Rebecca Patrick, Author at Indiana Chamber of Commerce

House Employment and Labor Passes Pregnancy Accommodations; Committee Approves Slight Increase to Worker’s Comp Benefits

House Employment and Labor Passes Pregnancy Accommodations; Committee Approves Slight Increase to Worker’s Comp Benefits

HB 1309 – Pregnancy Accommodation Authored by Rep. Karen Engleman (R-Georgetown) Allows an employee to request an accommodation for the employee’s pregnancy. Requires an employer to respond to an employee’s request for an accommodation within a reasonable time frame. Provides that a request for accommodation does not require an employer to provide an accommodation for an employee’s pregnancy, or [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T15:03:07-05:00February 12th, 2021|

Chamber Priority Quick Takes: Senate ‘Civil Immunity Bill’ Passes House, Remains on Fast Track; FAFSA Requirement for High School Seniors Clears Full Senate

Chamber Priority Quick Takes: Senate ‘Civil Immunity Bill’ Passes House, Remains on Fast Track; FAFSA Requirement for High School Seniors Clears Full Senate

Senate Bill 1 (Civil Immunity Related to COVID-19), authored by Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper), would provide legal protection for businesses regarding coronavirus exposure for employees and the public. It passed the House this week 72-21 and now returns to the Senate for a concurrence. On second reading, an attempt was made to insert an amendment to prohibit employers from [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T14:38:40-05:00February 12th, 2021|

A New Look at Township Reorganization

A New Look at Township Reorganization

HB 1476 – Reorganization of Municipality and Township Authored by Rep. Karen Engleman (R-Georgetown) Allows a municipality in a county (excluding Marion County) to reorganize with a township that has at least 70% of its population within the municipality, if: (1) the municipality adopts a reorganization plan; and (2) more than 50% of the voters in both the municipality [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T13:37:41-05:00February 12th, 2021|

Committee Passes $100 Million Broadband Proposal

Committee Passes $100 Million Broadband Proposal

SB 377 – Broadband Development Authored by Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) Establishes the Indiana broadband expansion fund for deposit and distribution of federal broadband funding and calls for an appropriation of $100,000,000 to the fund, which will be distributed proportionally to the (1) rural broadband fund (60%), (2) the connectivity program (30%) and (3) the adoption program (10%). (1) [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T13:34:14-05:00February 12th, 2021|

TOP STORY: New Report and Current Climate Make Powerful Case to Pass Work Share in 2021; Committee Hearing Set

TOP STORY: New Report and Current Climate Make Powerful Case to Pass Work Share in 2021; Committee Hearing Set

The magnitude of Indiana not having a work share program during the pandemic was revealed yesterday in new research from the Brookings Institution. The national group said Indiana could have saved as many as 34,000 jobs during May through October and missed out on as much as $116 million in federal funding to pay for unemployment claims. The latter [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T14:36:02-05:00February 12th, 2021|

TOP STORY: House Crafts Its Version of the Budget; Includes ‘Starting Point’ Cigarette Tax Increase

TOP STORY: House Crafts Its Version of the Budget; Includes ‘Starting Point’ Cigarette Tax Increase

HB 1001 – State Budget Authored by Rep. Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) Appropriates money for the operation of the state, K-12 and higher education, the delivery of Medicaid and other services, plus various other distributions and purposes. Chamber position: Support in Part The latest: The House Ways and Means Committee transformed the introduced budget bill, representing the budget devised and [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-12T15:16:21-05:00February 12th, 2021|

Selby Headlines Chamber Day Virtual Event March 16

(INDIANAPOLIS) — Top policymakers and business leaders will convene March 16 at Indiana’s premier business event of the year – this time in a virtual format. The Indiana Chamber’s Chamber Day Event, presented by Thompson Thrift, will feature a keynote speech by Myra Selby, the first African American to serve as an associate justice on the Indiana Supreme Court [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-09T14:08:31-05:00February 9th, 2021|

Federal Relations: Senator Young Urges Biden Administration to Support Indiana Auto Manufacturing by Addressing Global Semiconductor Shortage

Federal Relations: Senator Young Urges Biden Administration to Support Indiana Auto Manufacturing by Addressing Global Semiconductor Shortage

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), along with a group of bipartisan senators, sent a letter to the director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, urging him to work with Congress in addressing the global semiconductor shortage facing auto manufacturing. According to the Indiana Economic Development Council, over 100,000 Hoosiers work in the automotive manufacturing [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-05T14:43:31-05:00February 5th, 2021|

More Energy Legislation Moves Forward

More Energy Legislation Moves Forward

SB 386 – Cost Securitization for Electric Utility Assets Authored by Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) Provides that an electric utility that has certain qualified costs associated with an electric generation facility that will be retired from service within 24 months and are equal to at least 5% of the electric utility’s total electric base rate may file a petition [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-05T13:31:55-05:00February 5th, 2021|

Quick Takes: FAFSA Requirement Heads to Full Senate; House Passes Bill to Tighten Fraud Guidelines for UI System; Chamber-Opposed Prescription Drug Disclosures Needs Addressed

Quick Takes: FAFSA Requirement Heads to Full Senate; House Passes Bill to Tighten Fraud Guidelines for UI System; Chamber-Opposed Prescription Drug Disclosures Needs Addressed

Senate Bill 54 (FAFSA Requirement), authored by Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg), was voted out of the Senate Education Committee 9-4. The legislation – a Chamber priority – requires Indiana high school seniors, with few exceptions, to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Indiana Chamber continues to advocate strongly for this common sense policy that offers [...]

Rebecca Patrick2021-02-05T14:13:26-05:00February 5th, 2021|

About Rebecca Patrick