By Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber president and CEO
The second edition of our 2023 Legislative Agenda is now available. This document details bills introduced in the Indiana House and Senate that the Indiana Chamber has taken a position on and the reason for that stance. It’s been updated to remove dead bills and edit those that have been modified.
Bills of high importance to the Indiana Chamber are labeled with a “priority icon.” In addition to being posted on our web site, this information is sent directly to lawmakers. We plan to use votes on the bills – those that make it to the House or Senate floor – contained in this document in our annual Legislative Vote Analysis, which scores legislators on their voting record during the session.
The good news at the midpoint is there are many helpful pieces of legislation still in play (several of them highlighted in our prior commentary); among the ones at the forefront:
State budget – What the House passed is very favorable and in sync with many Indiana Chamber priorities. We know the Senate will put its stamp on it and change some things, but there is overall consensus on many of the items that will help businesses and citizens alike. The current economic development allocations, for example, are strong and recognize the tools that are needed for the state to compete. And the READI (Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative) 2.0 funding seems well established, and everyone is on board there, which is welcome news for areas all around the state.
Education and workforce – This area is one that has bipartisan backing on many of the key efforts.
For its part, the Indiana Chamber supports measures to increase high school graduation transparency and combat waiver misuse (Senate Bill 380) and address the statewide shortage of high-quality early learning and childcare opportunities (Senate Bill 375). Legislation to require automatic enrollment for eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars program (House Bill 1449 and Senate Bill 435) and require high school seniors to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) unless opted out by the student’s parent, school counselor or principal (SB 167) are also critical actions that we will continue to champion to ensure tomorrow’s workforce.
Environment – While the Indiana Chamber rarely supports tax or fee increases, the threat of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency taking over Indiana’s air permitting program necessitates giving the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) the opportunity and authority to raise air permit fees. Senate Bill 155 puts appropriate restrictions in place for IDEM, and Indiana businesses would be better served working with a state agency than the federal government on these matters.
On another front: While the highly publicized and Indiana Chamber-opposed House Bill 1008 on state pension investments is unfortunately moving on as well, we believe there are real opportunities for it to improve. That’s because the Senate doesn’t appear to want to tackle the anti-ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) aspects of the proposal – which are anti-free market and would have a costly negative impact on the funds. It’s important to note that the state’s pension plans are defined benefit plans, meaning retirees are guaranteed a benefit. The state has to pay that benefit whether it comes from investment returns or additional state tax revenue. Obviously, we would prefer it come more from investment returns, so taxpayers aren’t impacted further.
You can connect with our advocacy team at our online policy center.
