd agreed that if we got to that number, we'd be OK."

Daniels' office argues that the final GOP budget proposal actually reduced reserves to $1.2 billion. But Kenley said he was surprised when he learned about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday -- less than four hours before the midnight deadline -- that Daniels was rejecting the proposal.

"I knew there was things he was still unhappy with, but I thought from the tone of everything that we'd done a pretty good job, and we'd gotten there" with a final budget proposal that cut school spending by $105 million and left what Kenley believes is $1.35 billion in the bank.

Long, the Republican Senate leader, also said he thought they had met Daniels' chief goals and given him the tools to cut further if needed.

But, like Kenley, he said Daniels never laid down a specific budget number.

"The actual number (of budget spending and reserves) the governor could sign was in the eye of the beholder, in my opinion," Long said. "What the governor always said was, 'Get me something I can sign. We need to spend less.' We thought we did that."

Daniels argued that he was very clear and said he had "no idea" why legislators thought he'd sign a budget just because it gave him $1.4 billion in reserves. He said he was "baffled" by the disconnect between what he was saying and what lawmakers were hearing.

But he admits: "I never picked any number for an exact ending point, except I would like (reserves) to be not smaller than it is today. Never picked a number like $100 million. Sure, it would have been at least a good start on the problem. Certainly never said where it should come from, education or somewhere else."

Asked to assess his performance and whether he shares any blame for the session's dismal results, Daniels said: "Maybe I should have used stronger language, but I was trying to be accommodating and respectful of legislative prerogatives."

He said, "I'm happy to be written down on the short end of things if we get to a result that is in the public interests of Indiana."

John Hammond, an attorney and lobbyist who was an aide to Gov. Robert Orr, a Republican who had three special sessions during his time in office, said Daniels might not have gotten what he wanted in the session that ended last week, but governors generally dominate special sessions.

"It's public perception that something didn't go right with the legislature," Hammond said, "and it's the governor that's got to go in and clean it up."

Pat Kiely, a former Republican lawmaker who is president of the Indiana Manufacturers Association, agreed, saying it's too early to pronounce Daniels the loser of this session.

"The session," he said, "is usually judged by the last press release, and not the first one."
Additional Facts
DANIELS' LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD

2005
» Won: Passage of daylight saving time; a new inspector general position; economic development initiatives; personally negotiated a financing package for a new stadium for the Indianapolis Colts; and passed a budget.

» Lost: Request for a temporary 1 percent income tax surcharge on higher earners to balance the state's finances more quickly.

2006
» Won: Passage of his "Major Moves" program, leasing the Indiana Toll Road for $3.8 billion to raise money for infrastructure projects.

» Lost: Request for higher cigarette taxes to cut down on smoking, particularly by young people.

2007
» Won: Cigarette tax increase that funded a new state health insurance program for those who have gone without insurance; full-day kindergarten programs; and passage of a $550 million property tax relief package.

» Lost: Bids to privatize the lottery and to build two new privately run tolled bypasses, one around Marion County and one in Northwest Indiana.

2008
» Won: His only major agenda item: a property tax reform package that raised the sales tax by a penny to provide immediate budget relief, plus long-term relief measures including caps on homeowners' property taxes at 1 percent of assessed valuation, with rental property capped at 2 percent and business at 3 percent; also won the first of two required votes by the legislature to clear the way for the public to vote to put those caps in the Indiana Constitution.

2009
» Won: School discipline bill to give teachers more protections from frivolous lawsuits.

» Lost: Proposals to reform local government, including creating a single county executive and eliminating township government, and merging libraries and the administrations of smaller school districts. Failed to get the second required vote on putting property tax caps into the constitution or a budget he could sign.

GOP closing tent at its own peril (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

GOP closing tent at its own peril
Sylvia A. Smith

WASHINGTON - Most Americans change their religious affiliations at least once in their lives, generally without being called names or having their integrity impugned.

Not so in politics.

The decision last week by Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania to become a Democrat some 40 years after he left the Democratic Party to become a Republican is a betrayal (Club for Growth), pure political opportunism (Indiana GOP Chairman Murray Clark), a defection (national GOP Chairman Michael Steele).

Specter's party change brings Democrats closer to the 60 votes they need to choke off a GOP filibuster but doesn't guarantee it. (Specter has already said he won't vote for a bill to make unionization easier or for one of President Obama's nominees who's proving controversial.)

Besides, the magical 60 votes is achieved only if both independents vote with the Democratic caucus, the Minnesota election is finally resolved in favor of the Democrat, and the three most conservative Senate Dems - Evan Bayh, Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu - don't bolt.

However, the filibuster-stopping 60 is now possible without any Republican support, and that's what so frustrates the GOP into labeling Specter a traitor.

There's no question that one of the GOP's complaints about Specter's switcheroo is correct: Facing almost certain defeat in the 2010 Pennsylvania GOP primary, Specter jumped to the Democratic side of the ballot to save his political skin.

But Republicans were their own worst enemy in Specter's case, and a Hoosier was a central player in pushing Specter to add to the Democrats' Senate majority.

Here's the background: Specter was nearly defeated in Pennsylvania's 2004 GOP primary, and the same opponent - Pat Toomey - looked sure to beat Specter in a rematch next year.

Toomey is from the wing of the Republican Party that has neither "pragmatism" nor "big tent" in its diction-ary.

Even before Specter switched parties, Chris Chocola, a former two-term congressman from South Bend, has been leading the charge against Specter, calling him a Republican in Name Only and asking the GOP faithful to contribute money to Toomey's campaign.

Typical of Chocola's messages to Club for Growth members: "It's clear that Keystone State Republicans are upset with Specter over his multiple defections to the left."

So I guess Specter showed Chocola.

What Republicans like Chocola and Toomey are doing is shrinking the GOP by demanding a philosophical purity that is not matched in American society. Specter's ability to be (for instance) for both abortion rights and less stringent gun laws is indicative of how most of us are neither radical conservatives nor all-or-nothing liberals.

(Imagine what they might say about Sen. Richard Lugar, who supports trade with Cuba, some gun control legislation, many programs that benefit children, and who has shown he won't block Obama appointees whose only "sin" is that they are Democrats, not Republicans. Will they call Lugar a RINO?)

Meanwhile, many independents and Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to Democratic last year to vote in the hotly contested Obama-Clinton primary. Unlike Hoosiers, voters in Pennsylvania must register as a member of a party ahead of time and may only vote in that party's primary.

Thus, the number of people who will vote in the Republican primary has been reduced, and the likeliest Specter supporters are the likeliest to have switched their party affiliation last year.

What's left in the Pennsylvania Republican Party is a higher concentration of super-conservatives. That bodes well for Toomey (and not so well for Specter), but it does nothing to capture the independents or conservative Democrats who will decide the state's Senate race.

The Club for Growth demand for purity is emblematic of the wrestling going on in the GOP nationwide. Do they want to be narrow and ideological pure, or do they want to find room in their ranks for moderates like Specter?

Sen. Lindsay Graham - fierce partisan and pretty darn conservative - urges a more pragmatic approach:

"If we pursue a party that has no place for someone who agrees with me 70 percent of the time, that is based on an ideological purity test rather than a coalition test," he told the New York Times, "then we are going to keep losing."

Graham was referring to losing elections, but his caution applies just as well to moderate Republicans, whether they are senators or voters.

ND controversy deserves answers (South Bend Tribune)

ND controversy deserves answers
By JACK COLWELL

With a picture of a fetus flying high above campus and threats to create a political mud pit down below, let's ponder some questions about the May 17 commencement at the University of Notre Dame.

Q. Will President Obama still come to deliver the commencement address?

A. Of course, barring some national or international crisis that would force a president to cancel every planned event. Neither he nor Notre Dame wants the negative image of surrendering to protesters.

Q. Will Obama be welcomed by the graduates?

A. Yes, overwhelmingly so. Most graduating students are delighted to have a commencement speaker they will remember, not some cardinal, diplomat or corporate donor they never heard of and whose name they won't even recall in a couple of years. Not all of them voted for Obama, although results of the mock student election last fall indicate that a majority probably did.Q. But isn't there student opposition to Obama coming because of his pro-choice views on abortion?

A. Yes. ND Response, a coalition of student groups opposed to Obama, ran a full-page ad in The Observer, the student newspaper, saying that the Catholic Church "identifies abortion as an intrinsic moral evil" and that having Obama as commencement speaker "honors the whole person, not a narrowly designated subset of his views."

Q. So, will these ND Response students join in the promised effort to make the campus a "political mud pit" and turn commencement into "a circus," with disruptive demonstrations?

A. No. Those threats come from Randall Terry, the professional protester in town to seek publicity and funds for his cause, which he says is "pro-life." Student spokesmen for ND Response have made clear they don't welcome Terry and don't want commencement ruined by mud or circus acts. They and others who want a serious appeal that promotes rather than cheapens the pro-life cause resent the antics of Terry and groups such as the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform that arranged for a plane to fly over campus, pulling a banner with a large picture of a fetus.

Q. How large is opposition on campus?A. The Observer, deluged by letters to the editor, found that three-fourths of letters from students support the invitation. Support among graduating seniors was even higher. I teach a class at Notre Dame. This I cite to reveal that I have an interest in the welfare of the university and its students and to provide a basis for this observation: Opposition among students and faculty to hearing the president appears to be scant, even among those who did not vote for Obama.

Q. Why did the Rev. John Jenkins, the university president, invite Obama? Didn't he know there would be controversy?

A. He was following in the Notre Dame tradition, furthered by the Rev. Ted Hesburgh, legendary president emeritus, to invite presidents of the United States, no matter the political party or political philosophy. Jenkins knew of course that there would be controversy. He certainly knew that Bishop John D'Arcy, frequent critic of the Notre Dame administration and students, would be unhappy. He also knew that some other bishops would think it improper for a Catholic university to "honor" Obama in view of differences over the abortion issue. Jenkins, however, probably didn't expect the "mud pit" variety of protest.

Q. Is the honorary degree Obama will receive the main reason for opposition?

A. No. If Obama were getting no honorary degree, there would still be protest over his speaking at commencement. An honorary degree means nothing academically. It's often a fundraising tool, going to major donors or those a university hopes to turn into major donors. Commencement speakers, great or small, traditionally get honorary degrees. Obama is likely to receive hundreds.Q. For what will Obama be praised in the honorary degree citation?

A. Well, it won't be for his views on abortion. An achievement likely to be cited is attaining the presidency, the first African American to do so.

Q. Will protests be disruptive? Violent?

A. Could be both, but with outsiders bringing that about. If they can't do something to capture headlines away from what Obama says, they will regard their efforts as a failure. They will try their best -- their worst.

Did Daniels give mixed messages during session? (Associated Press)

Did Daniels give mixed messages during session?

By Mike Smith, AP Political Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Three days before the legislative session was to end, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said one way to avoid an overtime was for a governor to be clear about what he could and could not accept in a new state budget.

He said budget plans passed by House Democrats and Senate Republicans were not acceptable because they spent too much and were built on revenue assumptions that were turning out to be wrong.

But some legislative leaders say Daniels was either never clear or had a moving target about what bottom line he could accept.

The disconnect between Daniels and leaders of the Democrat-controlled House and Republican-ruled Senate was evident as time ran out on the regular session without a two-year budget being approved. Now a special session will be needed to pass one, and lawmakers say they still aren't clear how much surplus the governor wants at the end of the next two-year budget cycle.

"The actual number the governor could sign is in the eye of the beholder, in my opinion," said Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said Tuesday -- the day before the session ended -- that he had strong assurances from Daniels that he would sign a budget if it would leave the state with a $1.4 billion surplus.

So Kenley said Senate Republicans drew up a new proposal that cut $100 million from proposed increases for schools to pad the future surplus to $1.4 billion. The next day -- the final day of the session -- Kenley said the governor indicated he might be able to sign it.

But several hours later, as the session drew to a close, Kenley said he was getting mixed signals from the administration.

House Democrats were irked that the Senate Republican plan would cut $100 million in school spending, but they put the Senate Republican version of a budget bill up for a vote anyway less than an hour before the session deadline.

Democrat leaders knew it was doomed: Many of their members were sure to vote against it, and they were unlikely to get any votes from House Republicans who said the plan spent too much. But Democrats' attitude was that it was a plan largely drafted by Senate Republicans and met the $1.4 billion surplus figure they said Daniels had set.

House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Daniels did not get seriously engaged in the budget negotiations until the last few days, had a moving target for a budget surplus, and that House Republicans were going to vote against any budget bill.

"They were 'no' all the way through on any budget," Bauer said of House Republicans. "That's the caucus of no over there, led by the nowhere man (Daniels). He was nowhere."

House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said Daniels did set clear parameters for the budget and told Bosma on the afternoon before the budget plan was voted on that he could not accept it.

"I suspect the other leaders knew exactly where the governor stood," Bosma said.

Daniels said he gave legislative leaders a list of things he could accept in a budget, but not one of the items was in the final plan. When asked, Daniels said he wouldn't provide the list to reporters.

"I've already described it," he said. "It could have been real adjustments in the spending line of almost any kind the Legislature preferred, and/or the tools governors have had for decades," he said.

Daniels said what he got instead was a plan for more spending and limited "tools" to cut spending on his own.

But Daniels said he never picked an exact ending point for a surplus, only that it not be smaller than today, which at last count was $1.3 billion. He did say that tax collections in April were $200 million below a revised fiscal forecast issued earlier in April and could end up $400 million below predictions by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

Daniels said it didn't matter that the budget plan that was voted on did not clear both chambers because he would have vetoed it anyway.

But could he have avoided a special session by being more precise a little earlier?

If he was clear, why not let the public know exactly what he told lawmakers he could or could not accept?

Long may have summed it up best.

"I'll be honest with you," he said. "I think it's subject to interpretation about how clear people were."

That's not good in the final days of a session when lawmakers are trying to pass a budget.

Senator’s defection rings alarm for reeling Republicans (Richmond Palladium-Item)

Senator's defection rings alarm for reeling Republicans

The national Republican Party has reached an important crossroads, as political parties from time to time do.

Sen. Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic Party should carry some alarm for a party that hopes to play a serious role in shaping national policy, if only by being powerful enough to attain compromise that is so often in the nation's best interests.

Now, admittedly, Specter has a record of being laughably unreliably on the issues many Republicans hold dear: health care, taxes, spending. So unreliable, in fact, that the 79-year-old long-time senator trailed former House member Pat Toomey, who would have been his GOP primary opponent in 2010, by a startling 21 points in the latest polling.

Making the switch to the Democratic Party might be Specter's best, if scant, hope for retaining his Senate seat, with the chairmanship opportunities and other perks and pork that can befall one gaining favor and finding himself suddenly in a majority post.

But the issue here is bigger than Arlen Specter or even Pennsylvania's great fortune as the result of a political defection.

The issue, for those champions of a strong two-party system and the better public policy usually generated by way of compromise, should be the veto-proof, 60-member majority Democrats now enjoy with such critical issues as national health care looming. This should be of concern to those -- newspapers most clearly among them -- who advocate less for Republican or Democratic policy positions as for the art of statecraft and the kind of compromise central to a nation's more moderate policy actions.

"Great innovations," Thomas Jefferson said, "should not be forced on slender majorities."

But Republicans are, to be sure, mostly to blame for the current sorry state of affairs and what could be further losses in the days ahead. The party's ideology, its political litmus test, has proven overly constricting and non-inclusive. It has been shedding congressional seats in recent elections as its most strident "voices" in and out of elective office embrace a host of social qualifiers that have divided more than united not just the party, but the nation.

This is a party that has rejected the optimism, leadership and inclusiveness of a Ronald Reagan over a relatively short time and should be haunted by the former president's own admonitions:

"We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only 'litmus test' of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty. ... As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement."

Republicans are at risk of even more defections -- prominent moderate senators like Olympia Snowe of Maine who, writing in an op-ed piece this week in The New York Times, laments that in recent years "Republicans turned a blind eye to the iceberg under the surface, failing to undertake the re-evaluation of our inclusiveness as a party that could have forestalled many of the losses we have suffered."

Conviction is a critical thing to a party. It is the basis for its appeal, its popular draw.

But, as the conservative Wall Street Journal notes editorially, "A minority party that wants to become a majority needs convictions, but it also needs coalition builders."

It needs, that is, Snowe's call for "an expansion of diversity within the party as a triumph that will broaden our appeal."

AmeriCorps growth good for the country (Gary Post-Tribune)

AmeriCorps growth good for the country

A great way to give to America is to give to its people.

That's the laudable goal of the bill President Obama signed recently, tripling the size of AmeriCorps. The legislation increases the program to $5.7 billion over the next eight years and allows young people to earn college tuition while helping others.

The nation has veered away from the mantra of President Kennedy, who memorably challenged Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."

At that time, Kennedy created the Peace Corps, which sent Americans abroad in the midst of the Cold War to share with the world our greatest asset: our people.

President Clinton brought that idea home, introducing AmeriCorps. Since 1994, nearly half a million Americans have helped other Americans.

The purpose is twofold: Those who volunteer earn college tuition credit, and they learn to use their talents in helping other Americans.

They help kids read, they clean up parks, they mentor teenagers, they weatherize homes of the elderly and poor.

These are real and tangible gifts we can share with our fellow human beings.

And now that there's no longer a mandatory draft, it's a good way of teaching young people that sacrifice for one's country is a valuable way to start adulthood in the United States.

At the same time, an increase in money means additional potential for abuse and fraud.

With extra money should come extra scrutiny of programs, from both inside and outside the agency.

Those who oversee the program must understand that anything that could do this much good needs to hold itself to higher standards than other programs.

NWI lawmaker backs DREAM Act (Times of Northwest Indiana)

NWI lawmaker backs DREAM Act

By Patrick Guinane

INDIANAPOLIS | State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, and a handful of her colleagues are calling on Congress to create a clearer path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., has introduced federal legislation that would extend six years of temporary residency to immigrant children who plan to attend college or enlist in the military after graduating high school. To remain in the country -- and on the path to citizenship -- they would have to earn an associate degree or complete two years of military service.

