Coalition wants to restore personal touch to welfare
With a state decision expected this week on whether to continue a $1.34 billion contract to modernize welfare, a coalition of advocates for people who use those services say it’s a costly failure that needs to be scrapped.  The Indiana Home Care Task Force said Tuesday it will seek legislation in the 2010 General Assembly to keep modern technology but restore the personal touch with a statewide network of caseworkers who meet with clients.

Governor Daniels appoints chairman of Indiana State Fair Commission
Governor Mitch Daniels announced his appointment of Andre Lacy as chairman of the Indiana State Fair Commission today.  Lacy’s term is effective immediately and the term expires Sept. 30, 2010, according to a press release.  He has previously served as chairman of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indianapolis 500 Festival Association, according to the release. He is also a former president of the Indianapolis Public Schools.

Treasured bits of Indiana history at mercy of roof leak
Rainy days aren’t good news at the Indiana state archives.  The repository for some of the state’s most treasured documents is plagued by a leaky roof that has resulted in parts of the collection getting wet at least three times this year.  Officials say they’re worried about protecting the archives, which include the state constitution, John Dillinger’s prison records and the 1964 contract between the Indiana State Fair Board and the Beatles. But the state budget approved by lawmakers in an overtime session this year did not include money for repairs to the building.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

FBI ID kits being sent to 162,000 Indiana children
Indiana officials are distributing more than 162,000 child identification kits to kindergartners and first graders across the state to help authorities locate the youngsters if they go missing.  Gov. Mitch Daniels and others announced Tuesday that the state is joining the National FBI Child ID program.  The ID kits have parents record the physical characteristics and fingerprints of their children on cards that are then kept at home. If ever needed, the kit will help investigators in their search.

Committee looks at summer timing, end for schools
Most people probably aren’t thinking about summer now that the cloudy, rainy days of free-falling leaves are upon Indiana.  But at least one group is taking a break from autumn to consider summer vacations: the state legislature.  The Interim Study Committee on Education has been soliciting input and ideas on school summer breaks. The committee, which met last week and meets once more at the end of October, is looking at the length of the school year, when summer break should end and who should set the dates — the state or the local district.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana’s lottery profits drop 17.5 percent
Indiana’s lottery proceeds dropped by more than 17 percent in the past fiscal year, marking one of the sharpest decline in profits nationwide.  The state’s proceeds from the Hoosier Lottery fell by nearly $40 million, as profits dropped from $217 million in the 2008 fiscal year to $178 million in fiscal year that ended June 30.  It’s unclear whether new slot machines at the state’s two horse racing tracks have cut into lottery sales. Lottery officials told The Indianapolis Star that the decline is caused in part by the recession and a lack of big jackpots.  Frequent wins may be good for players, but they prevent huge jackpots that draw more ticket sales. The lack of big jackpots is why Rob Vondersaar, 53, bought cigarettes but no lottery tickets when he stopped at a downtown Indianapolis gas station.

Report: Tax savings to rise in 2010-11
Property owners in Indiana are expected to save more than $70 million more on their tax bills in the next two years than originally predicted because of caps on property taxes, according to a new analysis released Monday.  The Legislative Services Agency said estimates based on new data show the caps will save property owners $441 million next year, an increase from the $392 million, or 12.5 percent, predicted in March. The caps in 2011 are expected to cut bills by $470 million, up from the $443 million, or 6.1 percent, predicted earlier.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

ISU official: IDOC ‘playing games’ on inmate education
Indiana State University on Wednesday made its pitch to continue providing post-secondary education — including associate degrees — to Indiana’s state prison inmates.  “I don’t feel very good about it,” ISU Provost Jack Maynard said after the 10-minute presentation before the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI). “It seems to me the IDOC (Indiana Department of Corrections) has made its decision and we’re playing games here today.”  SSACI wants to reduce the amount it spends on post-secondary education of prison inmates — and Ivy Tech Community College has indicated it can get the job done less expensively.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Drawing of districts to be topic of hearing
Lawmakers will hold a hearing today on whether Indiana should revamp the way it draws state legislative and congressional districts. Among those testifying before the Census Data Advisory Committee will be Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who wants Indiana to switch to an independent commission to draw the maps.  Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause/Indiana, which has long backed an independent commission to draw legislative maps, said she hopes the legislative committee hearings — which will be webcast at mediaserver.ihets.org/senate233 — will ignite a public debate on redistricting that will encourage the legislature to adopt changes when it goes into session in January.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Access counselor’s job is all about openness
 To Andrew J. Kossack, the mission of the Office of the Indiana Public Access Counselor is clear because it’s right there within the name.  “It’s public access; it’s not government restriction counselor,” he says.  That’s how Kossack plans to approach his new job as the state’s access counselor.  That doesn’t mean he necessarily will side with the citizen who files a complaint after being denied a public record or being turned away from a public meeting.

