STATE OF INDIANA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
INDIANAPOLIS
FOR: CREATION OF FAMILY IMPACT STATEMENTS IN CERTAIN INDIANA STATE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME, GREETINGS.
WHEREAS, each day in Indiana parents and other adults make heroic sacrifices for our children, and Hoosier children benefit greatly from these sacrifices;
WHEREAS, only 5.4 percent of children in Indiana were born to unmarried parents in 1964 compared to 44 percent today;
WHEREAS, children in intact married families in Indiana are 85 percent less likely to live in poverty compared to children in single-parent families, as 39.4 percent of single-parent households with children are below the poverty line in Indiana, compared to 6.1 percent of married-parent households with children;
WHEREAS, independent researchers have found that unmarried childbearing accounts for more than 15 percent, and possibly as much as 40 percent, of measured income inequality in America;
WHEREAS, children growing up in unmarried families are more than twice as likely to be arrested for a crime, twice as likely to be expelled from school, a third more likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to be treated for behavioral and emotional problems, and fifty percent more likely to experience poverty in adulthood than children growing up in homes with their married parents;
WHEREAS, an established body of research conclusively shows that poverty is negligible among the population of people who finish high school, work full-time even at the minimum wage, and delay childbearing until marriage; and
WHEREAS, the future productivity of Indiana's workforce depends heavily upon the skills, resources, and relationships gained in the family, and the well-being of children in Indiana is strongly related to the nature of the household in which they are raised.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael R. Pence, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Indiana, do hereby order that:
1. All Indiana agencies set forth immediately below shall publish Family Impact Statements to ensure that said agencies do not disregard or disadvantage the formation and well-being of intact married families, intentionally or unintentionally, whenever promulgating rules; the applicable agencies are as follows:
a. Family and Social Services Administration
b. Department of Workforce Development
c. Department of Child Services
d. State Department of Health
e. Department of Correction, and
f. Criminal Justice Institute, including its Victim Services Division
2. In formulating and implementing policies and rules that may have a significant impact on family formation and the general well-being of families, Indiana agencies shall assess such measures in light of the following determinations:
a. Whether or not this action by government strengthens or erodes the stability of the family and the marital commitment.
b. Whether or not this action encourages or discourages nonmarital childbearing.
c. Whether or not this action respects or inhibits the rights of parents to raise their children and make the best choices about their children's education, health, and well-being.
d. Whether or not this action increases or decreases private family earnings or the incentive for parents to provide materially and emotionally for their children.
e. What message, intended or otherwise, does this program send to the public concerning the status of the family?
f. What message does the action send to children about the relationship between their present choices and their future well-being?
3. For every new rule and regulation that has a real or potential impact on family well-being or family formation, the head of the agency shall certify in writing that such measure has been assessed in light of the questions supra in Section 2(a)-(f). If the proposal contains a potentially negative impact on family well-being or family formation, the head of the agency must include an explanation of why the proposal is necessary. Such certifications and explanations shall be transmitted to the Indiana Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or its designee for review and comment. OMB or its designee shall review the proposed rule and submit its comments to the proposing agency no later than seven (7) days before the date of the public hearing set forth in the agency's notice under Ind. Code § 4-22-2-24.
4. Reports from agencies documenting the implementation of this Order will be submitted to the Governor within 180 days from the date of this Order. Such reports will be submitted to the Governor annually thereafter.
5. OMB or its designee will take action to ensure that the policies of the applicable Indiana departments and agencies are applied in light of the foregoing criteria.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I, Michael R. Pence, have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Indiana on this 14th day of January 2013.
Michael R. Pence
Governor of Indiana
Posted: 02/06/2013 by Legislative Services Agency
DIN: 20130206-IR-GOV130033EOA
Composed: Apr 19,2024 11:04:18PM EDT
A
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