"It's not a free pass," Candelaria Reardon said Wednesday at a Statehouse news conference. "It's about doing the right thing."

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors -- or DREAM -- Act, is similar to measures introduced in past sessions of Congress. The proposed law would affirm state rights to extend in-state college tuition rates to the immigrant children who came to the United States before age 16.

"This is for the little kids," said Javier Cerdantes, a Mexican immigrant who said he will graduate from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis next month. "They don't tell you they want to be a doctor or a lawyer. They just want to be documented."

Ellsworth requests security funds (Evansville Courier & Press)

Ellsworth requests security funds
Civic Center earmark worth $200,000

By Thomas B. Langhorne

A proposal for a security upgrade at the Civic Center in Evansville - including two checkpoints similar to those used at the courthouse - has gotten a boost from Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind.

Vanderburgh County Commissioners Troy Tornatta and Lloyd Winnecke say Ellsworth's office has informed the county he will seek $200,000 in 2010 federal earmark money to pay for security checkpoints at the Civic Center administration building's front and rear plaza public entrances.

The checkpoints would be supplemented by inner and outer cameras and electronic keys with which employees could use nonpublic entrances.

The courthouse and juvenile courts already have security checkpoints at which individuals must remove their belts and pass them and other personal items through X-ray machines. Officers say they find pocketknives, box cutters and other weapons daily.

But anyone may walk unimpeded into the administrative building, which is usually protected by one unarmed security guard.

Ellsworth does not discuss or even acknowledge his federal earmark requests until they get funded, but his spokeswoman, Liz Farrar, said he submitted requests to the House Appropriations Committee this month.

"We should have a general idea (about whether they will be funded) later this summer, when the House first considers the appropriations bills, and ideally, we'll know for sure what will be funded in September," Farrar said.

That timeline dovetails with the annual county budget process.

Many local government agencies and offices of elected officials have "panic buttons" that send alarms to the Evansville Police Department, security guards and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Authority, which owns the Civic Center complex, The Centre and the jail.

But county officials have made it clear they don't think that's enough to protect Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, whose office is in the Civic Center, and local government workers in offices where residents pay property tax bills and citations and contest assess-ments.

In their Feb. 26 letter to Ellsworth and Indiana's U.S. senators requesting earmark money for the Civic Center security upgrade and other projects, the County Commissioners said "certain minimal security screening features" are needed.

County officials have been discussing the proposed security upgrade and how to pay for it for months.

Before he left office in January, then-County Commissioners President Jeff Korb pointed to the Columbine High School massacre, the February 2008 deadly shooting spree at a Kirkwood, Mo., City Council meeting and the June shootings at Atlantis Plastics in Henderson, Ky.

"All of us are in agreement something needs to be done because of past incidences in other communities," Korb said.

Buying and installing the necessary equipment would cost about $144,000, according to an estimate produced by the Building Authority. If the earmark request isn't funded, one possibility is paying that tab from a Building Authority contingency fund for building necessities.

"You can't get your hopes up too much about the earmark, but I'm glad (Ellsworth) thought enough of the project to forward it on," said Dave Rector, general manager of the Building Authority. "You never know how those things are going to turn out."

Evansville lawmaker wins one for little guy (Evansville Courier & Press)

Evansville lawmaker wins one for little guy

By Eric Bradner

INDIANAPOLIS - INDIANAPOLIS - A freshman lawmaker from Evansville notched her first major legislative victory last week when a bill aimed at protecting Hoosiers from mortgage fraud won final passage in both the state House and Senate.

Democratic Rep. Gail Riecken said House Bill 1176 "greatly increases transparency, oversight and forms of recourse that wronged homeowners can take against unscrupulous lenders."

Riecken worked with the attorney general's office and from her post as the No. 2 member of the House Financial Institutions Committee to shepherd the bill through this year.

Among its measures, the bill would:

n Make it a class A misdemeanor to bribe or coerce an appraiser to inflate a home's value, punishable by up to a year in jail as well as civil penalties

n Require foreclosure consultant services to keep their records for at least three years

n Require lenders to notify customers being foreclosed upon that they have the right to inspect closing documents at least 24 hours before the closing date.

For much of the session Riecken's bill was a moving target, and it ended up including some foreclosure reform measures that lawmakers had discussed in other bills.

Attorney General Greg Zoeller, a Republican, cheered the passage of Riecken's foreclosure bill. Zoeller said the bill will "halt some of the abuses of the mortgage system that fueled the foreclosure crisis and led to an epidemic of empty homes."

He said the bill, which Gov. Mitch Daniels could sign into law this week, will give his office "more authority to sue violators for deceptive consumer acts."

Other bills that cleared the Legislature and headed to Daniels' desk include:

n Legislation that increases prison sentences for those convicted of killing a pregnant mother's unborn child. The sentence for feticide would increase from six years to 20 years under Senate Bill 236.

n Parkinson's disease would be added to the list of possible line-of-duty disabilities for police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service workers under Senate Bill 376. Currently, only cancer, heart disease and lung disease are presumed to have been incurred in line-of-duty accidents.

n Silver Alerts, a variation of the Amber Alert system for missing children, would notify police and broadcasting stations of senior citizens who wander away from their homes or caretakers under Senate Bill 307.

State lawmakers now enter the final 72 hours of this year's session. They face two tasks they call musts - passing the budget and fixing the bankrupt unemployment insurance fund.

If they don't complete those two tasks before the midnight Wednesday deadline for adjournment, they face entering a special "overtime" session.

Self-serving interlopers are not ND (South Bend Tribune)

Self-serving interlopers are not ND

By JACK COLWELL

They're coming out of the woodwork at Notre Dame. They aren't from Notre Dame, but at Notre Dame, and their creepy, crawly appearance hurts the pro-life cause they say they support.

Like termites, however, they eat away, achieving their own goals, not caring what damage they cause.

I'm talking about the likes of Randall Terry, the serial law breaker who seeks to turn the May 17 commencement into a "political mud pit," and Alan Keyes, the serial election loser who calls the commencement speaker "a radical communist" and warns: "We are either going to stop him or the United States of America is going to cease to exist."

They hear the words of Jesus:

"Let us who have sinned so much cast the first stone."Not what Jesus said? Right. But it must be what they hear.

My purpose is not to list all the nasty and outrageous things these outsiders have said and done before coming to South Bend to cast stones.

But I want to make clear that their tactics for disrupting commencement are not supported by Notre Dame students or faculty or by people around here like Bishop John D'Arcy who support the pro-life cause on abortion.

Because some student groups criticize the invitation to President Obama to be commencement speaker -- one of only three commencement invitations he accepted -- and their comments are reported widely in the news media, there could be a false impression that the campus is rising up in support of Terry and Keyes.

Well, here are some facts.Jeff Tisak, a football player who is demonstrations/protest co-chairman for ND Response, a coalition of student groups opposed to an honorary degree for Obama, said in a letter last week to The Observer, the student newspaper, that Response has neither invited nor endorsed outside protesters. He also referred directly to Terry's threat: "We will make this a circus."

Tisak wrote:

"We are motivated by love of our university and have no desire to turn commencement weekend -- or the weeks leading up to it -- into a 'circus' of any kind. We are not agents of any outside organization. We are ND.

"As such, we will act ... in a respectful and mature manner. We will not tolerate any other behavior on our campus.

"Anyone who wants to turn our beloved university into a circus will merely end up looking like a clown. We are a serious organization; clowns have no place here."The Observer reported earlier that letters from students were running 73 percent in favor of the invitation to Obama -- 97 percent support among seniors, the graduates at commencement.

Letters from alumni were only 30 percent supportive. That could drop even more as Terry and company continue to solicit letters and money from alumni.

It's not surprising that there is majority support on campus for Obama's appearance. He won the mock student election handily last fall. Also, graduates welcome a prominent speaker, not somebody whose name they won't even recall a decade from now.

While outsiders call for firing the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame president, he received an ovation at a campus town hall meeting celebrating 60 years of black student-athletes at Notre Dame when he said:

"President Obama clearly could have chosen any university in the country to give a commencement address, and they would have been just delighted to have him, but he's coming to Notre Dame, and we're exceptionally proud."Faculty demand for commencement tickets is unprecedented, so high that a lottery was turned to in various departments to determine attendees.

Pro-life cause supporters who sincerely seek to change views rather than just attract publicity know that screaming "baby killer," displaying bloody images or creating a political mud pit won't bring useful dialogue.

Thus, Bishop D'Arcy, though staying away from commencement because of disagreement with Obama, also has urged "all Catholics and others of good will to stay away from unseemly and unhelpful demonstrations against our nation's president or Notre Dame" or Father Jenkins.

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, the 2007 commencement speaker, sees Obama's selection of Notre Dame as honoring the university and Father Ted Hesburgh, Notre Dame president emeritus, "the man who shepherded the U.S. civil rights movement into law 45 years ago."

Not all will agree.But virtually all on campus agree that any show of disagreement should be respectful and peaceful, not of mud-pit, circus or violent style.

Most important in all this are the graduates. Commencement is for them. They are ND. Those who will crawl back into the woodwork whence they came are not.

NWI labor rallies against unemployment benefit cuts (Times of Northwest Indiana)

NWI labor rallies against unemployment benefit cuts

By Patrick Guinane

INDIANAPOLIS | A chant of "No more benefit cuts" roared through the Statehouse Monday morning as thousands of union construction workers rallied against a Republican plan to fix Indiana's bankrupt unemployment system.

The GOP plan calls for reclassifying construction and manufacturing workers as seasonal employees, meaning they could not collect unemployment during off-season layoffs. Democrats pledged to block the proposal.

"You worked too hard, and you earned those benefits," said House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend. "And you will keep those benefits."

Dale Johnsen, a Merrillville bricklayer and board member of the Indiana State Building and Construction Trades Council, said organizers rented 82 buses to carry tradesmen to the Capitol. Thirty-nine of those buses left from Northwest Indiana early this morning.

A crowd of more than 1,000 gathered in the Statehouse atrium for the hour-long rally. At one point the state fire marshal interrupted to ask the crowd to clear the adjacent stairways.

Johnsen said organizers hoped to draw a crowd of 5,000 and may have exceeded their goal. No official count was immediately available.

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels has said Indiana cannot afford to maintain its "Rolls Royce" unemployment benefits without imposing "job-killing" tax hikes on employers.

"I would say that's kind of insulting. Isn't it?" said Lake County Councilman Ted Bilski, a Teamster who brought his 16-year-old son to the rally. "Maybe (the governor) wouldn't have that opinion if he were out of work."

Indiana's unemployment fund went broke in December, after eight years of deficits sparked by legislative decisions to cut employer taxes while raising worker benefits. The state continues to pay out unemployment checks, however, having borrowed more than $725 million from the federal government.

ND group backs Obama invitation (South Bend Tribune)

ND group backs Obama invitation
ND faculty senate praises decision to stand for academic freedom.

By MARGARET FOSMOE Tribune Staff Writer

The American Association of University Professors has issued a statement applauding the University of Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, for standing firm in his decision to invite President Barack Obama as this year's commencement speaker.

And Notre Dame's faculty senate, an elected body, adopted a resolution supporting Jenkins' decision to invite Obama and present him with an honorary degree.

AAUP praises Jenkins "for exemplifying by his actions the words of his predecessor, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, who stated unequivocally that 'the Catholic university must have true autonomy and academic freedom in the face of authority of whatever kind, lay or clerical, external to the academic community itself,'" said the written statement released Thursday.

That is not an actual quotation from Hesburgh, but rather taken from the 1967 Land O'Lakes Conference, an event that Hesburgh -- then Notre Dame's president -- called and led.

Note Dame's administration in 1967 hosted a gathering at Land O'Lakes, Wis., that produced a famous position paper, "On the Nature of the Contemporary Catholic University," stressing intellectual autonomy and academic freedom. The quotation is from that document.The statement was signed by 26 prominent Catholics (mainly administrators of Catholic colleges and universities), and later adopted by the International Federation of Catholic Universities.

Notre Dame is facing criticism for its invitation to Obama, who favors abortion rights and stem-cell research.

Hesburgh, 91, Notre Dame's president emeritus since 1987, has not spoken publicly about the Obama commencement controversy. Hesburgh's office said last week he is not available for an interview.

"The opportunity to be confronted with diverse opinions is at the core of academic freedom, which is vital to a free society and a quality education," the AAUP statement reads.

AAUP wanted to praise and highlight Notre Dame's decision to stand strong for academic freedom, said Gary Rhoades, AAUP's general secretary, in a telephone interview.Each year, there are incidents of colleges being pressured to withdraw invitations to some commencement speakers, said Rhoades, previously a professor of higher education at the University of Arizona.

AAUP notes a number of recent incidents of groups trying to prevent various speakers from addressing campus audiences, including biologist Richard Dawkins, education professor William Ayers, political scientist Norman Finkelstein and Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu.

Read the full statement at: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/ newsroom/2009PRS/outsidespeak423.htm.

At least 53 Notre Dame professors have signed a similar statement issued by the Indiana Conference of AAUP.

Notre Dame's faculty senate met last week to vote on a resolution backing Jenkins' decision to invite Obama. The senate is an elected body of about 45 faculty members."The Faculty Senate supports the decision of Fr. Jenkins to invite President Barack Obama to deliver this year's commencement address and to bestow upon him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree," the resolution states.

The senate adopted the measure nearly unanimously -- with only one vote against it -- after 90 minutes of debate, said Thomas Gresik, faculty senate chair and an economics professor.

The invitation and honor reflect the university's "tradition of honoring our nation's leaders and encouraging dialogue with them on issues important to the extended University community and to the nation," the resolution states.

"The Faculty Senate recognizes that President Obama holds positions that are consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and positions that are inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and respects both those in the University community who support and those who oppose President Obama's visit for reasons of faith or conscience," it states.

The senate statement requests that outside groups planning to use commencement to advance their positions instead find some other venue to convey their opinions to Obama or the university.

Daniels needs a late rally to salvage legislative agenda (Indianapolis Star)

Daniels needs a late rally to salvage legislative agenda (Matthew Tully)

During his State of the State address on Jan. 13, just as the General Assembly session was starting, Gov. Mitch Daniels laid out his wide-ranging legislative agenda.

He described it with words such as "momentous" and "historic" and said his proposals offered state lawmakers a "huge opportunity."

"Let's move forward together, and boldly," Daniels said. "The only motion out of order is no motion at all."

As lawmakers listened, the governor asked them to pass a two-year state budget with tight spending constraints. He touted a bill to increase spending on classroom activities. He urged the legislature to vote on a resolution to put property tax caps in the state constitution and said it should move swiftly on a sweeping proposal to restructure and reform local government.

But more than three months later, Daniels' agenda is in tatters. He has sharply criticized as bloated the budget bills coming out of the Democrat-controlled House and the Republican-run Senate. His "dollars to the classroom" plan has failed so far. House Speaker Pat Bauer -- whom Daniels called "the one vote that counts" -- blocked the property tax and government reform efforts.

So far, the only major item on Daniels' State of the State wish list to see success is a school-discipline bill that gives teachers more protection from lawsuits. But even one of the governor's fellow Republicans, Rep. Mike Murphy of Indianapolis, downplayed that bill, saying it "is not the biggest thing since sliced bread."

No doubt, it's been a rough session for Daniels, the state's top politician and, based on last year's election results, a rather popular fellow. And although he has taken his share of legislative lumps in past years, it's never been this bad. You might say his agenda has been car-bombed.

So what's going on?

"Clearly, the speaker's agenda is to make Governor Daniels look like a failure," Murphy said. "He couldn't do it through the elections, so the fallback is to do it through stonewalling."

The problem with being governor is that the only real power you possess during a legislative session is the bully pulpit. As everyone knows, bullying Speaker Bauer is no easy task. So on issue after issue this year, Daniels' agenda has stalled.

"You have two very strong personalities, and they're butting heads," Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, said, summing up the situation well.

Another problem for Daniels is that lawmakers are focused on the 2010 elections. In many of their minds, the governor's priorities pale compared with concerns about their own elections, Dobis said.

And it is not only House Democrats roughing up the governor's agenda. His administration is somewhat flabbergasted by the flabby budget pushed out of the Republican Senate. It's a budget Daniels rightly believes spends far too much and could lead to tax increases and service cuts within two years. Unfortunately for him, few lawmakers seem to be listening to the complaints.

With less than a week before the legislative session ends, Daniels' agenda has received as much respect from lawmakers as a "Hannah Montana" movie gets from critics.

But let's not make any final determination yet. It would be foolish to rule the governor out or to grade him before the session ends.

"It's still just the seventh inning," Daniels said Thursday.

In the end, he said, the key factor determining the success or failure of the session will be the state budget. He said his "transcendent objective is a budget that protects taxpayers and guards against large tax increases or severe service cuts." Both the House and Senate budgets, he said, "fall short" of that objective.

That, of course, hints at a veto.

Although Daniels isn't threatening one, a veto would reshape the debate and force a special legislative session. Most important, it would give him a chance to pull out a big win in the late innings.

Idling of GM plants to smack Indiana (Indianapolis Star)

Idling of GM plants to smack Indiana

4 state sites will shut for up to 10 weeks; suppliers at the brink

By Ted Evanoff

The decision by General Motors to idle four Indiana plants as part of a plan to scale back its inventory of unsold vehicles could have a major impact on suppliers, local businesses and the state's economy.

GM said Thursday the closures will begin in May and will involve plants in Bedford, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Marion -- in addition to numerous plants across North America.

About 5,400 people are employed at the four Indiana plants.

GM workers whose plants are temporarily closed would still get most of their pay because their United Auto Workers union contract requires the company to make up much of the difference between state unemployment benefits and their wages.

But the shutdown could be catastrophic to many auto parts suppliers that already are near bankruptcy because of previous production cuts. During the shutdown, suppliers couldn't ship parts to GM and would lose critical revenue.