After ruling, make voter ID law better
If the Indiana Supreme Court acts quickly, as the state requests, to reverse a ruling last week by a three-judge appellate court striking down the state’s tough voter identification law, it could deny Hoosiers a needed opportunity to improve its law.  The Indiana Court of Appeals’ ruling was blasted by an angry Gov. Mitch Daniels, who called it “preposterous.”  But, was it? What the justices of the appellate court said was that to impose a mandatory photo identification requirement at the ballot box but not have that same stringent requirement at nursing homes or for absentee ballots establishes a dual standard on Indiana voters that the court held is not “uniform and impartial” as required by Indiana’s Constitution.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Bank on Evansville model going statewide
Bank on Evansville, a public-private partnership created to develop affordable and accessible banking solutions and financial education for low-to-moderate income residents, is going statewide.  The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority Board has approved funding for Bank on Indiana, which will begin in October. The state estimates about 217,000 Indiana residents could benefit from the initiative. A news release from Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel’s office says Evansville is the only city in the state to implement the “Bank on Cities” model. It says the city was asked to provide assistance with the creation of “Bank on Indianapolis” and the launch of “Bank on Indiana.”

Casinos put cards on table
A plea for land-based gambling in Gary could also lead to a casino in northeast Indiana and more tax revenue for the state, a panel of legislators examining gaming issues heard Monday.  Don Barden, owner of the two Majestic Star casinos in Gary, said allowing him to build a land-based casino closer to existing highways in Gary and relocate his second license to northeast Indiana could mean $50 million in new tax revenue for the state.

Redistricting prompts rare GOP divide
Two of the state’s top Republicans found themselves in a rare position last week. They disagreed with one another.  Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Long criticized Secretary of State Todd Rokita for recommending changes in the way the maps designating the districts for state legislators and U.S. House members are drawn. Drawing the maps is the legislature’s job, Long said, and Rokita has no business developing his own proposed maps.  There was no similar criticism when Rokita pushed hard for a law requiring voters to produce IDs at the polls – also a decision only the legislature could make. The voter ID law hurts Democratic turnout. Rokita’s proposal to take politics out of the redistricting decisions could hurt Republicans as well as Democrats.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

State to centralize accounting
State officials will go live with a new centralized accounting system Sept. 16 – 11 years after the project began.  The total cost for the system and training is $140 million.  Until now, state agencies have operated on several systems. Ryan Kitchell, head of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget, said the new system will allow him to balance the state’s checkbook every month instead of every year. And the system has built-in fraud and abuse protections.

Sunday sales

Most Hoosiers are evenly divided on the question of whether or not Indiana should allow Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages from retail outlets. That’s our view as well; we can take it or leave it.  But legislators, lobbyists and businesses keep talking about it, and now Indiana lawmakers plan to commence a legislative study of the issue.   The sore spot that is likely to keep this issue brewing from year to year is an inconsistency in current state law.  Now in Indiana, no retail sales of alcoholic beverages are permitted on Sundays at grocery stores, drug stores and liquor stores. Six days a week, you can buy beer, liquor, or wine at these retail outlets. But you can’t buy it on Sunday. Yet if the intent of that law is to discourage drinking on Sundays, it doesn’t work. That’s because you can buy it by the drink in restaurants and taverns on Sundays.

Hoosier welfare winners and losers
When the State Budget Committee meets this month to review performance of the $1.34 billion welfare privatization contract, it will look mostly at numbers – how quickly food stamp and Medicaid applications are processed and error rates. By necessity, the contract review must be driven by numbers, but the urgency for addressing the problem-plagued deal comes from the Hoosiers suffering under its terms.  State Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville, cites as an example a father battling early-stage Alzheimer’s disease who forgot to send in required paperwork for his son, who has Down syndrome. The younger man’s benefits were cut, leaving the family struggling to have them reinstated.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Some Indiana school districts cut back on buses
Parents in some Indiana school districts say they are frustrated with changes in school bus routes that districts say are designed to save money.  School officials say the changes, which include fewer bus routes and require more children to walk to school, are needed because many districts are facing steep budget cuts as a result of changes in the state’s property tax system.  “It’s an awful thing to do, and the only reason we’re doing it is the state has taken action to reduce our revenue to support our programming,” said Doug Hasler, director of support services for Elkhart Community Schools. “We really have no other choice.” Elementary students in Elkhart who live within a mile of their school have to walk or be dropped off under the new policy. Intermediate and high school students within two miles of school can no longer ride the bus.

IN Senate gaming committee to meet Mon
Changes at Indiana horse tracks with casinos will be among the topics discussed by the state Senate Committee on Gaming when it meets Monday at the Statehouse. Republican Sen. Luke Kenley of Noblesville says the group will discuss horse-racing issues in the morning and tend to more general gaming topics in the afternoon. Kenley is co-chairman of the panel.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Chamber seeks top businesses
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the top small business in the state. The competition is open to all Hoosier companies with 250 employees or less. Out-of-state parent companies are eligible to participate if at least 25 full-time employees are in Indiana. Businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party. The deadline is Sept. 30. Nomination forms are available online at www.indianachamber.com/ awardsprograms.

Daniels plans job announcements
Gov. Mitch Daniels has a pair of jobs announcements planned for today. He will join executives from an undisclosed company in Rushville at 10:30 a.m. And he will join Fleetwood RV executives at 2:30 p.m. for an economic development event at the company’s Decatur headquarters.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy