April 18th, 2019
Liberal Arts Majors, This One’s for You
If you were going to put a Shakespearean title on the 2019 gathering of the Indiana General Assembly, would you choose:

a) As You Like It (You are pleased with the session’s forecasted outcome)

b) A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Fond memories of promises during summer committees to carry legislation forward)

c) Much Ado About Nothing (The session could be summed up with one word: “Meh.”)

As the 2019 session winds down with one week to go, the annual frenetic scurry begins to find money, attach and scratch amendments and try to catch a nap with no one capturing it for social media. Let’s see where OneZone’s priority agenda items have landed.
The Bottom Line Just Got … Bottomer. A little miscalculation of about $100 million has thrown a wrench in to the legislative budget process. That shortfall is attributed to an increase ($65 million) in Medicaid spending as well as a shortfall ($32 million) in collected taxes. The same report quoting HIS Markit economist Tom Jackson has a bit of a “Danger Will Robinson” tone, indicating the state’s continued reliance on manufacturing jobs (more than 17% compared to 8.5% nationwide) puts the state at risk in a recession. Meanwhile, Fishers’ own State Representative Todd Huston is the House chief budget writer and says he is committed to making education funding the caucus’s top priority. As a side note, while OneZone embraces the concept that a strong school system is a cornerstone to a strong community, we also support the concept of home rule and believe that local school systems should have the final say when it comes to teacher’s salaries. Of course, that requires more leeway in the school budgeting process from the legislature.
Bottoms Up: Alcohol Matters Still Matter. With more than 30 separate provisions (including things we didn’t even know were illegal) HB 1518 continues to be the subject of much consternation and discussion … and will up until the bitter end. The main focal point has been alcoholic beverage licenses … hundreds of which are sitting unused statewide, and lawmakers are trying to limit this practice (which proponents content is purposely done to stop competition in some areas). The legislation also allows additional one-way, two-way and three-way permits to be issued for projects like The Yard in Fishers. Without a referendum, which was previously in the bill.   
Safety First … Still . School safety remains at the top of the OneZone priority list. We’ve written a lot about HB 1004 , which provides funding for safety grants and a requirement for schools to conduct an annual safety drill. It also provides funding for some proactive mental health services at the school level, but that has met with reservation among a group of lobbyists concerned with parental control. The bill’s author – Rep. Wendy McNamara – is committed to restoring the language in this final week. As an educator in Evansville, she’s got her thumb on the pulse of what’s really needed to prevent tragic incidents ranging from teen suicide to school shootings.
Plus One . In case you missed it, we have a pretty big primary election coming up on Tuesday May 7. This doesn’t have the “sex appeal” of a presidential election year, it’s every bit as important … and perhaps impacts your daily life even more. Non-voters run the risk of waking up the day after the election and asking – “What? How did this happen?” Make sure what you want happens. Vote!  If you don’t have time on election day per se, lots of opportunities to vote before then. One more time, here’s the rundown:

Judicial Center Voting - Noblesville
Through May 3: Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (closed 4/19 for Good Friday)
Saturdays April 27 & May 4 -- 9 am to 4 pm
Monday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to noon

Satellite Voting - Carmel, Fishers, and Westfield

Carmel Clay Public Library - (55 4th Ave. SE, Carmel, IN 46032)
Wednesday and Thursday, April 24 & 25 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, April 26 & 27 from 10 am to 3 pm
Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 & 2 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 from 10 am to 3 pm

Fishers City Hall - (1 Municipal Drive, Fishers, IN 46038)
Wednesday and Thursday, April 24 & 25 from 2 pm to 7 pm 
Friday and Saturday, April 26 & 27 from 10 am to 3 pm 
Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 & 2 from 2 pm to 7 pm 
Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 from 10 am to 3 pm 

Westfield City Hall - (130 E. Penn St., Westfield, IN 46074)
Wednesday and Thursday, April 24 & 25 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, April 26 & 27 from 10 am to 3 pm
Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 & 2 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 from 10 am to 3 pm