Recognizing The Jennifer Act
This week, I presented Senate Concurrent Resolution 41, which urges continued recognition of The Jennifer Act. Jennifer Reynolds fought drug addiction for 13 years, but lost her life to a drug overdose. Jennifer’s mother, Sharon Blair, began The Jennifer Act to create awareness for families and loved ones on how to intervene and rescue someone from addiction. Blair advocates for this legislation in Indiana and Florida and hopes to spread this movement to other states.
The Second Half of Session is Underway
With the Indiana General Assembly in the final half of the legislative session, my colleagues and I have started considering legislation originally passed by the House of Representatives and vice versa.
Of the 449 bills authored in our chamber, 172 have moved to the House, and of the 451 bills authored in the House, 130 have moved to the Senate.
Below are some of the important House bills we are considering during the second half.
- House Bill 1001 would provide the school funding needed due to the higher-than-expected enrollment in public schools for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
- House Bill 1035 would protect homeowners’ property rights by preempting local bans on the use of short-term rentals like Airbnb for a person’s primary residence.
- House Bill 1341 would create a regulatory framework to allow for the testing of self-driving cars.
- House Bill 1359 would increase the penalty for drug dealing if it results in the death of a user.
For a full list of legislation authored this session, click here.
Avoiding Tax Fraud
During tax season, thieves will steal another person’s identity and use their Social Security number to file taxes.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) encourages people to look out for the following warning signs, as they might indicate a tax-related identity theft.
- More than one tax return was filed for the same person.
- A person owes additional tax, has a refund offset, or has had collection actions taken against them for a year they did not file a tax return.
- IRS records show a person received wages or other income from an employer they did not work for in the past.
Contact the Office of the Attorney General at 800-382-5516 or visit www.IndianaConsumer.com if you believe you are the victim of a tax-related theft.