March 29, 2019
Improving Care for Pregnant Mothers and Babies
It’s an unfortunate reality that Indiana’s infant mortality rate is among the worst in the nation. As lawmakers begin working to address this issue, it’s become apparent that mothers-to-be in some areas of our state are more likely to have a high-risk pregnancy.
To help improve our state’s infant mortality rate and care for pregnant women, the Indiana General Assembly is considering House Bill 1007 this session, which would require the Indiana State Department of Health to establish a perinatal navigator program. The goal of this program is to engage mothers early on in their pregnancy and connect them with services that would help improve their health and the health of their child during pregnancy and birth.
Ensuring proper care for mothers and their babies is a top priority for the General Assembly, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to find ways to reduce our infant mortality rate.
INDOT Kicks Off Road Construction Season
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) recently kicked off the road construction season, announcing that more than 1,100 projects are scheduled for construction in 2019.
As construction begins, INDOT wants Hoosiers to know they will see an increasing number of “Road Work Ahead” signs across the state.
Additionally, 189 Indiana cities, towns and counties recently received a combined $115 million in state-matching funds for local road projects through the Next Level Roads: Community Crossings Initiative. This initiative has provided more than $500 million for construction projects since it was created by the legislature in 2016.
For local projects awarded grant money near your area, click here.
INDOT urges drivers to slow down, avoid distractions and drive with extra caution in work zones.
To view a map of construction projects, click here.
Protecting Taxpayers and
School Funding
This week, I voted for a bill that balances protections for property taxpayers with the need for schools to receive sufficient funding.
Under a law set to end this year, schools that lose at least 10 percent of their operations levy to property-tax caps have been allowed to spread those losses across other funds, ensuring no single fund loses so much revenue that it hurts the school’s ability to operate. However, this current law has the effect of increasing property taxes for some Hoosiers living in affected school districts.
House Bill 1021 gives schools four more years to spread their tax-cap losses across their various funds, but it also sets up a plan to phase out this system, so that starting in 2024, every school district in Indiana will abide by the property-tax caps that Hoosiers overwhelmingly voted to add to the state constitution in 2010.
This is a taxpayer-friendly plan that gives schools a few more years to adjust to the tax caps, while making it clear that every community should be fully protected by the property-tax caps in the long term. HB 1021 awaits further action in the House of Representatives.
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