"It's one of those things we've been dreading for a long time," said Jim Gillette, director of financial services at auto-industry consultant CSM Worldwide in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's as bad as it's ever been."

He said many suppliers are reducing staff or forcing workers to take furloughs to cut operating expenditures.

So far this year, auto parts suppliers in Indiana have notified the state of plans to lay off 1,492 employees and to close plants employing 1,714 others.

The longest GM shutdown is 10 weeks at Fort Wayne, which makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.

GM normally shuts down its assembly plants for two weeks each summer to prepare for the new model year.

Maurice "Mo" Davison, head of the United Auto Workers Region 3 office in Indianapolis, said GM stamping plants at Indianapolis and Marion will not take the full additional eight-week shutdown because they make parts for a wide range of vehicles.

Other assembly plants that will see additional down weeks are in Arlington, Texas; Bowling Green, Ky.; Detroit-Hamtramck, Mich.; Flint, Mich.; Lansing, Mich.; Lordstown, Ohio; Pontiac, Mich.; Shreveport, La.; Spring Hill, Tenn.; Wilmington, Del.; Wentzville, Mo.; and Silao, Mexico.

In addition to GM employees, thousands of auto parts workers in independent plants, including AK Steel in Rockville and Advanced Assembly in Columbia City, also produce components for GM and could be affected.

The plan is to reduce production by 190,000 vehicles from May through July, GM said in a statement. The cuts are intended to reduce the volume of unsold vehicles on dealer lots and bring production in line with sales.

GM dealers have five months of pickup truck inventory and three months' worth of sport utility vehicles such as the GMC Acadia, banker JPMorgan Chase estimated in a report Thursday.

Consumers hit by the recession have kept their old vehicles running, reducing sales of new autos for all carmakers by about 38 percent this year through March.

GM faces a possible bankruptcy filing this year as the Obama administration negotiates a federal bailout for the automaker amid a collapse in vehicle sales resulting from the recession.

GM, which operates 29 vehicle assembly plants in North America, has sold about 407,000 cars and trucks this year through March, a drop of about 48 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Less than four years ago, GM was producing 400,000 vehicles a month.

Industry analysts say GM is expected to miss a payment of $1 billion to bondholders due June 1.

GM said the production cutback plan takes into account potential production delays related to negotiations between bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. and its debtor-in-possession lenders.

"Without the successful resolution of this dispute, it is General Motors' view that Delphi or its lenders could force GM into an uncontrolled shutdown, with severe negative consequences for the U.S. automotive industry," GM said in a statement.

GM Indianapolis will close the weeks of June 29 and July 6. GM Marion is set to sharply cut output the week of June 29. GM Bedford, which casts engine parts, will close June 22 through the week of July 6. GM Fort Wayne, which assembles full-size pickup trucks, will close May 4 through June 29.

GM Indianapolis is on schedule to be permanently closed in 2011.

On Monday, the automaker announced 1,600 salaried job cuts as part of a global work force reduction of 47,000.

Nearly all automakers with U.S. factories have closed plants or cut production to deal with the auto sales slump. Earlier this year, GM temporarily closed 20 factories across North America because of weak sales, some for the entire month of January. Chrysler LLC, also subsisting on government loans, closed all 30 of its manufacturing plants for four weeks in December and January to counter the auto sales downturn.

Ford Motor Co. also shut 10 North American assembly plants for an extra week in January, and both Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have cut production.

Visclosky votes for fed funds to increase local cop presence (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Visclosky votes for fed funds to increase local cop presence

NORTHWEST INDIANA | U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky said he voted Thursday to reinvigorate a program begun under President Bill Clinton to put more police officers on local streets.

Visclosky, D-Ind., said he supported the Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, Improvements Act, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 342-78.

It appropriates $1.25 billion per year in hiring grants that will be used to hire an estimate 50,000 new police officers nationwide in the next five years. It also authorizes $350 million to equip law enforcement with cutting-edge crime fighting tools, and $200 million a year for hiring community prosecutors.

COPS has sent nearly $23 million in grants to Northwest Indiana, helping 29 police departments and law enforcement agencies put 267 new officers on the streets since it was created in 1994. - By Times Staff

ND student groups support Obama visit (Associated Press)

ND student groups support Obama visit

By Tom Coyne, Associated Press Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - University of Notre Dame students representing 23 student groups presented the school president a letter Thursday supporting his decision to invite President Barack Obama to be the commencement speaker.

"We are proud to welcome President Obama to speak at commencement just as we have welcomed six sitting presidents before him," the students wrote. "We thank our University's administration for this opportunity."

The decision to invite the president to speak at the May 17 commencement has been a source of debate, with dozens of bishops criticizing the university president, the Rev. John Jenkins, and the school because of Obama's stands on abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

Michael Angulo, a member of the Progressive Student Alliance, said he helped organize the letter in response to the widespread criticism Jenkins has received. Angulo said although many of the groups, including his own, have disagreed with Jenkins on some issues, they believe he was right in inviting Obama.

"We wanted to show him that this is what Notre Dame should be about, about opening dialogue and trying to find common ground. So we were just thrilled that Father Jenkins had extended the invitation and that President Obama had accepted it," he said.

He said the group also was concerned that much of the media coverage has focused on opposition to the invitation to Obama even though the choice is popular among students.

"That's why we decided to organize the letter to show our support," he said.

Angulo said the students met with Jenkins for more than 30 minutes. Among the groups signing the letter of support were the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Feminist Voice, Students for Environmental Action and the Anthropology Club. Angulo said some groups declined to sign the letter for various reasons.

With no state-sponsored preschool, kids are starting behind (Muncie Star Press)

With no state-sponsored preschool, kids are starting behind

A lack of preschool programs means kids don't have foundational skills, a report says.

By OSEYE T. BOYD

As one of 12 states without state-sponsored preschool, Indiana is missing the mark when it comes to improving education and student achievement.

It's obvious public schools need help when less than half of East Central Indiana schools and only half of schools statewide made adequate yearly progress benchmarks, and preschool education is a logical place to start, early education advocates say.

"Too many children enter school so far behind in terms of their foundational skills that no matter how hard the school works, they're not going to hit your targets in third grade or fourth grade," National Institute for Early Education Research co-director W. Steven Barnett said.

The National Institute for Early Education, part of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, recently released a report on preschool education throughout the nation.

Local Head Start director Nancy Robinson agrees "preschool is the foundation," but a new state-sponsored initiative isn't necessary. Head Start offers quality preschool that adheres to federal mandates for the children who will benefit most -- those from low- to moderate-income families.

Instead, Robinson would prefer a partnership between a state-sponsored program and Head Start. Such a partnership would mean the state-supported preschool would accept children only after Head Start's slots are full, not compete for children. Delaware County's Head Start has room for 257 children and offers both full- and part-time programs.

"We know there is a need for more preschool and also day care for low-income children in Delaware County," Robinson said. "Really, working with Head Start would be a fantastic thing. That way, all those programs are under the federal mandate."

As Indiana's economy sputters, preschool isn't even part of the education conversation, but it should be, experts say. Should education dollars be spent early or later on remediation, students repeating failed grades or high school dropouts? Taxpayers foot the bill either way, Barnett said.

"If you had to choose between full-day kindergarten and preschool, you'd be better off with preschool," Barnett said. "You're going to have a much higher rate of return."

Huffer Memorial Children's Center executive director Carrie Bale added, "They're (students) sponges because they don't have to try. (Learning) just happens. Ninety-percent of a child's brain develops from 0 to 5. After age 5, doors start closing."

Even without state-supported preschool, parents can demand and seek out quality programs, Bale says, by requiring programs participate in Paths to Quality, a voluntary rating system Indiana is implementing. The system will guide parents on how to choose quality programs for their children.
Additional Facts
# A lack of preschool programs means kids don't have foundational skills, a report says.

By OSEYE T. BOYD

As one of 12 states without state-sponsored preschool, Indiana is missing the mark when it comes to improving education and student achievement.

It's obvious public schools need help when less than half of East Central Indiana schools and only half of schools statewide made adequate yearly progress benchmarks, and preschool education is a logical place to start, early education advocates say.

"Too many children enter school so far behind in terms of their foundational skills that no matter how hard the school works, they're not going to hit your targets in third grade or fourth grade," National Institute for Early Education Research co-director W. Steven Barnett said.

The National Institute for Early Education, part of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, recently released a report on preschool education throughout the nation.

Local Head Start director Nancy Robinson agrees "preschool is the foundation," but a new state-sponsored initiative isn't necessary. Head Start offers quality preschool that adheres to federal mandates for the children who will benefit most -- those from low- to moderate-income families.

Instead, Robinson would prefer a partnership between a state-sponsored program and Head Start. Such a partnership would mean the state-supported preschool would accept children only after Head Start's slots are full, not compete for children. Delaware County's Head Start has room for 257 children and offers both full- and part-time programs.

"We know there is a need for more preschool and also day care for low-income children in Delaware County," Robinson said. "Really, working with Head Start would be a fantastic thing. That way, all those programs are under the federal mandate."

As Indiana's economy sputters, preschool isn't even part of the education conversation, but it should be, experts say. Should education dollars be spent early or later on remediation, students repeating failed grades or high school dropouts? Taxpayers foot the bill either way, Barnett said.

"If you had to choose between full-day kindergarten and preschool, you'd be better off with preschool," Barnett said. "You're going to have a much higher rate of return."

Huffer Memorial Children's Center executive director Carrie Bale added, "They're (students) sponges because they don't have to try. (Learning) just happens. Ninety-percent of a child's brain develops from 0 to 5. After age 5, doors start closing."

Even without state-supported preschool, parents can demand and seek out quality programs, Bale says, by requiring programs participate in Paths to Quality, a voluntary rating system Indiana is implementing. The system will guide parents on how to choose quality programs for their children.

Tax hikes to save CIB draw few supporters (Indianapolis Star)

Tax hikes to save CIB draw few supporters

Neither party thinks mayor's plan to hike local taxes will fly

By Brendan O'Shaughnessy

Republicans and Democrats on the City-County Council are unhappy that proposed tax increases to rescue the city's ailing sports board would fall on Marion County taxpayers alone and are asking state lawmakers to help find a way of sharing the pain more widely.

Leaders in both parties said this week they do not think there is enough support on the council to pass the tax increases on alcohol, hotels, stadium tickets and car rentals called for in Mayor Greg Ballard's plan. State lawmakers are now considering whether to pass the enabling legislation so the council can act.

Eight of 13 council Democrats and one Libertarian reached by The Indianapolis Star said they would not support any tax increase to bail out the Capital Improvement Board, which faces a $47 million deficit. Nine of 15 Republicans responded; two said they opposed the tax increases, and seven said they could not support the mayor's plan as currently structured, especially the doubling of alcohol taxes in Marion County.

Council President Bob Cockrum and Democratic Minority Leader Joanne Sanders began working together this week to lobby state lawmakers in favor of a plan that would rely on more state tax revenues.

Cockrum's plan, on which he is working with Sanders, would generate $20 million in state sales taxes in an expanded special sports taxing district Downtown. Under Sanders' earlier plan, Marion County would keep $40 million in state sales taxes collected in the county.

Sanders and Cockrum said Indianapolis produces far more sales and income taxes for the state than it receives under state distribution formulas. They said they want a plan that "acknowledges the reality that Marion County is the economic engine which funds the coffers of the state of Indiana's treasury."

Their ideas come as lawmakers at the Statehouse face a deadline of Wednesday to wrap up this year's legislative session.

Neither Sanders' nor Cockrum's proposal is likely to win much support among state lawmakers, especially those from other parts of the state who think Marion County already receives more than its share of the state's resources.

"The attitude of the General Assembly is, 'Ain't gonna happen,' " Rep. Phil Hinkle, R-Indianapolis, said of the council members' plans. "Why should we bail out the CIB for their mismanagement?"

Cockrum and Sanders, who have agreed on little in the past, jointly issued a news release Monday that called the current proposal -- a combination of Ballard's plan and ideas offered by state lawmakers -- "deeply flawed" because too much of the burden falls on Marion County.

"We both said we will have trouble with plans that include tax increases," Sanders said. "The issue should not be borne by Marion County alone."

Both leaders have been lobbying lawmakers from their respective parties this week in an effort to head off what one council member called a "train wreck" if the current plans under debate pass the legislature.

"I'm not sure we have the votes (in the council) to do what the legislature is working to authorize us to do," Cockrum said. "I'm afraid these tax increases will be dumped on us. Some members may be willing to fall on the sword, some won't."

Republican council members also note they won control of the council in 2007 largely on a platform that hammered Democrats for passing tax increases. Some in the GOP pledged they wouldn't raise taxes if elected. On the other hand, they want to support Ballard, who is a Republican.

"It's going to be a really tough sell to support the mayor's plan," said Republican Robert Lutz. "I'm not there yet."

GOP colleague Mike Speedy also expressed doubts.

"We have the majority because of votes like this, and that's why (the mayor's plan) is in trouble," Speedy said. "I think we're going to see a slow-motion train wreck."

While Sanders is working on a regional or statewide solution, she acknowledged that some Democrats have enjoyed watching the GOP face a crisis involving tax issues.

One of them, Councilman Monroe Gray, said Democrats had been beaten up in the election two years ago for adopting tax increases when he was council president even though the money was needed to pay for public safety.

"It's their agenda -- they have to carry it," Gray said of the CIB bailout. "If they can't get 15 votes on board, I won't consider it."

The Ballard administration said it, too, dislikes tax increases but that something must be done to protect the city's hospitality and tourism economies.

"We need to be in the ballpark, to have something we can work with," said Chief of Staff Paul Okeson. "We need a chance to protect 66,000 jobs and an industry that produces billions for the county and state."
Additional Facts
THE COUNCIL PLAN

Council President Bob Cockrum worked with Minority Leader Joanne Sanders on a plan they sent to state lawmakers this week. Here's how their plan -- which would potentially raise $50 million a year -- compares with what's in the legislation under consideration. It would:
» Raise $10 million by doubling the alcohol tax statewide. House Bill 1604 bill calls for an option only in Marion County.
» Raise $6 million by increasing the admissions tax from 6 percent to 10 percent. Same as the bill.
» Raise $4 million by increasing the hotel tax from 9 percent to 10 percent. Same as the bill.
» Raise $10 million from the Pacers and Colts, though neither has agreed. Same as the bill.
» Raise $20 million by expanding the Downtown sports tax district to include Circle Centre mall and increase the existing cap on Marion County's share from $5 million to $25 million. The bill calls for directing $5 million more to Marion County by expanding the district only to a new JW Marriott hotel.

Note: The council plan does not include an increase in the car rental tax. HB 1604 would boost that tax to raise $2 million a year.

HOW THEY RESPONDED
The Star asked the 29 members of the City-County Council whether they would support Mayor Greg Ballard's plan to rescue the CIB. The 18 who responded either said they wouldn't support the plan or were not ready to commit.

No: Democrats Vernon Brown, Jose Evans, Monroe Gray, Maggie Lewis, Dane Mahern, Angela Mansfield, Mary Moriarty Adams and Joanne Sanders; Republicans Ginny Cain and Mike Speedy; and Libertarian Ed Coleman.

Not ready to commit: Republicans Bob Cockrum, Ben Hunter, Robert Lutz, Michael McQuillen, Lincoln Plowman, Kent Smith and Ryan Vaughn.

RESISTANCE ORGANIZING
The American Beverage Institute, a lobbying group that says it represents more than 200 Indiana restaurants, paid for a full-page ad in The Indianapolis Star on Wednesday. The ad encouraged Hoosiers to contact their lawmakers and demand defeat of the alcohol tax increase.

WHAT'S NEXT
The legislature has until the session ends Wednesday to pass a plan. Most tax increases likely would take effect July 1, giving the council only two months to enact them. If nothing happens, CIB leaders said it would be difficult to borrow money for a $26 million payment due in September, and the entity would not have enough money to avoid bankruptcy.

Gov.’s ability to cut budget challenged (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Gov.'s ability to cut budget challenged

Democrats seek to limit his power

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener

INDIANAPOLIS - Some Democrats want to limit Gov. Mitch Daniels' ability to cut funding that lawmakers designate for universities, public broadcasting or grants and give him authority only over spending within his departments.

Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, is seeking to remove language from the state budget that gives the governor wide latitude to "withhold allotments of any or all appropriations."

That language has been included in budgets for decades, and Daniels used it this year to cut more than $700 million in spending to cope with declining revenues.

"Without the tool, and a governor willing to use it, Indiana would be broke today like 40-some other states," said Jane Jankowski, Daniels' press secretary.

But Simpson, who was on the Appropriations Committee before taking her current post, said Daniels has abused the authority, cutting funds to groups that depended on the money to make ends meet.

His cuts included funding for local tourism grants, public broadcasting, employee raises, and university operating funds and building projects.

Simpson said she believes those cuts were more about philosophy than fiscal responsibility, something she believes is inappropriate.

"We can still give him some flexibility if he wants to make cuts in the agencies that are responsible to him in the executive branch," she said. "It's a whole other thing to make arbitrary cuts with no warning to agencies outside of the state governor which are dependent and relying on the appropriations we made."

The language also makes the budget bill simply a recommendation rather than a "real document," she said.

Negotiation issue

Simpson's caucus plans to make the language a key issue as lawmakers begin negotiations on the final budget. Fiscal leaders are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. today for a conference committee on House Bill 1001, which includes the budget.

Because Simpson and Senate Democrats are in the minority, success will likely depend on whether House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, joins her cause.

This week, Bauer said the topic is worthy of debate. He said the governor needs "some degree" of authority to cut spending, but "if things go really to wrong, we should come back and adjust as a body."

The idea has opponents.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said the cuts the governor made this year are precisely the reason the language exists. Without it, lawmakers would have to come into special session to adjust the budget anytime revenues are down, he said.

"We do have a citizen legislature" that works only a few months each year, Kenley said. "Does this mean if we get into trouble that the legislature is supposed to sit here all year long and review these things?"

