Local state lawmakers outlined their priorities Friday during a luncheon hosted by newly merged chamber organization, Aspire Johnson County.
Some of the representatives’ and senators’ top issues had already made headlines last week, the first for the 2020 legislative session which kicked off Jan. 6 at the Statehouse.
Topics ran the gamut from hot button issues regarding healthcare, such as raising the smoking and vaping age to 21 from 18, more transparency among hospital costs and improving survivor benefits for law enforcement personnel, to in-the-weeds issues such as security concerns at gun shops and giving homeowners in HOA environments more leniency in regards to solar panels.
All six of the county’s legislators attended the event along with Marion County legislators, Rep. Mike Speedy and Sen. Aaron Freeman.
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The audience, a mix of local business and government leaders, offered input, mostly signaling their support for how their local legislators were already leaning.
So far this year, there are more than 300 bills in each the House and the Senate, and votes are expected to begin this week, the second of the short non-budget session that’s scheduled to wrap up in March.
Eric Prime, a Greenwood attorney and the event’s moderator, asked legislators questions from the audience about workforce development, teacher pay and marijuana legalization, none of which were on their lists of priorities this year.
Rep. Woody Burton, R-Whiteland, is focusing his efforts during his final legislative session on increasing security at firearm stores. This comes after five men broke into Element Armament, a Whiteland gun store, in July, and stole 33 guns and loads of ammunition in as little as 2 minutes.
Burton also wants to make it possible for public schools to offer free dental screenings in addition to free medical screenings, and limit the burdens placed on landlords, such as sticking them with unpaid utility bills if a renter moves without notice or is evicted, which can take months, he said.
Burton announced in November he is not running for re-election after 32 years of service.
"It’s time to move on and let some younger guns come in here and get this program rolling a little faster," Burton said.
Rep. Dollyne Sherman, R-Indianapolis, who is finishing up former Rep. David Frizzell’s term, has her sights set on several healthcare-related issues this session including: raising the smoking and vaping age to 21 from 18, one of the state GOP’s top priorities this year, and requiring more transparency in hospital costs in an effort to drive down costs. Both of those bills passed out of the House’s public health committee last week, she said.
She is also looking to improve survivor benefits for law enforcement personnel who are killed in the line of duty.
"I’ll just take a minute to say, shout out to my colleagues up here. Many of them have served for many, many years and are in key leadership positions. Many of them have been helpful to me in general and in authoring my own bill," Sherman said. "You are very well represented in this part of the state."
Sen. Rod Bray, R-Martinsville, is also focusing on issues related to high healthcare costs.
"Many of you may know, earlier in 2019, a study came out that talked about … they studied 25 different states and their hospital costs. Unfortunately, Indiana was the highest of those 25 that were studied," Bray said. "There are a lot of reasons I think probably for why that is the case, but we’re trying to chip away at some of those, and I think the transparency piece is an important part of that."
Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis, is also hoping to improve survivor benefits for specific law enforcement personnel who are killed in the line of duty.
"I found out a couple years ago when we had a DNR officer drown on duty that their death benefits for on-duty did not start until they completed 15 years of service; think about that," Sandlin said.
The bill says that state excise police, gaming agents, gaming control officers and conservation enforcement officers are not required to have a minimum number of years of service for their spouse to qualify for survivor benefits.
"I think it’s an important bill. We need to support our first responders," he said.
Another bill he has authored, a recommendation by Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, is to better protect jail employees’ personal information, such as when inmates who have been incarcerated but not convicted try to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get jail employees’ personal information, which poses a risk to them, he said.
Rep. John Young, R-Franklin, a local attorney, is carrying a bill that covers several judicial matters, including raising the maximum amount of damages that can be heard in small claims courts to $8,000 from $6,000 to better serve small business owners.
"This is of benefit to small businesses and sole proprietors; it gives more folks the option to enter into small claims courts to get what is owed to them," Young said.
He is also carrying a farming bill that would clarify language in a centuries-old statute to make farmers no longer responsible for private railroad crossings that bisect their fields, which can cost up to $11,000, Young said.
"It’s tough enough to be a farmer these days, and certainly the agriculture industry is still the backbone of our state. So to that extent, I want to make sure that farmers are having as easy a go of it as they can for the tough work that they do," he said.
Rep. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, is focusing his efforts on cyber-security issues in local government and getting more resources to the Department of Child Services.
He pointed out that the millions of dollars the state has poured into the department isn’t fixing the problem, as the number of deaths from abuse and neglect isn’t going down, he said.
"We’re dealing with complex issues, but we’re also dealing with your ability to do business in Johnson County as well," Walker said. "As the citizens suffer, we all suffer."
"We should realize on a business level — and on a personal level — the impact of when our community is suffering."
