INDIANAPOLIS-The 2009 session of the 116th General Assembly ended on April 29, with 184 enacted bills sent to the governor. State Sen. Richard D. Young Jr. (D-Milltown) sponsored or authored a number of bills that found approval by the legislature and are awaiting action by the governor or set to become law. They include:
Small business development
Under House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1697 the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will maintain a small business division in order to assist small businesses in obtaining state and federal tax incentives. The small economic development corporation will also maintain a statewide network of public, private, and educational resources to inform small businesses of the state and federal programs under which they may obtain financial assistance or realize reduced costs. HB 1697 was cosponsored by Young and was signed by the governor April 30. The bill was approved in its final form by unanimous votes in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Veterans' and military personal benefits
Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 39 eliminates a provision in state law limiting a tuition benefit to only certain Hoosier Purple Heart recipients. Young, a coauthor of the bill, said the proposal would allow all Purple Heart recipients to attend a state college or university for free regardless of when the veteran served. The bill was approved unanimously by both the Senate and the House and now awaits action by the governor.
SEA 356 allows a biological child, an adopted child, a foster child, or a stepchild of a person who is ordered to active duty to be eligible for military family leave. In Indiana, military family leave allows employees to take up to 10 days of unpaid leave or use paid leave to be with the deployed family member at any time from 30 days prior to deployment to 30 days after. The bill was approved unanimously by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and was signed into law on April 30.
Protecting funds for conservation initiatives
Young cosponsored HEA 1204 to protect funds for local clean water and conservation initiatives in Indiana. Under the bill, existing money within the Clean Water Indiana Fund would be protected from transfers to other funds. Clean Water Indiana funds are used to provide funding for local soil and water conservation measures. Young said when money from the Clean Water Fund is transferred to other funds it hurts local communities who rely on the money to support local conservation projects. The bill was passed unanimously by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was signed by the Governor on April 20. The bill took affect once signed.
Completing Indiana's communication grid
HEA 1561, cosponsored by Young, would make use of federal funds to identify areas where high speed internet service is still needed in Indiana. By connecting rural Indiana to Indiana's communication grid, these communities can better attract high tech companies. The Senate voted 47-1 to approve the bill in March. The bill was then returned to the House for a final vote of 87-1 to advance the bill. The bill has yet to be signed by the governor, and will take effect once signed.
For more information on Sen. Young, his legislative agenda or other State Senate business call 1-800-382-9467 or visit www.senatedemocrats.in.gov.
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