Past governors have used the tool, Kenley said, including the late Gov. Frank O'Bannon, a Democrat who had to slash state spending when revenues dropped during his second term. Democrats didn't complain then, Kenley said.

Still, he said he understands Democrats' concerns, especially because Daniels "is known to be an aggressive guy about how's he going to manage his resources."

"This is going to be an issue" in negotiations, he said. "We'll have to review it."

Indiana is one of just six states where the governor doesn't have a line-item veto, so Daniels has no authority to cut items from the budget before he signs it into law. He can only withhold the funds once the budget has become law.

In 39 states, governors can reduce budgets without legislative approval, according to a report from the Federal Funds Information for States. But the report does not consider the Indiana governor's authority unfettered because lawmakers can easily take it away.

Line-item veto?

Simpson said she'd rather give Daniels line-item veto authority than the power he has now. And she said it would be appropriate for him to call lawmakers into special session to address additional cuts when needed.

"We can help do the budget," she said. "By constitution and statute, we have the obligation to do the budget. This branch of government, the legislative branch, has the authority to do the budget."

Bauer made right move on tax-cap amendment (Indianapolis Star)

Bauer made right move on tax-cap amendment (Matthew Tully)

Pat Bauer was right -- even if his many critics breathlessly insist he was wrong.

The irascible House speaker from South Bend is taking oodles of grief for blocking a push to put property tax caps in the state constitution. Despite strong public support for the resolution, which would allow a statewide voter referendum, Bauer delayed a debate over it until next year.

And so, critics are calling him everything from arrogant to the taxpayers' worst nightmare. House Republican leader Brian Bosma said Bauer "ignored the overwhelming majority of Hoosier taxpayers" by blocking the tax-cap resolution. In a display of the melodramatic rhetoric you start to hear at the end of every General Assembly session, Bosma added: "I feel sorry for Hoosier taxpayers."

Sorry or not, Bauer was right. He was right not to be swayed by polls, PR gimmicks or anti-tax tea parties. He was right to slow down a process that was moving too fast.

As I write this, I understand the perils of defending Bauer. The longtime Democratic lawmaker is a politician whose very name can send Hoosiers' blood pressures skyrocketing. Each time I write about him, my inbox fills with angry e-mails insisting it's time for a new House leader.

I won't argue with that.

Still, in this instance, Bauer was right. And here's why:

1. Critics tend to ignore two key elements of this debate. First, the caps are already in state law; they've been there for a year. They're just not in the constitution. Second, lawmakers can deal with this issue next year without delaying the proposed November 2010 referendum timetable by even a day, and there is good reason to wait. Another year will give lawmakers time to study the ramifications of the caps on Indiana cities, counties and schools, which use property taxes to pay for basic government services. Isn't it wise to gauge the impact of the caps before putting them in the constitution?

2. The theory behind the caps is this: They force local governments to budget carefully. That's a compelling theory. But in reality -- and I know this will be an unpopular statement -- cities such as Indianapolis need to spend more, not less. The city needs more police and more money for crumbling infrastructure. The soaring property tax bills of 2003 and 2007 were unacceptable. But so is the idea of not funding important quality-of-life programs -- from graffiti cleanup to crime prevention programs. The goal should be to prevent massive year-over-year increases such as those that occurred in 2003 and 2007 without strangling Indiana's cities and towns.

3. The current recession makes clear the volatile nature of sales and income taxes, and of many other taxes that rise and fall with the economy. And while property taxes are as unpopular as the weatherwoman on a frigid April morning, they are a necessary and relatively stable tax source.

4. Under current law, local officials must beg lawmakers for permission to raise sales, income and other taxes. Local officials rightly say property tax caps, if enacted, should be tied to more local control over other taxes.

5. It's easy to talk about cutting spending. It's much harder to do so at the local level of government. This is about streets and sidewalks, garbage pickup, police and fire service, snow plowing and parks. It's fun to rail against taxes. It's not so fun to live without the services they fund.

Bauer has made several bad decisions this session, from allowing his caucus to go after charter schools to fighting efforts to reform local government. But when it comes to the latest push to amend the state's constitution, he's right.

Obama tickets hot among Notre Dame faculty (South Bend Tribune)

Obama tickets hot among Notre Dame faculty
Lotteries used to determine who gets to attend ND commencement.

By MARGARET FOSMOE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Record demand among faculty seeking tickets to the May 17 commencement ceremony featuring President Barack Obama means not all University of Notre Dame professors who want to be there will be able to attend.

Several of Notre Dame's colleges are turning to lotteries to determine which professors will receive the much-sought-after tickets to attend the ceremony, where Obama will be the primary speaker.

University Registrar Harold Pace, who is responsible for planning the commencement ceremony and distributing tickets, said he's never witnessed demand this great in his 17 years on the job.

As soon as the president was announced as commencement speaker, Pace said, he started receiving calls and e-mails from professors wanting assurances they would receive tickets.

"We've never had to set a limit before," Pace said.In most years, any faculty member who wishes may attend commencement.

In recent years, 275 seats in the Joyce Center had been allotted for faculty. This year, faculty seating has been increased to 375 seats behind the stage and an additional 40 faculty marshal seats on the arena floor, and it's still not enough, Pace said.

Notre Dame has about 1,437 faculty members.

As a result of the demand, ticket eligibility will be limited to regular full-time faculty, which includes teaching faculty, research professors and librarians, Pace said. That brings the number down to about 1,200.

Pace is providing each dean with an allocation of tickets based on the proportion of regular faculty in that college. Each dean decides how to allot the tickets.The College of Arts & Letters conducted a lottery Monday. The Mendoza College of Business and Notre Dame Law School also plans to distribute the tickets with lotteries for those professors who expressed interest in attending.

A ticket will be required of each faculty member attending. And each such ticket holder will be required to present his or her faculty ID to enter the Joyce Center that day. The faculty member may not pass the ticket on to a spouse or friend to use.

Because of Secret Service and other security necessary for the presidential visit, fewer seats will be in the arena than in past years, Pace said. There is room for about 12,000 total seats.

Commencement tickets this year will be limited to a maximum of three tickets per graduate for use by family or friends. In some years, the university is able to provide up to four or five tickets per graduate.

Mrvans thank Indy for flood relief (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Mrvans thank Indy for flood relief

By Patrick Guinane

INDIANAPOLIS | A slide show of region homes and businesses partially submerged in fall flood waters played overhead Tuesday as state Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, formally thanked downstaters who responded to the September deluge.

Mrvan presented Senate resolutions acknowledging the relief efforts of Midwest Food Bank of Indianapolis and Isaac Randolph, director of the Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Mrvan said Randolph delivered a semitrailer of clothing, food and water to a Highland relief center within hours of the fierce storm that flooded thousands of region homes.

"He just did a tremendous job," Mrvan said. "It was a one-stop shop for relief."

His son, North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan, agreed.

"We needed food. We needed bleach. We needed recovery items," the younger Mrvan said. "Within five hours (Randolph) sent that stuff down. It ended up being $180,000 worth of materials. And he coordinated with Midwest Food Bank and other food banks."

All 50 state senators signed on as sponsors of the laudatory resolutions.

GOP spins on delay of tax-cap vote (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

GOP spins on delay of tax-cap vote (Tracy Warner)

"Rep. Borror: A Sad Tax Day for Hoosiers" was the headline on a news release last Wednesday from State Rep. Randy Borror's office.

The Republican lamented the decision by House Speaker Pat Bauer not to call for a vote on a constitutional amendment to place tax caps into the state constitution.

Whether the legislature votes this year or next makes no practical difference. After the legislature approves it, the issue must go before voters in a statewide referendum, and that cannot happen until November 2010. So the General Assembly can just as easily pass it next year for the November ballot. But Republicans are trying to make political hay over Bauer's decision to delay the vote until next year, when Hoosiers will have a better understanding of exactly how the caps will affect services.

In fact, their spin machine was hard at work.

"Rep. Bell: A Sad Tax Day for Hoosiers" was the headline on the news release put out by Matt Bell's office - and on the one issued by Rep. Matt Lehman's office, substituting Lehman's name for Bell's. Other news releases with the same headline were issued by Rep. Jeff Espich and Rep. Brian Bosma, among others.

Typical of the language: "It is unacceptable for one person to control whether or not the other 99 elected officials in the House are allowed to debate and vote on SJR 1 when it is overwhelmingly supported by Hoosiers," Bosma is quoted as saying.

Whether the House speaker should have the sole power to decide whether a measure receives a vote may be worthy of debate - but Republicans didn't mind it when they held the seat.

House Democrats propose new jobless fund fix (Associated Press)

House Democrats propose new jobless fund fix

By Mike Smith, AP Political Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Employers would pay higher taxes under a revised proposal Indiana House Democrats presented on Monday as a way to fix Indiana's bankrupt unemployment insurance fund.

The taxes employers would pay into the fund overall would be higher than House Democrats originally proposed, at least initially, and the new plan still would not cut benefits paid to the jobless.

Republicans who control the Senate have proposed a plan that they said was balanced because it would increase employer taxes, reduce benefits for most jobless claimants and tighten eligibility standards. The parties are trying to negotiate a compromise by the April 29 deadline for adjourning this year's session.

Rep. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, said the revised House Democrat plan would fix a fund that has been paying out hundreds of millions of dollars more than it has been collecting in employer taxes. The fund has borrowed more than $700 million from the federal government to stay solvent, a figure that could top $1.2 billion by year's end.

Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn and the top Senate Republican on a House-Senate conference committee on the issue, did not criticize the new House Democrat plan, even though it would not lower benefits. He said the two sides now have plans to negotiate from.

Partisan squabbles prevented the original House proposal from passing that chamber, so Senate Republicans had to come up with a bill from scratch.

Under the current system, employers pay between 1.1 percent to 5.6 percent annually on the first $7,000 of an employee's income. Those with a history of laying off workers pay higher rates.

The new House Democrat plan would impose a one-time surcharge on employers this year, and raise tax rates from a low of 1.8 percent to a high of 10.2 percent. The wage base would initially be $14,000, but decline on a staggered basis as the fund rebounded. Once the federal loans were paid back and the fund had a surplus of $400 million, the wage base would decline to $9,000.

Niezgodski said the tax increases would raise about $1 billion per year. He estimated that other proposed changes to the system would save the fund $319 million to $390 million a year.

He said much of that would be from requiring companies who for several years have unemployed workers who draw more in benefits than their companies pay into the system to reimburse the state for much of those benefits. The plan also would close loopholes some companies use to avoid paying taxes.

Niezgodski said talks would continue over what he called an extremely pressing problem.

"We are going through a very difficult process," he said. "It is unusually difficult."

He also said a deep recession was not a time to be cutting benefits.

Dems question Gov. power to cut certain spending (Associated Press)

Dems question Gov. power to cut certain spending

By Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Democratic leaders at the Statehouse are questioning whether the governor should have the power to withhold state cash from certain programs even though lawmakers allocated money for them in the state budget.

Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, said Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels should be able to reduce spending for his own state agencies in economic hard times -- but shouldn't be allowed to slash funding to groups outside state government such as colleges and public broadcasting stations.

Simpson said those institutions rely on the state's budget to create their own spending plans, and that the Legislature -- not the governor -- has the authority and responsibility to decide who gets state cash.

"The budget needs to be a real document, not just a recommendation to the governor," Simpson told reporters in her office Monday.

Daniels said in a statement that the ability to withhold money allocated in the budget helps the state stay on the right financial track.

"Without the tool and a governor willing to use it, Indiana would be broke today like forty-some other states," Daniels said.

Daniels ordered a series of budget cuts in December, and the administration is looking for additional savings in hopes of ending this fiscal year with a budget that spends less than the state takes in.

Daniels cut higher education operating costs by 1 percent and postponed spending on several planned capital projects. State agencies were told to make additional cuts of 3 percent on top of 7 percent reductions they already were supposed to make.

For years, the budget bill passed every two years has given Indiana's governor the authority to withhold money, but Simpson said Daniels' cuts are different.

"Up until now, we have not had a governor abuse that privilege like this one has," Simpson said.

House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said some people feel Daniels has gone too far. He said the idea of removing the governor's power to withhold some money is worth talking about as Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate seek a budget compromise before the legislative session ends April 29.

"That's going to be part, perhaps, of the deliberations we have," Bauer said.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, also predicted the issue would come up during budget negotiations. He said Daniels is known as an "aggressive guy about how he's going to manage his resources" and that's part of the reason why the issue has been raised now after years of the budget allowing the governor that power.

Former Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon didn't spend all the money allocated in the budget earlier this decade, Kenley noted.

"He made cuts and there were some that we disagreed with, but that was his prerogative," Kenley said.

Kenley also questioned how spending would be cut if the state ran into financial problems during months when the part-time General Assembly is not in session.

"Does that mean that in case we get into trouble that the Legislature's supposed to sit here all year long and then come in and review those things?" Kenley said.

Simpson suggested that the governor could call the General Assembly into session to deal with budget cuts if needed.

"I think that's just too much power for the governor," she said. "We have the obligation to do the budget -- we have the authority."

New laws will protect police, help former POWs (Associated Press)

New laws will protect police, help former POWs

By Deanna Martin
Associated Press

Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed more than a dozen bills into law this year, including ones that will provide police officers with bulletproof vests and give free parking to former prisoners of war.

Officer safety

Rep. Linda Lawson, a Democrat from Hammond and a retired police captain, sponsored the bill to give officers torso body armor. When the law takes effect July 1, officers won't have to dip into their annual uniform allowance for the vests, which can cost more than $500 each.

The law allows cities to use capital project money to help pay for the body armor and requires police departments to replace the vests as recommended by manufacturers.

"The cost of body armor is nothing compared to the life of an officer," Lawson said. "The current economic situation has driven many police departments to make unwanted budget cuts, but this law will ensure officer safety is not put on the back burner."

Showing appreciation

Daniels also signed a bill to allow former prisoners of war living in Indiana to park at metered spots for free. They would have to have a special Indiana POW license plate to avoid parking fines. Last year, the state issued more than 450 POW specialty plates.

"All Indiana veterans deserve our gratitude, but POWs deserve special recognition for the sacrifices they made," said Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville. "This is a very small way to show our appreciation for what they have done in service to our country."

Cheers!

Daniels let a bill about beer distribution become law without his signature -- the first time he has ever done so.

The bill requires brewers bought by other companies to continue to use their existing Indiana wholesalers and distributors. Supporters say the law is needed to protect Indiana alcohol wholesalers from losing business in the wake of big beer acquisitions, such as Belgium-based InBev SA's $52 billion buyout of Anheuser-Busch last year.

But opponents of the legislation say it runs contrary to free-market economics. Daniels didn't veto the bill but didn't sign it, either, so it will become law without his signature.

"Governor Daniels didn't want to stop the measure, but he was not comfortable with the state acting in an anti-competitive way," said spokeswoman Jane Jankowski.

To read more

The governor's bill watch Web site -- http://www.in.gov/gov/billwatch.htm -- tracks the bills that have been signed so far.

Mayor roughed up in CIB game (Indianapolis Star)

Mayor roughed up in CIB game (Matthew Tully)

The Capital Improvement Board's deficit and the Indiana Pacers' problems aren't the most important issues facing the city. They're not even close to the top of the list.

Crime. Failing schools. Abandoned homes. The lack of decent mass transit. Now those are big issues.

Still, the CIB soap opera is proving to be a defining moment in the short tenure of Mayor Greg Ballard. How it plays out in the coming weeks will help shape the mayor's public image in the second half of his term.

After spending more than a year safely under the radar, enjoying a limelight-free honeymoon no recent Indianapolis mayor has enjoyed, the low-profile mayor has bumped head-on into the most high-profile of issues. While there indeed might be many local problems more weighty than the Pacers, the Colts and the CIB, few draw more attention. This is one of those debates in which nearly everyone has an opinion.

A very strong opinion.

This debate has everything you need to cause a public uproar: sports teams, the biggest names in the city, potential tax increases and everybody's least-favorite word -- bailouts. Unlike debates over the state budget or school funding, it seems everyone is paying attention to this one.

Thus, the jeopardy for Ballard.

"People who go out there in front get the arrows," he said recently.

He was talking about himself. But in reality, Ballard has been far from a frontman on this issue until recently. Early on, he lingered quietly and awkwardly in the background as Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, and CIB Chairman Bob Grand took the lead -- and the arrows. He offered his own plan only after being prodded to do so by everyone from the governor to legislators to the local media.

The big question is whether Ballard is emerging as a political winner or loser on this issue. The answer? It's still too early to tell. But it doesn't look good. We're in the third quarter and he's down by 15 points. It's going to take a strong fourth quarter to come out of this with a political win, because the first three quarters have put him in quite a hole.

They have, for instance, raised doubts about the leadership abilities of a mayor who frequently boasts about those very abilities. When your own party's governor has to publicly nudge you into taking a position, well, that's a bad thing. When the city goes weeks without knowing where you stand on an issue such as this, that's damaging.

Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy effectively pounced on this issue, mocking the mayor as missing in action recently while holding up a copy of his self-published leadership book, "The Ballard Rules." But it's not just Democrats. Privately, many Statehouse Republicans say Ballard has delivered a muddled message and wonder why he waited so long to offer a CIB plan. There are questions about whether the math behind his recently unveiled bailout plan adds up. Many are wincing at Ballard's lack of political instincts, noting he has done little to reach out to a House Democratic majority that will ultimately play a lead role in crafting a plan.

Meanwhile, Ballard has lost many of the grass-roots activists who so heartily cheered him and his anti-tax outsider message during his long-shot 2007 campaign. Local bloggers who made so much noise in Ballard's favor two years ago are now just as loudly jeering him over the CIB bailout, and for refusing to stand up to the Colts and the Pacers.

"If Ballard's plan is adopted, it will ensure his status as a one-term mayor," local lawyer Gary Welsh, a one-time Ballard champion, wrote on his Advance Indiana blog. Another blogger, Paul Ogden of Ogden on Politics, has been similarly critical. "We finally got leadership from the mayor," he wrote this week. "It's leadership that is taking the Marion County Republican Party to the edge of a cliff."

