Indiana General Assembly Mid-Session Status of IACED Priorities for 2013
This week is mid-session for the 2013 General Assembly with third reading deadlines for the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate. This deadline means legislation must pass its chamber of origination. House bills not making it through by Monday, February 25 were considered dead for this session. Senate bills not making it through by Tuesday, February 26 were likewise. Senate bills heading to the House number 213, 175 House-passed initiatives will be reviewed by the Senate.
The 2013 session is a budget writing session for the state of Indiana. House Bill (HB) 1001 is the state budget. As you read from IACED over the last two weeks, the budget proposed and now adopted by the House of Representatives shorts the state Individual Development Account (IDA) program. IACED members are encouraged to contact members of the Senate Appropriations committee and ask them to appropriate no less than $1 million a year for the state’s individual development account programs.
PLEASE READ AND RESPOND to this latest action alert on the IDA funding.
Below is a summary of IACED legislative priorities and current status.
HB 1317 deals with land banking and property tax foreclosure reform. The House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee stripped the major substance of this legislation at the request of the author, Rep. Ed Clere, and turned it into a bill requesting an interim study committee. The changes were made to keep the bill moving as partners and supporters continue to look for compromise with detractors. The amended HB 1317 passed the Indiana House by a vote of 93-1. The legislation will be led in the Senate by Sen. Travis Holdman and is assigned to the Local Government Committee.
Another priority involves expanding eligible uses of the Indianapolis Housing Trust Fund. IACED advocates harmonizing the language of the Indianapolis Housing Trust Fund with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Trust Fund. The state fund language is broader allowing additional types of community development programs and supports. On February 13, 2013, representatives Robin Shackleford and Cherrish Pryor introduced an amendment to HB 1132 in the Indiana House of Representatives Financial Institutions Committee to accomplish this priority. The legislation passed the committee unanimously and likewise the Indiana House by a vote of 92-0. Thank you to Rep. Woody Burton for allowing the amendment to his legislation. The Senate sponsor is Sen. Travis Holdman. The bill is assigned to the Senate Committee on Insurance.
Rep. Burton is the lead author on an IACED priority to reinstate the recently expired $50 foreclosure filing fee supporting Indiana’s housing counseling counselors and local court coordinators for scheduling settlement conferences though the Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network. HB 1308 passed the House by a vote of 85-11. Sen. Travis Holdman will be the lead sponsor in the Senate. The bill is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Public transportation is the last priority so far requiring IACED’s attention in this session. In case you missed it, HB 1011 passed out of the House 56-39! IACED is one of community advocates working to support local decision-making on the need for transportation alternatives in Central Indiana. You will receive details on strategies for the Indiana Senate in the coming days. Rep. Jerry Torr is the lead author on this legislation. Senators Pat Miller, Luke Kenley and Jim Merritt are the Senate sponsors. The legislation is assigned to the Senate Committee on Local Government.
Thank you to IACED members and partners who have responded to our action calls on the budget, public transportation and other issues. Keep up the good work; session is only halfway. Please respond to this action alert on the state budget today. The next big deadline is April 10 for the Indiana Senate and April 15 for the House of Representatives. These are the dates legislation must pass third reading in its second chamber.
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Andy Fraizer
Executive Director
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