It was another busy week at the statehouse as legislators continued to release more bills. The Institute has been hard at work talking with lawmakers, organizing with supporters, and providing information and support to policymakers and the public on issues affecting Hoosier working families. Senate Bill 11 which would remove the lifetime ban from SNAP placed on people with felony drug convictions successfully passed the Senate and is now on its way to the House. Our own Erin Macey has been busy working to stop two bills which would be bad for payday loan borrowers, HB1319 and SB416. Continue reading below to learn more about these bills and how you can get involved to help stop this destructive legislation.

HB1319, the bill which would expand payday lending and impose triple digit APR's on borrowers was heard in the House Insurance and Financials committee on Thursday afternoon. A number of people came out to testify in opposition to HB1319, including veterans' organizations who have united in opposition. Erin Macey, IIWF policy analyst leading the charge against this destructive bill, testified before the committee, "The bill before you is not reform. This is a dramatic expansion of payday lending - one that would allow a borrower making $17k/year to take a $1500 loan where currently they would qualify for $250. This is a model that 88% of voters clearly want to see reformed not expanded. It is a request for extreme loosening of Indiana's current installment lending laws - laws that already allow installment loans that reach 71% APR. 72% APR is criminal loan sharking. What you are hear today to decide is whether or not to legalize what is currently considered to be felony loansharking." 

HB1319 will reach the House floor early next week. There will be an amendment proposed to drop the APR to 36%. Please ask your House member to vote YES on the 36% APR amendment for all borrowers and NO on any expansion of payday lending.

SB416 will be heard in committee next week. This bill allows all lenders - not just payday lenders - to skirt our loansharking law and make triple-digit APR loans. Call committee members and urge them to vote NO on any other expansion of payday lending. 

Also, please contact House Ways and Means members and Chair Tim Brown and ask that he give HB 1152 a hearing! This bill would greatly reduce or waive driver’s license reinstatement fees for non-safety offenses for people below 125% of the poverty line. This aligns with previous Coalition efforts to improve transportation to work & training. The bill passed House Courts & Criminal Code, but is stuck in the Ways & Means committee. We encourage you to contact members of the committee here and Chairman Tim Brown’s office at H41@iga.in.gov or 317-232-9651 by Monday to support & request a hearing.

HIGHLIGHTED BILLS AND OTHER HAPPENINGS AT THE INSTITUTE

SB 11 was scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor for a third reading on Monday January 22, due to a fiscal note and concerns over the effect the bill could have on the SNAP IMPACT job training program, the bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee. On Thursday January 25th, the Appropriations committee unanimously passed SB11 with an amendment to extend the start date by a year in order to allow the legislature time to appropriate the funding next year. SB11 will now head to back to the Senate floor Monday for a second reading.

The Senate released their Workforce Development bill SB50 this week. SB50 addresses career readiness and job training. IIWF Director Jessica Fraser testified on the bill before the Appropriations committee on Thursday, January 25th. Expressing concerns that the bill did not do enough to support the persistence of adult students in postsecondary education and training, which we see as a critical component of the state's skills mismatch. IIWF also has concerns about the proposed creation of a new 'commission for technical education' and its implications for the overall workforce system. However, IIWF's testimony also expressed conditional support for many of the provisions in the bill if our concerns can be addressed. We will attempt to improve the bill as it continues through the legislative process. SB50 was held by the committee for amendments will be be addressed again next week.   

Policy Analyst Amy Carter testified in support of HB1065 addressing broadband access. We support this bill and highlighted the need for all Hoosiers to have access to affordable, high-speed internet so they can achieve self-sufficiency.

HB1245 On Tuesday January 23 Senior Policy Analyst Andrew Bradley testified in support of HB1245 addressing occupational licensing barriers for people with criminal histories. The Institute believes there are some criminal background check provisions in this bill that could be helpful if strengthened, but also believes that their are some serious deregulatory and local provisions that are problematic and should be separated from the bill and considered independently. The bill passed out of committee by a vote of 8-3 and will go to the House floor for a second reading.

HB1285 creates a study to investigate issues related to eligibility verification and monitoring, identity authentication and work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid programs. Our partner on this SNAP legislation Emily Bryant from Feeding Indiana's Hungry testified in support of the bill.

Senior Policy Analyst Andrew Bradley testified on Tuesday January 23 in support of HB1134, which creates a partnership between employers, workers and the state to help potential employees receive drug dependency treatment. We appreciate the innovative approach to helping employ individuals who fail their initial drug screening, especially that it combines efforts from employers, employees, and state & community services. We'll continue to work with legislators to ensure that any employee contributions don't endanger self-sufficiency. HB1134 passed out of committee 11-0.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AT THE INSTITUTE:

Thursday evening January 25th the Institute held its first Wage Gap Panel. The panel, lead by report author and IIWF policy analyst Erin Macey,  addressed and discussed the varied and multi-factorial causes of the wage gap between Hoosier men and women. Panelist participants included: 

Demetrees Hutchins, Ph. D. Indiana University School of Education - IUPUI 

Quincy Sauer, Labor & Employment Attorney for Macey Swanson LLP.

Sarah Waddle, Director of AARP

Kate Kunk, RN, Caregiving Options Counselor CICOA & In-Home Solutions

Colleen Yeakle, Coordinator of Prevention Initiatives at Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence 

To learn more about our panelist and watch the discussion please visit our Facebook page.

Click to read the full report, Wages, Wealth and Poverty: Where Hoosier Women Stand & Ways Our State Can Close the Gap. 

There are currently two bills in the General Assembly which address the wage gap and provide solution to help begin to remedy the problem HB1390 addresses equal pay and has bipartisan support, HB1344 calls for pregnancy accommodations in the work place and also has received bipartisan support. Please call Representative Van Natter and ask him give HB1344 a hearing: 317-232-9620