Ballard has made some decisions that could pay off. First, he is dealing with the issue early in his term -- more than two years before the 2011 elections. Second, he is seeking to address the CIB's deficit without increasing the food and beverage tax -- a particularly unpopular tax felt by local residents each time they dine out. Avoiding that tax would ease the political pain.

On the CIB bailout, it's too early to declare Ballard a winner or a loser. But that issue will be settled over the next several weeks, as we'll learn whether the mayor can shine in this defining moment.

Visclosky applauds officials who voted against RDA exit (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Visclosky applauds officials who voted against RDA exit

By Vanessa Renderman

MERRILLVILLE | A week after the Porter County Council voted to leave the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky encouraged local leaders to move forward with their visions of Northwest Indiana.

"We should simply outwork those who may not share that positive vision," the Indiana Democrat said.

Visclosky spoke to about 40 people gathered for launch of a "One Region: One Vision" Council held Thursday night.

The group, composed of Northwest Indiana community leaders from various sectors ranging from education to health care to public safety and religion, formed to cooperatively address issues affecting the region.

Visclosky applauded the forward-thinking projects in the area, such as Munster's idea to turn a landfill into a park and Valparaiso's idea for a bus system.

The Porter County Council voted 4-3 to pull out of the RDA. Visclosky commended those council members who voted against the withdrawal.

Aside from no longer participating, the council voted to stop spending the $3.5 million in annual dues to the RDA.

The Porter County exit from the RDA discouraged Visclosky because so many good people have a vision for the area and want to ensure that the children have a good future, he said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. also said he was discouraged by the Porter County Council's decision to bow out of the RDA.

"It is disappointing," he said. "And I hope that it is stopped."

Ellsworth calls for compromise (Evansville Courier & Press)

Ellsworth calls for compromise

By Thomas B. Langhorne
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

With labor supporters rallying for the Employee Free Choice Act in Downtown Evansville on Wednesday, Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., called for compromise.

But a key Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist against the proposal, also known as "card check," said the kind of compromise Ellsworth said he wants is impossible and is probably an attempt to avoid angering either side of the controversial issue.

Ellsworth supported the Employee Free Choice Act in 2007 after the Bush administration said the bill would be vetoed if it passed.

On Wednesday, the second-term congressman said after an appearance before the League of Women Voters at the Downtown YMCA, a few blocks away from the labor rally at the federal building, that he hasn't made up his mind on the current incarnation of the bill.

"I'd love to work on finding middle ground," he said.

The Employee Free Choice Act's key provision would allow labor unions to organize workplaces if more than 50 percent of workers sign a card supporting it, a "card check" method that is considered an easier path to unionization than the traditional secret ballot.

Opponents say employees who do not want a union would be stripped of the right to vote by secret ballot in union elections and would be subjected to pressure from colleagues to sign unionization cards. Supporters say employers should be required to recognize unions when a majority of workers have signed cards instead of opening the process to elections, where they say employers can intimidate workers into voting not to organize.

"Both sides will tell you there are employers that intimidate and put their thumb down on people trying to organize," Ellsworth said. "There are also union people who would tell you they don't always play the right way and try to intimidate workers into signing the cards."

Greg Mourad, director of federal legislation for the National Right to Work Committee, said the current version of the bill in the Senate is identical to the bill Ellsworth voted for in 2007.

He said organized labor most likely contributed heavily to Ellsworth's 2006 and 2008 campaigns.

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics, reports the top five contributors to Ellsworth's campaign committee in 2007 and 2008 include such businesses as AT&T Inc., Eli Lilly & Co. and Vectren Corp.

But Ellsworth's top 20 includes several labor organizations as well, including the Service Employees International Union.

Ind. House approves limits on political donations (Associated Press)

Ind. House approves limits on political donations

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana House has approved a bill that would prohibit the governor from soliciting or receiving campaign contributions during budget-writing sessions of the General Assembly.

The Democratic-led House approved the bill 54-46 on Wednesday mostly along party lines.

Legislators already are prohibited from receiving political contributions during sessions in odd-numbered years, which is when state budgets are drafted.

The bill also would prohibit any businesses with state contracts worth more than $50,000 from giving contributions to statewide office holders or candidates. The ban would also apply to executives of those businesses and their family members.

The bill now goes to the state Senate for consideration.

Feds might tax employers more if fund goes unfixed (Associated Press)

Feds might tax employers more if fund goes unfixed

By Ken Kusmer, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - The federal unemployment tax rate paid by Indiana employers might rise 38 percent next year if the state has not repaid all of the hundreds of millions of dollars in loans it needs to keep paying jobless benefits, a top official said Wednesday.

Chief Financial Officer Scott Sanders of the Department of Workforce Development told the Unemployment Insurance Board that if the state hasn't repaid its loans in full by Nov. 10, 2010, Indiana employers could pay about $59 million in additional unemployment taxes to the federal government. They're already expected to pay an estimated $214.5 million.

As of Monday, Indiana had borrowed $725.1 million from the federal government to keep paying jobless benefits, and more borrowing is expected as the state copes with a jobless rate that reached 9.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, in February. Only four states, including Michigan and Ohio, have borrowed larger amounts.

Members of a legislative conference committee have been meeting to draft a plan to fix the state's insolvent unemployment trust fund that can pass both the Republican-ruled Senate and Democrat-led House.

However, if a solution doesn't pay back all of Indiana's federal loans in less than 17 months, Indiana employers could face higher federal unemployment tax bills that will come due in 2011, Sanders told the board.

Board President Samuel Schlosser said it was necessary for the General Assembly to find a fix for the bankrupt fund that avoided a higher federal tax rate.

"Not only is it rough on employers, but it seems like it's bad public policy for our economic development efforts," Schlosser said.

Sanders said Indiana could avoid a higher federal unemployment tax in one of three ways:

-- The state repays all of its federal loans in time and pays extra to cover any additional loans.

-- Indiana can show it has enough in its unemployment trust fund to pay all benefits on time for the three months beginning Nov. 1, 2010, without any federal loans.

-- The General Assembly makes changes that increase the solvency of the state unemployment trust fund by at least the amount of the additional federal taxes, estimated at $59 million for 2010.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said Wednesday it was critical that lawmakers begin to solve the problem this session. He said he was concerned that if they didn't, the federal government would step in.

"I think that would be a disaster," Long said.

Ed Roberts, vice president for labor and political matters for the Indiana Manufacturers Association, said the federal government has never penalized a state for having a bankrupt unemployment trust fund for too long.

"The feds don't know how to do it and have never done it," said Roberts, who said he helped craft the fix the last time Indiana's trust fund went insolvent, in 1983.

However, Roberts said a two-year grace period for avoiding interest on the federal loans expires in January 2011, two months after the repayment deadline, so that's an additional incentive for fixing the bankrupt state trust fund. The federal stimulus package waived the interest on the federal loans for two years.

Fourteen states have used federal loans to keep paying jobless benefits. As of Monday, Michigan had borrowed the most, $1.96 billion, followed by California at $1.83 billion, New York at $1.19 billion, and Ohio, $772.6 million.

Indiana employers currently pay annual state unemployment taxes of 1.1 percent to 5.6 percent on the first $7,000 of an employee's income. Employers with a history of layoffs pay more. Sanders said the state unemployment taxes brought in about $560 million last year.

The federal tax is currently 0.8 percent on the first $7,000 and could rise to 1.1 percent next year if the federal loans aren't repaid.

If federal loans went unpaid for additional rates, the federal tax rate would continue to rise, going to 1.95 percent in 2011, 2.25 percent in 2012 and 5.47 percent in 2013.

Bayh Cites Signs of Economic Renewal (Congressional Quarterly)

Bayh Cites Signs of Economic Renewal

By Kathleen Silvassy, CQ Staff

There is no "magic answer" for turning around the economy, Sen. Evan Bayh said Sunday, but some indicators show that President Obama's economic plans have started to re-inspire confidence in some sectors.

In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Bayh noted an uptick in retail sales and an increase in mortgage refinancing as "signs that perhaps the worst is almost behind us."

"Most encouragingly, some of the banks, which as you know have been hard-pressed, are starting to report they're making some money. And the real key to getting this behind us is for them to start lending to businesses and individuals once again," the Indiana Democrat said.

However, he cautioned all of those factors are not a reason to stop "acting agressively...This is going to take longer than we would like. There's no magic answer. But there is some reason for hope. And you know, to the extent confidence is important, which - I think it does play an important role - the Obama policies have helped to buttress that."

Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Okla., also appearing on the program, noted that a "hopeful sign would be that we would be successful in stopping the decline and starting the growth. Nobody knows the answer to those questions. ... The question is are we efficient as a government, are we making any of the hard choices, and are we sacrificing rather than transferring the sacrifice to the next generation?"

Citing health care overhaul, a key component of President Obama's agenda, Coburn said, "if you move health care to the public sector, which - all the plans that are out there, other than truly making a competitive health care system - we'll eventually move that to government control. And I would just posit that we're very inefficient as a government in accomplishing anything. And when we move more things to the control of the government, we're going to spend a whole lot of money."

Coburn also noted that the "problems that we have today - moving it to government control transfers a cost, a generational cost, to the generations that follow us that is going to be tremendous and unsurvivable. We cannot carry the load."

Bayh said he agreed with Coburn in that "when it comes to health care, we don't want socialized medicine, but there is an appropriate role for government to expand coverage, to make it more affordable for people who don't have the means. That actually enables the private sector to meet the challenges that face the country."

Bayh was one of two Democrats, along with Ben Nelson of Nebraska, to vote against the Senate's fiscal 2010 budget resolution (S Con Res 13). While neither that measure nor the House budget resolution (H Con Res 85) mirrors Obama's proposal, they pave the way for implementing his proposals on health care, energy and education.

On the program, Bayh said he has been "a fiscal conservative throughout my career. It's nothing personal to the president," and pointed out that economic turnaround should be depicted as "short run" vs. "long run" of government action.

"I think we need to separate the short run from the long run. The Chamber of Commerce, the manufacturers association, many groups that aren't for, you know, socialism in this country called for federal action to stabilize the financial system and supported the president's stimulus plan because of the nature of the crisis that we're in.

"So in some ways, to keep, you know, thousands of businesses from failing, millions of people from being thrown out of work, some action in this moment of crisis was called for. That's in the short run," he said.

"In the long run, though, we've got to start unwinding some of these things. We don't want the government in the business of owning our banks. We don't want the government intruding any more than it has to in the private sector, so we've got to start reversing some of this once the momentum is in the economy to grow the economy once again, to stabilize situations."

It’s a normal Dyngus Day (South Bend Tribune)

It's a normal Dyngus Day
After 2008 pomp, this year's event subdued.

By ED RONCO Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- There are no elections in northern Indiana this year.

Nobody's even running for dog catcher. Actually, nobody ever runs for dog catcher.

But the point is, 2009 has the quadrennial circumstance of being an "off year," devoid of any reason to go to your polling place, fill in your optical scan ballot, or judge your neighbors based on their yard signs.

And so Dyngus Day, South Bend's annual day-after-Easter candidatepalooza of Polish food and polka dancing, found itself a little more subdued this year, especially when compared to last year, which featured a visit from former President Bill Clinton.

Not that there was any shortage of things to discuss.At the West Side Democratic & Civic Club, there was a buzz in the air about the 2012 gubernatorial race, as some potential candidates traveled from outside the county to meet South Bend's faithful Democrats.

At St. Joseph County Republican Headquarters, party members spent the day working on a service project before an evening party where two statewide elected officials talked about strengthening the GOP and building up education.

2012 already?

Former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson, who ran against Gov. Mitch Daniels last year, was at the West Side club for Dyngus Day, and said she hasn't ruled out another try at the state's top job.

Indianapolis architect Jim Schellinger, Long Thompson's rival in the 2008 primary (and a South Bend native), said by phone that he hasn't ruled anything out, either.But most eyes were on Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, who traveled more than 300 miles from his southern Indiana city to participate in his first Dyngus Day.

Weinzapfel was considered a possibility to challenge Daniels in 2008 and is again rumored to be considering a 2012 run.

He downplayed those rumors on Monday, but also was invited up to the stage to introduce himself to the crowd.

Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez, also considered to be a gubernatorial hopeful, didn't get called up to the stage, but was introduced and spent the afternoon passing out business cards with his picture, phone number and e-mail address.

He didn't shy away from rumors of his interest."It's easy for one to say, 'I'm running for governor,'æ" Dominguez said. "The approach I'd like to take is first talk to people, listen to individuals, and lay out the foundation in the event that I may decide to run for governor."

Dyngus Day is important for future candidates, said Dan Parker, the state Democratic Party chairman."If they're not here this year, you'll probably see them here next year," Parker said. "You've got to do it. There's a lot of events that are torturous to go through. This isn't one of them."

'Positive agenda'

The St. Joseph County Republican Party scored two statewide elected officials -- Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett -- at its evening Dyngus Day event.

Where the Democrats spent the afternoon cheering for one another and complimenting their work in the last year, the Republican Dyngus Day event was notably more policy oriented.Republicans did well statewide in 2008 -- holding on to all statewide elected offices -- but Indiana's 11 presidential electoral votes went to the Democratic candidate for the first time in 44 years.

Zoeller complimented the county party for buying food and donating it to needy families and said this year is a good one for Republicans to demonstrate the differences between the two major parties.

"At the end of the day, it really is a question of what you believe," he told the crowd. "Frankly, the Democrats, God love 'em, they really do believe that government is the solution."

Zoeller stayed away from political rhetoric for most of the day, showing up for lunch with the Democrats at the West Side club before making the rounds through Michiana, meeting with prosecutors and presenting an award to a law firm.

Bennett, the state's schools chief, focused his remarks on education policy."We want to be very clear that schools are learning centers for children, not employment agencies for adults," he said.

He told the crowd he plans to focus on how to get the most out of the education budget.

St. Joseph County GOP Chairman Chris Riley said he's optimistic about his party's future in this heavily Democratic county.

"People are, on the Republican side, starting to realize they need to pay attention to what's going on," Riley said. "This year is about getting to know people. It's simply just getting to know a billion people."

The party needs to promote a positive agenda, he said, empowering people to address their own needs."I want to remind conservatives why we're conservatives," Riley said. "At the end of the day we want to educate people that when the government gets involved and tries to spend its way out of problems, or tax its way out of problems, it does nothing more than create them."

NWI legislators hope to revive stalled ideas (Times of Northwest Indiana)

NWI legislators hope to revive stalled ideas

By Patrick Guinane

INDIANAPOLIS | A statewide smoking ban, local government consolidation and funding to bring a trauma care hospital to the region are among the ideas Northwest Indiana lawmakers hope to revive in the final weeks of the legislative session.

They're not alone.

A radio ad campaign launched by supporters of Gov. Mitch Daniels and prerecorded phone calls by the second-term Republican are part of a last-ditch effort to force an Indiana House vote this year on constitutional property tax caps.

"They're desperate," said House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend. "Can you imagine somebody getting a phone call on some (tax) cap that could be done next year, and he doesn't have a job?"

Bauer's comments jab at the hands-off approach the governor has taken toward fixing the state's bankrupt unemployment fund, one of the top issues lawmakers face as the General Assembly approaches its April 29 adjournment.

Aiming Higher, a long-dormant advocacy group run by Daniels allies, launched the radio ads last week with help from a $25,000 donation from NIPSCO.

Meanwhile, region legislators are relegated to parliamentary maneuvering to revive their stalled initiatives.

Senate fiscal leaders, who say court fees already are at a tipping point, did not consider House-passed legislation to subsidize trauma care hospitals by adding an $18 fee to more than two dozen traffic violations. So Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, added the financing plan to a Senate proposal, likely ensuring the idea at least is in the mix until adjournment.

Brown said he hopes to employ the same tactic this week to "breathe life" into his proposed ban on smoking in most public places, which was severely weakened in the House and ignored in the Senate. Amending a Senate bill might reignite debate.

"It's never over 'til it's over," Brown said.

Senate leaders deemed too expensive an up to $5,000 state income tax deduction for solar-powered roof fans and vents proposed by Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point. But a compromise credit of up to $1,000 per taxpayer is included in legislation likely headed to a House-Senate conference committee.

"I'm very happy with that," she said. "I'm confident that it will pass conference committee."

Rep. Dan Stevenson has his eye on the much more dicey prospect of reviving proposals aimed at streamlining local government. Stevenson so far hasn't convinced House leadership to consider his bid to eliminate township government and shift its duties to the county level. WHAT'S NEXT: Wednesday marks the deadline for the House to pass Senate bills and for the Senate to approve legislation that originated in the House. The Senate this week will vote on the state budget, a bailout for Indianapolis' pro sports stadiums and a plan to create an income tax-funded bus and commuter rail authority for Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties. All three big ticket items are headed toward House-Senate conference committees to work out final compromise ahead of lawmakers' April 29 adjournment deadline.

Indiana bankruptcies soar 41% in year (Associated Press)

Indiana bankruptcies soar 41% in year

Associated Press

As the economy foundered, bankruptcies in Indiana soared 41% from March 2008 to March 2009.

That seems like a big jump, but Indiana ranks 27th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for percentage increase, according to federal court records collected and analyzed by The Associated Press.

Delaware, home to many large corporations, was the hardest-hit state, with a 127 percent increase.

The West suffered the most as a region: Arizona, 91 percent; Idaho, 84 percent; California, 82 percent; Nevada, 79 percent; Utah, 74 percent.

On another measure - total number of bankruptcies - Indiana ranked 8th overall with 4,904 in March 2009.

Across the nation, the number of businesses and individuals declaring bankruptcy is rising with a vengeance amid the recession, despite a three-year-old federal law that made it much tougher for Americans to escape their debts, the analysis found.

"There's no end in sight," said bankruptcy lawyer Bryan Elliott of Hickory, N.C., who is working seven days a week and scheduling prospective clients a month in advance. "To be doing this well and having this much business, it is depressing. It's not a laugh-a-minute job."

