State Senator Eric Bassler’s Statehouse Update

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Legislators Meet for 
Special Session

Earlier this week, the General Assembly reconvened for a one-day special session to pass a handful of important bills, including measures to increase funding for school security and align Indiana with the major federal tax reform passed in 2017.

House Enrolled Act 1230 provides additional funding for school security and requires the Department of Educationto conduct an audit of every school’s safety plan in the wake of the February school shooting in Florida.

House Enrolled Act 1315, which I sponsored, provides emergency assistance to aid the turnaround efforts in Indiana’s only two financially distressed school corporations – Muncie and Gary. More importantly, from a statewide perspective, HEA 1315 establishes a process to annually monitor the financial health of all school districts so the state can provide support for local turnaround efforts without the need for more drastic interventions like what became necessary in Muncie and Gary.

House Enrolled Acts 1316 and 1242 update Indiana’s tax code and other tax policies to respond to recent federal changes, including the major tax reform legislation passed in 2017. Without this legislation, Indiana businesses could face $100 million in increased tax compliance costs because they would have to keep two sets of accounting records – one for state taxes and another for federal taxes.

These four bills were in final form at the end of the regular session in March, but ultimately did not pass due to time constraints.

The process set forth by legislative leaders was the most transparent and efficient for a special session to date, and while we should’ve completed our work in March, I believe we set an example for the future.

Click here to view the full versions of the bills.


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Spotlight On: Honoring Our 
Military Members

Since 1999, the month of May has been designated as Military Appreciation Month. During this time, Americans across the country honor servicemen and women who’ve sacrificed and dedicated their lives to protect our freedoms.

During the 2018 legislative session, the Indiana General Assembly passed several bills that benefit the military members living in Indiana, which were recently signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb.

House Enrolled Act 1047 allows members of the military on active duty or called to active duty during an academic term to re-enroll in an uncompleted course or receive a refund or credit at state educational institutions.

Senate Enrolled Act 96 extends the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Pilot Program until 2020. This program assists in providing diagnostic testing and hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) to veterans. HBOT is a medical treatment commonly used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, divers’ sickness, enhanced healing of some wound problems, skin grafts, heat burns and crush injuries.

Senate Enrolled Act 262 requires the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue a permanent parking placard to a disabled Hoosier veteran when requested.

I believe the General Assembly’s work will help improve the lives of our servicemen and women, both during and after their service.

Click here for more information on Military Appreciation Month.


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Next Generation Hoosier
Educators Scholarships

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education recently awarded 200 scholarships to future Indiana educators.

These scholarships were awarded based on academic achievement and other factors. To qualify, students had to rank in the highest 20 percent of their high school class or earn a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT. To continue earning the scholarship in college, students must earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours per year.

Click here to see the students who received the scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year from our area.