Nearly 1.2 million debtors filed for bankruptcy in the past 12 months, according to federal court records collected and analyzed by the AP. Last month, 130,831 sought bankruptcy protection - an increase of 46 percent over March 2008 and 81 percent over the same month in 2007.

Bob Lawless, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, said bankruptcies could reach 1.5 million this year and level off at 1.6 million next year - about the same time economists expect an economic recovery to begin.

Congress voted in 2005 to make bankruptcy more cumbersome after years of intense lobbying from the nation's lenders, who complained that people were abusing the system. Before the move to change the law, bankruptcies were running at what was then an all-time high of about 1.6 million a year.

The tighter requirements initially appeared to work, with bankruptcies plummeting from a record-shattering 2 million cases in 2005 - a total that reflected a rush to file before the new law took effect - to 600,000 in 2006. But now bankruptcies are booming again.

"You wouldn't get this large of a rise without serious problems in the economy," said Lynn LoPucki, a UCLA law professor who researches bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy rate is climbing as well. In the past 12 months, about four people or businesses for every 1,000 people in the country filed for bankruptcy, according to the AP analysis. That is twice the rate in 2006, and close to the average of about five for every 1,000 in the decade leading up to the change in the law.

Previous recessions also drove people to bankruptcy court, though those increases were more moderate. Bankruptcies went up 19 percent amid the economic contraction in 2001, and about 15 percent during the recession of the early 1980s, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Bankruptcy is considered a lagging economic indicator, since it is generally a last resort.

Mayor’s wife to talk about 2008 campaign (Evansville Courier & Press)

Mayor's wife to talk about 2008 campaign

Patricia Weinzapfel, wife of Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, will present a PowerPoint slide show on her experiences during the 2008 presidential campaign at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Oaklyn Branch Library.

The event, hosted by the library in its meeting room, will be free and open to the public. Library Manager Pam Locker said Weinzapfel's presentation will include photos and commentary on Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama and others. Call (812) 428-8234 for more information.

Senate budget pleases many, but feds get no credit (Indianapolis Star)

Senate budget pleases many, but feds get no credit

One by one, lobbyists and interest group representatives came and sat in front of the state Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday morning. And one by one, they thanked committee Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville.

They thanked him for crafting a budget that seeks to fund all sorts of programs and initiatives that, given these dire economic times, he could have rejected like this week's "American Idol" loser. One group thanked Kenley for finding $10 million to keep the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home open. Another group praised him for finding a few bucks for tourism projects. Others were happy to see increases in education spending, pricey university building projects, research initiatives and a foreclosure-prevention program.

For a day, at least, just about everybody loved Luke Kenley. They should have steered some of that love toward President Barack Obama.

After all, Kenley was able to please so many people only because of the billions pouring down on Indiana from the federal stimulus program. Republicans love to criticize that program, but every committee Republican eagerly voted for a budget that included $2 billion from it.

"This is a balanced budget we're presenting you today," Kenley said at the start of the meeting. "We think it's very important that we have a balanced budget."

Agreed. Of course, it's a whole lot easier to balance a $28 billion budget when it includes about $2 billion in money from the feds.

Kenley said the stimulus money would "cover shortfalls" and help the state avoid, among unsightly events, "mass layoffs" of teachers. With his eyeglasses hanging on the tip of his nose, Kenley praised the state's "very strong governor" for insisting on spending cuts when state revenues came in short. But like a teen who grabs his allowance without thanking his folks, Kenley didn't even mention the president.

At one point, he seriously strained the credibility meter by saying, "I'm not sure I like the word stimulus anymore." He doesn't like the word? Well, he sure likes the money.

That money turned Thursday's meeting from the bloodbath it could have been into essentially a love fest. The only real trouble came in the form of warnings about what will happen in two years when the state prepares its next budget without help of a massive stimulus program. For now, though, lawmakers plan to worry about 2011 in 2011.

Thursday, Kenley's budget cruised through its committee unscathed. Sure, a few interest groups complained about a few policy issues. The teachers union, for instance, continued its wrongheaded crusade against charter schools, and other education groups complained Kenley's budget includes millions in tax credits related to contributions to private schools.

"We understand this is another step in the process," said Gail Zeheralis, a lobbyist with the Indiana State Teachers Association. "We hope to be a part of the discussion."

No need to worry. The teachers union controls the House Democratic majority like a ventriloquist controls his puppet. House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, likely will wipe out the tax credit during negotiations that begin soon between Senate Republicans and House Democrats.

Those should be fun.

But the funny thing is, Kenley's budget appears to set up a showdown with a fellow Republican, Gov. Mitch Daniels. The governor has called for a tighter budget than the one Kenley pushed Thursday.

The governor may not like Kenley's budget, but just about everyone else did.

Credit card proposal needed for consumer (Gary Post-Tribune)

Credit card proposal needed for consumer

There is a good chance that many of us have experienced what the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 is trying to prevent -- an unwarranted assault on consumers.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh voted with the majority in the Senate Banking Committee last week. The bill advanced to the full Senate on a 12-11 vote.

The Credit Card Act -- among other things -- would prevent credit card companies from increasing interest rates on cardholders for arbitrary reasons unrelated to the cardholder's behavior.

For instance, it was brought up during testimony that a credit card company raised the interest rate for one customer to 29.9 percent. It wasn't that the customer had missed a payment, but rather that the company determined that the customer had a great amount of debt.

It seems counter-productive to raise the interest rate on a customer with a considerable amount of debt. Yet the credit card company said it did it largely because it could.

Other key Credit Card Act provisions include:

* Preventing companies from changing the terms of a credit card contract for the length of the agreement.

* Allowing a customer who closes an account to pay under terms existing when the account was closed.

* Requiring a company to disclose the time and interest it will take to pay off a card balance if only the minimum is paid monthly.

* Prohibits companies from charging interest on late fees and over-limit purchases.

This is solid legislation that has been a long time in coming. It has been unfair for companies to drain cardholders simply because they can.

We urge Sen. Richard Lugar to join Bayh in supporting the legislation when it comes before the full Senate.

New property tax deduction from Bayh (WANE-TV)

New property tax deduction from Bayh
Up to 1M homeowners could be eligible

WASHINGTON (WANE) - With the tax filing deadline less than a week away, Senator Evan Bayh is urging eligible Hoosier homeowners to take advantage of an important, new property tax deduction he created. Bayh's property tax relief could offer up to one million Indiana homeowners as much as a $1,000 deduction on their property tax bill this year.

The Bayh tax deduction, which became law last year, provides a new, standard deduction to homeowners who do not itemize their tax returns. Nationwide, roughly two-thirds of all taxpayers do not itemize. Before the Bayh deduction became law, only taxpayers who itemized were permitted to claim a deduction for their state and local property taxes.

"This new deduction is a victory for taxpayers. It's simple and ensures that more Hoosiers get property tax relief, as well," Bayh said. "If you are a homeowner and paid property taxes in 2008, but do not itemize your deductions, review line 39(c) on your 1040 short form to ensure you are eligible for the new property tax deduction."

Bayh's deduction specifically targets tax relief to middle-class families who do not itemize their deductions on their federal income tax filings. Homeowners are encouraged to review line 39(c) on Form 1040 to take advantage of the deduction.

"These are extraordinarily difficult times for middle-class homeowners, and this is an important step to help them through this rough patch," Senator Bayh said. "Homeowners shouldn't have to wonder if they can afford to stay in their homes because of sky-high property tax bills. This relief will help keep money in the pockets of Hoosier families and lighten their tax burden."

U.S. Rep. Hill plans open house today (Louisville Courier-Journal)

U.S. Rep. Hill plans open house today

Jeffersonville

U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, and his staff will have an open house today at the congressman's Jeffersonville office, 279 Quartermaster Court.

Members of the community will be able to tour the office and ask questions related to constituent service during the open house, which is scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 288-3999.

FSSA slow to fix problems (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

FSSA slow to fix problems

Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles can rightfully boast about improvements in customer service. They came after some serious missteps four years ago and after statewide protests from Hoosiers inconvenienced by the changes. A new director and a more thoughtful effort to serve Indiana motorists ultimately resulted in a dramatically improved system.

If only Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration had taken the same approach in making needed changes to its application process for public assistance. Instead, it handed a 10-year, $1.16 billion contract to IBM and other vendors two years ago and in 59 counties dismantled the network of caseworkers who had helped Hoosiers access Medicaid, food stamp and welfare benefits now known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Delays and interruptions of vital services have been the result, and FSSA is only now making small efforts to fix them.

A streamlined application is the latest fix, announced just this week and applicable only to the counties where the "modernized" eligibility system is in place. That includes northeast Indiana. The new application is cut from 16 pages to four. In addition, online signatures will be allowed for Internet applications, and applicants can see what eligibility documents the state has on file. Agencies that help clients maneuver the Web- and call center-based system will also be able to view a list of interview appointments scheduled for their clients.

Those changes address some of the most common complaints about the system, including lost paperwork and missed telephone appointments.

But critics, mostly volunteer advocates for older Hoosiers and people with disabilities - say it still misses the heart of the issue: oversight by caseworkers who knew their clients and could help them understand the complexities of the application process.

"The real problem is that those who need services need well-trained caseworkers - not clerks - caseworkers," said Michelle Niemier, executive director of United Senior Action, an advocacy group for older Hoosiers and their families.

"The old system was far from perfect, but what worked well was that every person who needed assistance had someone who could help them navigate," Niemier said. "This new system could have respected and preserved and built upon that success, by adding Internet access - we could have complemented the system. Instead, we gutted it."

Niemier said the recently announced changes are an improvement. They at least address problems that former FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob last year even denied existed. His successor, Anne Murphy, has suspended the privatization rollout and the just-announced changes come at her direction.

Fortunately, members of the Indiana General Assembly continue to keep watch. A House bill addressing Medicaid issues was amended Wednesday to require continued oversight of the eligibility process. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been pressing for changes.

John Cardwell, chairman of the Indiana Home Care Task Force, said he doesn't believe the new system is worth salvaging, however.

"No bill out there cleanly puts in place a new system," he said. "We don't want to go back to the old system, but there's an opportunity here to put in place something that is clean and comprehensive, that uses technology in a smart way in the county offices."

Cardwell said the only appropriate fix is one that will put state-employed caseworkers back on the job.

"You cannot deal with the multiplicity of problems this population has over the Internet or phone. You cannot guard against fraud unless you have caseworkers," he said.

Fixing missteps at the BMV was an easier task because the system wasn't dismantled. It will be much tougher to repair FSSA, but legislators must continue to push for changes. The Hoosiers who depend on food stamps, Medicaid and TANF might not make as much noise as inconvenienced drivers, but the services they need are every bit as vital. They deserve a better system.

Dyngus celebrations will abound (South Bend Tribune)

Dyngus celebrations will abound
Politicians to descend on city in non-election year.

By ED RONCO Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- You've gotta admit: Last year's Dyngus Day will be hard to top.

If you're new to South Bend, the Monday after Easter here is always set aside for politicians to canvass the town, drinking beer, eating kielbasa and getting earfuls (positive and negative) from local residents.

And last year, the annual festival of politics and Polish food featured former President Bill Clinton, a host of elected officials and media from around the nation, thanks to Indiana's unexpectedly important primary election voice.

It was a big, polka-riffic deal.

But just because there's no election this year -- not even a nice municipal contest to sink our teeth into -- doesn't mean you have to cry into your beer, or cut back on kielbasa.There's plenty to do, whether you're a Democrat, Republican or neither, and plenty of places for it to be done. Monday is your chance to see prominent officials face-to-face, and to tell them what's on your mind.

Republicans

Dyngus Day has tended to be a bigger deal for Democrats, but the St. Joseph County Republican Party has a few headliners coming to visit, too.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, and state Auditor Tim Berry will appear at GOP Headquarters from 4 to 7 p.m. with a Polish buffet and a cash bar.

The headquarters is at 4133 S. Main St., in South Bend, and tickets are $15 a person. Buy online at http://www.gopsjc.com or call (574) 299-1388.Democrats

Democrats are usually denoted by the color blue, but the hub of red-and-white Polish activity on Dyngus Day will be the West Side Democratic & Civic Club, 617 S. Warren St., in South Bend.

Doors there open at 9 a.m., but the best time to show up is around lunchtime. Polish food galore, beer and big names, including U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, will be on hand.

Advance tickets are on sale by calling the club (574) 287-4091 after 7 p.m. or club President Timothy Hudak at (574) 514-6583.

The official Democratic Party celebration will move around South Bend all day, starting with a breakfast at 8 a.m. at United Auto Workers Local 5, 1426 S. Main St., and ending at the South Bend Chocolate Cafe, 122 S. Michigan St., from 7 to 10 p.m.Another big event Monday is Solidarity Day -- started in 1971 to celebrate the black community's role in local politics. Solidarity Day celebrations happen at Elks Lodge No. 298, 1001 W. Western Ave.

Peak time there is usually between 2 and 3 p.m., when officials make their way from the West Side club to the Elks.

Ind. legislator focuses on ‘big issues’ (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Ind. legislator focuses on 'big issues'

Jobs, taxes are on constituents' minds

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener

This is the ninth in a series of question-and-answer interviews with Southern Indiana legislators.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rep. Sandy Blanton, D-Orleans, said that when she arrived at the General Assembly for her second legislative session this year, she'd expected local government reform to be the top issue.

Gov. Mitch Daniels had just proposed a long list of changes he wanted to make in government, all based on recommendations from a task force headed by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard.

But Blanton hasn't found folks in her district who support the ideas, which include eliminating township government and appointing -- rather than electing -- a number of county positions.

Instead, Blanton said her constituents are talking about jobs, unemployment, alcohol taxes and even legislation to regulate so-called puppy mills. In some cases, the issues are new and she's been working to get up to speed.

"They are big issues and you can really see how there are two sides to every story," she said. "But you've got to represent what your people want."

That can be a tough assignment, especially when you're also working to push your own legislation through the busy session.

"I've worked hard in my life," Blanton said. "But this is one of the hardest jobs I've ever had, just trying to keep up."

Here's what else Blanton had to say last week:

Question: How do you figure out what your constituents want and where they stand on issues?

Answer: Surveys help a lot. And they don't hesitate to contact me.

They let me know how they feel on everything from puppy mills to appointing county government to property-tax caps. They're quite free with their opinions.

Q: A proposal came up last week to increase the state's alcohol excise taxes. What are your thoughts about that idea?

A: I hate to see us raise taxes right now on anything. I'm opposed to it. I've already started hearing from people opposed to it.

I was talking to daughter yesterday on my way home from Indianapolis and she said: "When are they going to stop picking on middle-class people? It seems like we have to pay for everything. Does anybody really care?"

I told her that of course they care, but there's no money for anything and you have to look at all different options to help with the shortfall in revenue.

Q: So do you think you would vote no if the bill were before you today?

A: I do think I'd vote no.

Q: You're the vice chairman of the transportation committee, which put together legislation that would boost funding for local roads as a stimulus for job creation. What do you think of that bill?

A: I think it's a terrific bill. I think that would be a great answer to get immediate money out there and get jobs started because all the peripheral businesses could benefit from that too.

I've told my mayors and councilmen to contact the senators to ask for its passage.

Q: You are a sponsor of legislation that would create a Silver Alert system to help find missing people who suffer from problems such as dementia. Why do you think that bill is important?

A: There have been several stories in the state about people who had been lost and were disoriented and got turned around.

We had an instance here with one of the ladies I used to work with. Her grandfather was coming to the doctor's office where she worked and got turned around. It was during that time there was all the flooding. He got disoriented and drove into a creek and tried to get out of his car. He fell and passed on.

It's such a sad thing and would be such a simple thing to alert people: Please look for this person, here's the license number.

There's going to be more of us (who need that help). It's going to be your mom or dad or my mom or dad or me someday.

Q: There are just a few weeks left in the session and you have a number of significant bills remaining, including the budget. What do you hope the budget accomplishes?

A: I hope we can protect education.

I obviously want to see the Knightstown home (the Indiana Soldiers' & Sailors' Children's Home for troubled or orphaned children) in the budget. I think it would be heartless of us to close that school. I think we need to find ways to send more children there to make it more cost-efficient.

I have not heard one single bad story about that school has failed anyone. I've only heard good stories.

Q: Lawmakers are also faced with fixing the state's broken unemployment insurance system this year. Do you think that will require cuts in employee benefits?

A: I cannot vote for that. I hope not. At a time when people are struggling just to buy groceries and pay their rent, I don't see how we can at this time cut benefits. I'm totally against that.

Again, I do not know where the money will come from (to fix the system). We've got to figure out how to get that system back in the black. But there's got to be a better way than cutting benefits.

I am hoping the stimulus program gets going, money starts flowing and we get some jobs back in Indiana.

Additional Facts
Rep. Sandy Blanton

Party: Democrat
Hometown: Orleans
Years in the legislature: Two
District: All of Orange County, eastern Martin County, southern Lawrence County, about half of Greene County and the northwestern tip of Washington County.
Legislative interests: Economic issues, education, district interests.
Committees: Commerce, Energy, Technology & Utilities; Local Government; Roads & Transportation (vice chair); Small Business & Economic Development.
Occupation: Accountant, appraiser
Hobbies: Gardening, reading, watching basketball
Family: Husband, Larry; two adult children; four grandchildren
E-mail:

Indiana revenues off 16% in March (Associated Press)

Indiana revenues off 16% in March

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - State tax collections for March were $157 million less than what legislators had expected when they wrote the state budget, putting total revenues $755 million behind for the first nine months of the fiscal year.

Revenues have fallen short of original targets lawmakers used for the current budget in eight of the nine months of this fiscal year, according to figures released Monday. They were $4.1 million ahead in July, the first month of the fiscal year, but have been below projections every month since.

The miss of $157 million, or 16 percent, in March was second only to a $218 million shortfall in January.

A revised fiscal forecast in December predicted the state would take in about $763 million less this fiscal year than lawmakers approved for spending in the budget adopted in 2007. But collections based on that forecast have fallen short of target in the four months since it came out.

Even if revenues hit the downward-revised December forecast in the last three months of the fiscal year, the state would be off an additional $325 million from the budget approved by lawmakers - close to $1 billion less in total.

A new fiscal forecast is due out later this month, and State Budget Director Chris Ruhl said it was "100 percent clear" that the update will result in less money to work with than December's forecast. That would make matching spending to available resources difficult, he said.

"Meanwhile, we are seeing numerous costly bills outside of the budget (bill) advance in the General Assembly," Ruhl said in a memo accompanying the March revenue update. "Every one of these bills standing alone is a veto candidate. The proper approach to funding worthy programs is to incorporate them into a budget that protects Hoosier taxpayers."

The Democratic-led House already has approved its version of a new one-year budget, while leaders in the Republican-controlled Senate will roll out their version of a two-year spending plan this week.

After the December forecast came out, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered that spending this fiscal year be cut by $767 million.

The steps already being taken include not giving state employees pay raises this year; a strategic hiring freeze; cutting higher education operating costs by 1 percent; and postponing spending on several planned capital projects. Agencies were told to make additional cuts of 3 percent on top of 7 percent reductions they already were supposed to make.

Those steps were being taken to help ensure that the state took in more than it spent this fiscal year.

Daniels does not want to tap into the state's $1.3 billion surplus, which includes money in its main checking account and some reserve funds. He said the money might be needed if the recession gets deeper and drags on indefinitely.

Ruhl said revenue collections are unlikely to immediately recover for two reasons:

•Income tax generated from investment income and capital gains will be offset by the substantial capital losses that have occurred in equity markets.

• Sales tax growth will be diminished because of dramatic declines in retirement portfolios and available equity in primary residences will likely result in a higher saving rate. A recent study concluded that "new, normal" spending levels for consumers will only reach 86 percent of their pre-recession levels.

FSSA must figure out discrepancy (South Bend Tribune)

FSSA must figure out discrepancy

Critics of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration's welfare privatization process have been at odds with the FSSA from the onset.

The FSSA says its new system, now in place in 59 Indiana counties, is more efficient and better screens out ineligible assistance seekers.

Critics say that because the privatized system eliminates face-to-face caseworkers and requires applicants to use online and telephone application processes, the FSSA has become inaccessible to many. Furthermore, there are numerous instances of the system erroneously rejecting applicants.

The most recent criticism regards the 12-county pilot region that encompasses central Indiana north of Indianapolis. The unemployment rate in 11 of those counties exceeds the state average, yet food stamp participation there fell 3.5 percent during the 12 months ending in November 2008. It rose 14.3 percent during the same time period in the 53 counties still operating under the old welfare system.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families fell nearly 41 percent in the 12 pilot counties, but rose 3 percent where the old system is in use.How can such disparity be explained? The FSSA didn't explain it. It said instead that food stamp use rose slightly throughout the 59 "modernized" counties, without addressing directly the figures in the 12-county pilot region.

In response to earlier criticism, the FSSA agreed to delay the rollout of privatization, which is occurring under a $1.16 billion 10-year contract with an IBM-led consortium. That means that 33 counties (including this region) in which two-thirds of needy Hoosiers reside will not be subjected to the change immediately. The FSSA announced the delay only after two southern Indiana legislators filed bills in the General Assembly to halt it.

We think the FSSA must do more.

Some critics have called for immediate cancellation of the 10-year IBM-led contract. At the very least, the FSSA must figure out why fewer people are receiving food stamps and other assistance in the first region privatized. It is not credible that the need for food assistance is dropping at the same time more jobs are being lost -- certainly not in such hard-hit cities as Muncie, Kokomo and Marion.

We are glad that welfare privatization will not be coming to St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaPorte or Marshall counties anytime soon. But that sense of relief does not address what appears to be unmet need, when help is available, among our fellow Hoosiers.

Tax Credit Should Be Arriving Soon (WBIW-AM)

A tax cut portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were set to go into effect yesterday, and that could mean between $400 and $800 for you.

Indiana 9th District Democratic Congressman Baron Hill says credits worth $400 for individuals making less than $75,000 per year, and $800 for married couples making less than $150,000 per year, should start appearing in paychecks, and IRS officials have asked employers to have this in place by April 1st.

Hill says around 2.4 million Hoosiers should be able to benefit from these cuts, called the "Making Work Pay" tax credit.

Rewrite weakens DCS bill, critics say (Indianapolis Star)

Rewrite weakens DCS bill, critics say

By Tim Evans

The state Senate will vote on a bill to create an ombudsman for the Department of Child Services, but family rights advocates assailed the legislation as a watered-down compromise that falls far short of providing real oversight of the agency.

Those advocates have pushed for an independent ombudsman and were supportive of a version of the bill that previously passed 98-0 in the House.

But they were angered Wednesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a revised bill to the full Senate -- a bill rewritten primarily by DCS officials.

Although the legislation remains alive, those changes significantly reduce the reach of the ombudsman, complained Dawn Robertson, spokeswoman for the family rights group HonkForKids.com.

The most troubling change, she said, is that it appears not to allow the ombudsman to investigate complaints about DCS's interaction with parents and other family members of children involved with the state agency.

"Most of the time, the major issues that arise -- and that need to be resolved -- are between the families and DCS," Robertson said. "This bill, as it is now, would not provide any help for families."

Robertson also was critical of the committee for allowing DCS officials to craft many of the changes, yet refusing to accept any comment from the public before voting on the revised version of the bill passed by the House in February.

"To allow DCS to put in its two cents, basically rewriting the bill, and then not allow the public any opportunity to comment on those changes before the vote is just unacceptable," she said.

The original bill was introduced in the wake of a series of Indianapolis Star stories that called into question whether DCS had done enough to prevent the deaths of TaJanay Bailey and Destiny Linden, two Indianapolis girls under the agency's supervision. But because of the confidential nature of the in-house investigations, some key details never were revealed.

More than a dozen supporters of the House version of the bill attended the hearing, including several hoping to speak against the committee's proposed amendment.

Committee Chairman Richard Bray, R-Martinsville, did not return a call from The Star seeking an explanation for not allowing public comment.

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, the bill's author, called the amended version "an acceptable compromise" -- at least for now.

Brown said he does not agree with all the changes, either.

"This keeps it moving," he said. "The important thing is to get it out of the Senate."

Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, agreed.

"The changes had to happen to keep the bill moving," she said. "It would not have made it out of the committee as it was (originally) written."

Just what the committee members did not like about the original version of the bill is not clear.

Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, a member of a subcommittee that worked with DCS to revise the bill, could not articulate any specific issues that prompted them to seek a rewrite.

"I'm not sure," Holdman said, "who raised all the issues with the House version."

He said DCS took the lead in drafting the amendment approved by the Senate committee.

John P. Ryan, DCS chief of staff, agreed that the amended legislation is "a compromise" but said the agency is fully supportive of the new version.

Leising and Brown said there will be an opportunity to address changes if the legislation is approved by the full Senate. Leising said she is particularly concerned that the bill, as it is now written, would not allow the ombudsman to look into complaints by foster parents and other agencies that deal with DCS.

If the Senate approves the bill, it would go to a conference committee, where two Republicans and two Democrats would attempt to hammer out differences between the versions.

Brown said he would try during that process to address some of the changes that bother him and others, including the section that appears to limit the ombudsman to investigating only those complaints related to children involved with DCS.

About 30 other states have some sort of ombudsman program that deals with state or local child welfare programs. Indiana's proposal mirrors many others in that it would give the ombudsman the authority to examine confidential agency records, interview workers and review other circumstances of cases to determine whether the agency followed all laws, policies and procedures in the handling of cases.

DCS annually investigates about 20,000 families and removes about 7,000 children from their parents.

Indiana already has ombudsmen for at least six other state programs and agencies, including the Department of Correction, nursing home and other institutional care, mental health and public welfare services, and utility-related disputes.

Feds say Indiana miscounted jobless benefits (Associated Press)

Feds say Indiana miscounted jobless benefits

Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Labor says Indiana's unemployment agency broke federal rules in writing and awarding contracts, including a rushed $7 million deal with Ivy Tech Community College last June that it says must be canceled immediately.

A labor department report also says the Indiana Department of Workforce Development miscalculated jobless benefits at a rate five times the national average.

The March 9 report obtained by The Associated Press says the state agency might be contributing to the insolvency of the state's unemployment insurance fund by ignoring a federal mandate to check a national database for newly hired workers.

A Workforce Development spokesman says the agency is reviewing the report and has begun implementing some suggested improvements.

When will we stop trashing Indiana roadsides? (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: When will we stop trashing Indiana roadsides?

Proponents of failed bill should keep on trying
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - When will we stop trashing Indiana roadsides?

A law requiring a 10-cent refundable deposit on beverage containers would decrease litter, encourage recycling and slow the fill-ups of Hoosier landfills. Unfortunately, the 2009 Indiana legislature has tossed aside such a proposal.

House Bill 1570 failed to stay alive in the current session. Its sponsor, Rep. Vern Tincher, D-Terre Haute, said he was told the House environmental committee's agenda was too full to allow a hearing on his bottle-deposit bill. If lawmakers had passed it, Indiana would have joined 11 other states with bottle laws, including northern neighbor Michigan.

"Michigan's had it for 30 years, and it's worked successfully there," Tincher said Tuesday morning.

In fact, some groups in Michigan want to expand its 1976 law to include bottled waters, teas and sports drinks, which didn't exist when it was written 33 years ago.

Under Tincher's bill, a gamut of bottled drinks would have carried an added 10-cent deposit. Glass, plastic and metal containers of various waters, soft drinks, beer, mixed wine or spirits would have been covered. Consumers would be refunded that dime deposit when they returned their empty bottles to recycling bins at groceries and markets. Drink distributors would also pay refunds to the grocers. The deposits on bottles left unreturned would be used to compensate retailers and benefit the Indiana Heritage Trust Fund, which buys land from willing sellers to protect wildlife habitats.

Grocers and soft drink makers opposed the bill, Tincher said.

Indeed, any sort of recycling effort involves inconvenience for consumers, retailers and the state. Littering, on the other hand, feels quite convenient, at least to the offending litterbug. A tossed pop bottle goes out the car window, out of sight, out of mind. The damage to the Hoosier countryside is readily seen by thousands of people, polluting the view, land and streams. Others must clean up the mess, costing volunteers their time and taxpayers their money to fund public road crews.

Indiana has much to lose from waiting to implement a bottle-deposit law. Fishing, hunting, hiking and outdoors activities give Hoosiers and visitors a recreational outlet.

Tincher isn't sure if he'll revive his bill in the General Assembly's short 2010 session. If not, another lawmaker should pick up on his attempt and make a whole-hearted commitment toward passing an Indiana bottle bill. The result would be a cleaner Hoosier state.

Indiana Rep. Baron Hill’s smuggling bill passed again (Jeffersonville Evening News)

Indiana Rep. Baron Hill's smuggling bill passed again

By DANIEL SUDDEATH

An alien smuggling bill championed by Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday evening.

Labeled the Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act, the measure actually passed the House last year, only to be turned down by the Senate. Hill pushed for it to be reconsidered by Congress, citing the need to aid federal prosecutors and agents who battle the smuggling trade.

"When I returned to Congress in 2006, I was quite frankly appalled to learn from law enforcement that the punishment for alien smuggling does not fit the crime," Hill stated in a news release following the vote.

"We need to pass this bill and move one step forward in really securing our borders."

The legislation would stiffen penalties for those convicted of alien smuggling, raising the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony. There would be a five-year base maximum prison term for most alien smugglers through the bill, and those terms could increase drastically if the smuggler exposes U.S. residents to high risk of injury or death, such as kidnapping or rape.

House Resolution 1029 received no opposition and was passed unanimously last year by the House.

"I am proud of this legislative victory," Hill said. "This bill is truly bipartisan, supported even by the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Lamar Smith."

Hill's colleague, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, acknowledged the Indiana representative's diligence for bringing the measure back for another vote.

"This is a legislative initiative that is long overdue," she said.

The House version now must pass the Senate and be signed by President Barack Obama before it becomes law. Hill said time is of the essence.

"More than 17,000 individuals were illegally trafficked into this country last year," he said. "This is a serious violation of our border laws. I believe this bill will not only prosecute offenders, but act as a deterrent for illegal alien smugglers, and therefore greatly cut down on illegal immigration."

Voter Activation Network

The Indiana Democratic Party will shut off all VAN access for existing users on April 30, 2009, unless a signed copy of the new contract is on file. This is to ensure accountability for and oversight of this incredibly valuable political tool, which we maintain and provide to local parties and candidates free of charge.

Download a copy of the 2009 Voter Activation Network contract here.

You may return a signed copy of the contract to the Indiana Democratic Party by e-mail at van@indems.org or by U.S. Postal Service:

Indiana Democratic Party
One North Capitol, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46204
ATTN: VAN Administrator

Critics say welfare changes cost Ind. $100M so far (Associated Press)

Critics say welfare changes cost Ind. $100M so far

By KEN KUSMER

Those living in a swath of 12 north central counties with some of Indiana's highest unemployment - and the test region for the state's welfare modernization - lost food stamps and other public benefits as participation in those programs grew elsewhere, critics said Monday.

The 12 counties including the cities of Kokomo, Anderson, Muncie and Marion saw food stamp participation fall 3.5 percent in the 12 months beginning in November 2007 after the state took away individual welfare case managers and introduced call centers and the Internet as tools for determining eligibility, said the leaders of senior advocacy organizations and others.

In counties still operating under the old system with case managers for each household, food stamp participation grew 14.3 percent over the same period.

A spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said the critics' numbers were wrong and that food stamp participation has increased in modernized counties.

The advocates said the loss of food stamps and other benefits so far has cost Indiana more than $100 million in economic activity at a time when it has had one of the highest jobless rates in the nation. They called upon Gov. Mitch Daniels and state lawmakers to immediately cancel the state's 10-year, $1.16 billion contract with IBM Corp., Affiliated Computer Services Inc. and other companies to automate the welfare process.

Jim Wallihan, president of United Senior Action of Indiana, said welfare modernization has hurt the ability of needy children, seniors and people with disabilities to get necessary services.

"We call the fractured human services system in Indiana this state's Humpty Dumpty," Wallihan said.

"Ordinarily in an economy with rapidly growing unemployment, one would expect that the provision of services such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, Medicaid would increase, along with the rising unemployment. In fact, the opposite appears to be occurring in Indiana," he said.

One of the critics, former Vigo County welfare director Glenn Cardwell, said the $100 million in lost economic activity figure represented a benchmark because backers of the welfare changes in the Daniels administration have said it would cost the state that much to cancel the IBM-ACS contract.

Cardwell calculated that figure by estimating the economic activity that would have been generated if participation in food stamps and a second program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, had grown in the modernized counties as they had in counties still under the old system.

The U.S. Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees the food stamp program, estimates that $5 in food stamps generates $9.20 in economic activity.

TANF is a stopgap, financial assistance program for the newly unemployed. TANF participation fell nearly 41 percent in the 12-county pilot area but rose 3 percent in counties still under the old system, Cardwell said

Eleven of the 12 counties in the pilot region had unemployment rates in November higher than the state average at the time of 6.8 percent, Cardwell said. That region as a whole also had a higher unemployment rate than any of the other three regions FSSA has carved out for receiving the welfare changes in pieces.

The 59 counties with the changes represent about a third of the state's welfare caseload of 1.2 million people. Still operating under the old system are 13 counties in northwest and north central Indiana and 20 in central Indiana.

FSSA spokesman Marcus Barlow said participation in food stamps has increased in the counties where welfare has been modernized.

"We disagree that people that are eligible for food stamps aren't getting them," Barlow said.

Barlow provided numbers that challenged the critics' without directly contradicting them. The critics said food stamp participation fell from 13,450 to 7,956 during from November 2007 to November 2008. Barlow countered that food stamp use in all of the 59 modernized counties grew from 111,115 in February 2007 to 112,263 in December 2008.

Barlow said TANF participation for all of the modernized counties has risen and fallen over the past three months, from 13,662 in December to 13,885 in January to 13,670 in February.

Unemployment fix infuriates construction trades (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Unemployment fix infuriates construction trades

By Patrick Guinane

INDIANAPOLIS | Steven Erffmeyer drives an asphalt truck for a road construction crew during the seven or eight months a year that the weather cooperates.

"Every year we get laid off," the Highland resident and Teamsters Local 142 member said. "We depend on unemployment to get us through the winter, that and what we save up."

Erffmeyer is among more than 5,000 union construction workers in Northwest Indiana who likely would lose unemployment benefits if lawmakers press ahead with a measure Republicans muscled through the state Senate last week.

Indiana's unemployment fund went broke in December, though the state continues to cut benefit checks thanks to more than $500 million in federal loans. Senate Republicans presented a bailout that bites both employers and workers, but the initial plan -- now in negotiations with House Democrats -- is drawing loud complaints from labor.

"They're trying to balance it on the backs of working-class people," said Randy Palmateer, business manager of the Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council. "This is the most anti-worker bill I've ever seen."

The proposal, House Bill 1379, seeks to raise $328 million a year through higher employer taxes and save $544 million annually by trimming worker benefits and ending what Republicans have dubbed "fraud, waste and abuse."

Among the most contentious components is a bid to classify construction and manufacturing workers who toil less than 42 weeks a year -- up from the current 26 weeks -- as seasonal employees ineligible for unemployment benefits.

"There are obviously people who are using the fund every year as part of their income, and I don't think the fund was ever intended for that," said Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne. "At the same time, a lot of those workers are highly paid and are compensated because they don't work all year round."

State labor statistics show that construction workers earn an average of $41,845 a year, or about $5,400 more than the average wage for all Hoosiers.

David Fagan, the Merrillville-based financial secretary for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, said the 4,500 Indiana members of the union earn an average of about $65,000 a year. He considers the Senate plan a "bad economic policy" that "singles out the construction industry."

The union in the past has backed Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who calls the Senate unemployment plan "an excellent effort." Union complaints about Senate GOP plan to fix Indiana's bankrupt unemployment fund:

-- The plan aims to save $129 million a year by encouraging construction and manufacturing employers whose staff work 42 weeks a year or less -- up from the current 26 weeks -- to classify them as seasonal workers ineligible for unemployment benefits. Union officials say the proposal could deny benefits to more than 5,000 workers in Northwest Indiana, and Democrats say more than 44,000 workers could lose benefits statewide. Employers who don't use the seasonal classification would be hit with a surcharge forcing them to pay 80 percent to 100 percent of the unemployment benefits their workers receive during repeat layoffs.

-- Laid-off workers would be required to apply for at least three jobs a week, rather than just seek three jobs. Union officials say this would force their members to seek lower-wage jobs outside of their union, rather than just apply for work each week at the union hall.

-- Instead of waiting for a comparable job in their field, unemployment recipients would be required to take any job that pays 80 percent of their prior salary. The threshold would decline to 60 percent after four weeks of receiving unemployment benefits and drop to 50 percent after 12 weeks. Union officials say it makes no sense to force their members into jobs they would abandon after a plant comes back on line from a planned shutdown or construction picks up with a change in the weather.

-- The proposal targets another $125 million in annual savings through a sliding benefits scale for jobless workers who do not join an approved state retraining program. Instead of the current maximum weekly benefit of $390, Hoosiers would get up to:
$424 a week in the first four weeks of unemployment
$382 in weeks 5 and 6
$344 in weeks 7 and 8
$310 in weeks 9 through 26

Rep. Dennie Oxley pleased by bipartisan effort in legislature (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Rep. Dennie Oxley pleased by bipartisan effort in legislature

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener

This is the eighth in a series of question-and-answer interviews with Southern Indiana legislators.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rep. Dennie Oxley, D-Taswell, is in his first legislative session after succeeding his son as the representative for District 73, one of the state's largest by area, covering all or parts of eight counties.

Oxley, a teacher, has focused much of his energy on education and labor issues as he's become acquainted with the way the General Assembly works. It's been an especially difficult session, given the state's economic woes, problems with the unemployment insurance system and how to spend federal stimulus dollars.

But Oxley said he's been particularly pleased to see that so many issues aren't contentious and that Republicans and Democrats work together regularly.

"Most of the bills we vote on are bipartisan," Oxley said last week. "It's been a good experience. I've really enjoyed myself."

Here's what else Oxley had to say:

Question: How is your first session going?

Answer: It's going very well. As someone being newly elected, I'm really pleased with all the cooperation I've got from everyone -- and when I say everyone, I mean both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans. They've really been good to me.

Q: What's been the biggest surprise since you arrived?

A: The amount of debate, which is great, in committee and how much research goes into these bills. There's a lot of work that probably people don't understand that goes into preparing these bills and getting them even heard in committee.

I understood bills had to go through a committee but I didn't understand how much debate and how much work there is to even get the bill heard by the chairman of that committee and to get all your witnesses in there.

It's been a learning experience. I've enjoyed it.

Q: You authored a bill that would have made textbooks free for all students. What happened to that proposal?

A: Well, it's not the first time that bill has been filed. And I truly believe the state needs to make that commitment.

Our state constitution says that we shall provide a free public education, and when parents have to buy textbooks for their children that's certainly not a free education. I'd say that's one of the more important things we can do is to get this in the code.

I'm sure (House Ways and Means Committee) Chairman (Bill) Crawford didn't hear the bill this year because of the current financial conditions the state is in. But we're one of the few states that don't already offer it.

Q: You mentioned the current financial situation and that affects the budget. What are you hoping that that this budget can achieve, particularly for schools?

A: We (House Democrats) passed a bill that was for one year (of funding), instead of the usual two-year budget. We thought that was the prudent thing to do because of the uncertainty of the economy.

Our local government and all the school corporations already work on a one-year budget. There's nothing magical about a two-year budget. We just hope the Senate will agree.

My priority -- and certainly the Democratic caucus priority -- is to provide adequate funding for every public school in Indiana and that's what we're trying to do with this one-year budget. These are uncertain times and we need to move carefully.

Q: Last week, you voted for a bill that would allow parent conferences and teacher training to be counted as instructional time in schools. Why did you want to support that bill?

A: That will not reduce any time in the classroom. We'll spend as much time in the classroom under this bill as they did every year the last 20 years.

Over 90 percent of the schools now spend more time in class right now than is required by law. All we're doing is preserving the ability for schools to schedule parent-teacher conferences during the hours that parents can come, to be convenient for working parents, and also those teacher development days. They are very vital to teachers.

Reporter Lesley Stedman Weidenbener can be reached at (317) 444-2780.
Additional Facts
Rep. Dennie Oxley

Party: Democrat.
Hometown: Taswell.
Years in the legislature: 1.
District: All of Crawford County, most of Washington and much of Perry counties, northwest Clark, southern Jackson, western Scott, southeast Dubois and the northwest tip of Harrison counties.
Legislative interests: Rural issues, natural resources, finances.
Committees: Education (vice chair); Financial Institutions; Labor & Employment.
Occupation: Teacher.
Hobbies: Walking, golfing, reading.
Family: Wife Beverly, four adult children, six grandchildren.
E-mail: .

State, area unemployment rose in February (Indianapolis Business Journal)

State, area unemployment rose in February

Scott Olson
IBJ staff

The state's unemployment inched up just one-tenth of a percentage point, to 9.4 percent, in February, compared with the revised rate in January, according to figures released this morning by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

The rate climbed from a seasonally adjusted revised rate of 9.3 percent in January and is still the state's highest rate in 25 years. Job declines in transportation and automotive parts manufacturing continue to drive the high unemployment.

The Indianapolis metropolitan area's non-seasonally adjusted rate jumped two-tenths of a percentage point, to 8.2 percent, according to the report, and the city lost more than 2,000 jobs. The area's jobless rate was 4.6 percent in February 2008.

Indiana shed nearly 4,500 jobs in February, much fewer than the 17,413 it lost in January.

An increase in construction jobs helped to offset the job losses in the automotive industry, said DWD Commissioner Teresa Voors in a written statement.

"We expect to see continued growth as outdoor construction resumes, but this may not completely negate extended furloughs and layoffs in the automobile industry in the coming months," she said.

In the Midwest, Indiana's 0.1-percentage-point month-to-month increase was the lowest among its neighboring states. Illinois' 0.8-percentage-point increase was the largest.

Indiana's unemployment rate continues to exceed the national jobless rate, which was 8.1 percent in February.

The number of unemployed Hoosiers in the state now numbers 324,178, and is likely to grow.

Elkhart County again had the state's highest jobless rate, but its rate in February declined to 18 percent, down from January's 18.3 percent.

Nearly 2,800 workers at large Indiana employers have been notified this month that they face losing their jobs by early summer, according to the Associated Press.

The largest of Indiana's layoff announcements made in March were for 515 workers at Monaco Coach plants in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties, and for 439 jobs at a Caterpillar plant in Lafayette.

Indiana's 9.3-percent rate in January was revised from the 9.2-percent figure the state reported earlier this month.

Are Cost Cuts To Blame For Branchville Prison Escape? (WEHT-TV, Evansville)

Are Cost Cuts To Blame For Branchville Prison Escape?

story by: Courtney Fischer

BRANCHVILLE, IN - Seven days police have searched by highway, by helicopter, by dog three Branchville prison inmates still at large.

The day they went missing, an online message board went buzzing. Some people identifying themselves as prison workers posting what they think went wrong at Branchville.

"We need more staff," one writes.

"I can remember years ago... before cost cuts, before the bad economy, we were staffed well. Back then we had eyes everywhere, the whole facility ran like a well oiled machine," says another.

"This happened because of staff shortages and classification changes."

Is their any truth to what these workers say?

We ask Nick Zellers-who works for Branchville-is the facility understaffed right now?

"I can't comment on whether or not we've understaffed. We're at our full staffing capacity," Zellers says.

He tells NEWS 25, right now about 300 workers are employed at Branchville. There are ten positions vacant. Zellers couldn't comment how many of those positions are prison guards.

Zellers says the prison can't fill the positions because of a hiring freeze on state employees issued by Governor Mitch Daniels.

NEWS 25 asked Zellers, does Branchville need help? Need more guards?

"I can't comment on that right now until we get our assessment back."

The escape is under investigation by prison staff and Indiana's Department of Correction.

"I think we could say we haven't reached a conclusion at all that staff shortage had anything to do with this," says David Garrison with the DOC.

State workers say three inmates with one staff member isn't an out of the ordinary situation.

"That's not to make light at all of anything concerned correctional officers have about the situation there, but really it's sometimes very different to prevent spontaneous assaults like that," Garrison says.

Stimulus money could fund ‘green’ projects in metro area (Indianapolis Star)

Stimulus money could fund 'green' projects in metro area

Environmental initiatives, biking/hiking trails may be big beneficiaries of largesse.

By Diana Penner

Folks who enjoy biking -- for fun, fitness or frugality -- might be winners under the federal stimulus plan.

Biking and hiking trails are among the user-friendly "green'' projects Indianapolis and some suburban communities hope to pay for with federal stimulus money.

The stimulus plan doesn't include a focused line-item for green projects. However, a wide range of funding sources might be tapped for such projects, from community development block grants to transit money. Requests from metro-area communities for such projects could total more than $43 million.

The lieutenant governor's office is compiling a list of stimulus requests with help from Ball State University. It's unclear when officials will evaluate the list, but once the process is complete, the state will try to steer communities toward the appropriate funding, said Jay Kenworthy, spokesman for Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.

Indianapolis leaders learned Thursday that the city will receive $8 million in stimulus funds through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Kären Haley, director of the city's Office of Sustainability, said staff was still reviewing the grant requirements and will develop a process to determine which projects are eligible for funding. The projects include greenways, rain barrels and other eco-friendly projects area taxpayers could touch with their own hands -- and feet. Among them:

Three segments of the Downtown Cultural Trail -- along Walnut and North streets, between Indiana Avenue and Alabama Street, $11 million; Virginia Avenue into the Fountain Square neighborhood, $9 million; and Capitol Avenue between Maryland and Washington streets, $1.2 million. So far, the east section of about a half-mile of the Cultural Trail is complete.

Two legs of bike-lane striping and lane adjustment on residential streets: Allisonville Road from roughly Binford Boulevard to 82nd Street, $649,000; and Lafayette Road, boundaries to be determined, about $1 million. Stretches of roadway of about 5 1/2 miles each on New York and Michigan streets, about 1.4 miles on Westlane Road and a mile on 52nd Street already have bike lane striping.

Rain barrels: The city hopes it can get $117,000 for rain barrels, which are used to capture gutter runoff, can help avoid flooded basements in neighborhoods with poor drainage and yield water that can be used for gardens, washing cars and similar chores. The barrels can save money and water, and help avoid environmental and structural problems.

Rain gardens: About $600,000 is being sought for the concept that involves planting native grasses and plants with deep root systems to hold moisture and prevent excess rainwater from collecting in storm or sanitary sewers, basements and streets. Neighborhoods likely would be targeted, and commercial lots or residential backyards might be involved.

Green roofs: The city wants about $875,000 for the project, announced last fall with the first such roof planned for a sewer facility behind the Riviera Club, 5640 N. Illinois St. Construction is expected to begin in November. The concept involves a thin layer of grasses and plants on top of a waterproof membrane over the roof. The idea is to reduce storm water runoff and cut down on a building's energy costs with natural insulation.

Greenwood

Greenwood hopes to capture money for two bridges to connect the planned 1.6-mile Tracy Trail: one overpass over Smith Valley Road at Craig Park for about $1.2 million and another over U.S. 31 just to the southwest of the park for about $1.8 million.

As of last week, Greenwood had not heard whether the project would be funded, said Parks Director Evan Springer.

Noblesville

The city's parks and recreation department has forwarded three projects to Skillman's office: two related to trails and a third request for a nature center, said Director Don Seal.

It is seeking about $1.4 million for a causeway bridge over Carrigan Road at Morse Reservoir, about $500,000 for a half-mile stretch of the Stony Creek trail off Ind. 38 on the east side of Noblesville and a project estimated at $3 million for construction of the roughly 30-acre Hague Road Nature Haven west of the city off Ind. 38.

Seal said some of the trails projects could be funded out of about $20 million in additional "transit enhancement'' funds coming to Indiana under the stimulus plan.

Beech Grove

Beech Grove's hopes for funding two phases of its greenway path along Lick Creek were dashed, said Mayor Joe Wright., because stimulus funding is aimed at "shovel-ready" projects that are ready to begin and can create jobs quickly.

"They want projects that can be awarded (to contractors) by July or August'' in general, Wright said, and his city still is acquiring land for the greenway paths.

Ranks of uninsured put at 29% in state (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Ranks of uninsured put at 29% in state

Michael Schroeder
The Journal Gazette

Twenty-nine percent of Hoosiers younger than 65 lacked health insurance at some point during 2007-08, according to a report released Thursday.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports the number of people who don't have health insurance for the full previous calendar year. But the data collected by Families USA, an advocacy group that promotes universal health insurance, also include those who were uninsured for a portion of the 2-year period studied.

Based on this calculation, about 1.6 million Hoosiers were uninsured, including 1.1 million who were uninsured for six months or more.

Nationally, one in three people younger than 65 was uninsured at some point during 2007-08, or about 86.7 million Americans. That compares with 45.7 million people who were deemed uninsured for the entire 2007 calendar year, according to Census Bureau data.

"At this point, almost everyone in the country has had a family member, neighbor, or friend who was uninsured," Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said in a statement "and that's why meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner."

Ethnic minorities were disproportionately affected. In Indiana, 53 percent of Hispanics and 42.3 percent of blacks were uninsured, compared with 26.4 percent of whites, according to the report by Families USA.

Lower-income Hoosiers were more likely to be uninsured, and most uninsured Hoosiers in the report - 77.4 percent - came from working families.

Locally, the percentage of uninsured seeking care at Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health rose from 10 percent in 2005 to 11.6 percent last year. Numerous national surveys and anecdotal evidence show that many others are putting off medical care and forgoing medications because of economic pressures and lack of health coverage.

Anecdotally, the number of local residents who don't have adequate health insurance appears to be increasing, said Meg Distler, executive director for St. Joseph Community Health Foundation.

A high honor for Notre Dame (South Bend Tribune)

A high honor for Notre Dame

Each year, many colleges and universities invite the president of the United States to deliver their commencement address. Presidents can accept only a few of those requests -- probably fewer than they would like to.

It is, therefore, a high honor indeed that in this first year of his presidency President Obama has accepted the University of Notre Dame's invitation to speak at this spring's commencement. That he has is a reflection of the university's importance, as well as an indication of the president's regard for Notre Dame's home community.

Some people don't believe, for one reason or another, that the president should be coming to South Bend to address Notre Dame's graduates.

One reason given is that some of the president's views are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. That thought was expressed as well when former President George W. Bush delivered the commencement address in 2001 and again when he spoke at the university in March 2005.

Notre Dame administrators and trustees do not require the university's guests to be philosophically in lockstep with a particular belief set -- especially when those guests happen to be leaders of the free world. We believe this is appropriate for all universities.Obama will the sixth president to address a graduating class. None of his predecessors were Catholic nor did they necessarily share all Catholic convictions, but then such was not a prerequisite for the honor. Notre Dame's character isn't compromised by the university's open attitude toward academic inquiry or the welcoming of such highly placed commencement speakers.

There also have been complaints that Obama's visit will be costly to taxpayers, including the cost of locally provided security.

We've heard that one before, regarding the visits of previous presidents. While times might be tougher now, the response remains the same: The cost of providing security and traffic control is part of the public safety responsibility of a host city. Presidents don't travel lightly or cheaply. But getting around -- being seen and heard by the people -- is an important aspect of presidential leadership.

Regardless of one's political or personal views, a presidential visit is cause for pride and enthusiasm. It is especially meaningful for Notre Dame's class of 2009. Its members aren't likely to ever forget who their commencement speaker was or what he had to say.

IDEM calendar complaint rejected (Gary Post-Tribune)

IDEM calendar complaint rejected

By Gitte Laasby
Post-Tribune staff writer

MERRILLVILLE -- Indiana law does not allow the public to access officials' calendars and meeting schedules.

On that basis, Indiana Public Access Counselor Heather Neal rejected a complaint by the Post-Tribune that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management refused to release copies of electronic calendars. The calendars show when IDEM officials met with BP officials regarding the company's air permit.

An Indiana Court of Appeals ruling from 1998 and two previous public access counselor opinions stated that calendars are not subject to disclosure because they are the equivalent of a diary or journal.

The Post-Tribune had argued that the calendars in question are more like a message board than a diary or journal because they are electronic and because dozens of people access them and make changes to them. The public access counselor disagreed.

"I am not persuaded that the features of (the program) Microsoft Outlook make the employee calendars different" than the calendars in the other cases, Neal wrote in an unofficial opinion letter to the Post-Tribune on Thursday.

"It is my understanding that each of those employees would need to be authorized to view the calendar (i.e. issued a user identification and password by the state). It is also possible for a user to mark information maintained in the Outlook calendar as private. In other words, the user is able to share certain information and maintain other information as private."

As a result, IDEM has the discretion to withhold the calendar from disclosure, Neal wrote.

She did not address whether the calendars in question were marked as private.

Hoosier State Press Association General Counsel Steve Key said the opinion makes it more difficult for the public to hold a taxpayer-funded agency accountable for what it does.

"Obviously it makes it more difficult for the public to be able to determine answers to questions such as, who's meeting with whom, how much time has been spent on this particular subject matter or another," Key said. "It has expanded the journal or diary exception beyond what I believe was the original intent. (But) the access counselor is stuck with the case law that's there. The public access counselor isn't charged or directed to give their opinion as far as what the law should be, but what the law is."