IN Citizen Connect January 28, 2011
DEPP students seek to educate legislators, peers In October 2007, Forbes Magazine ranked Indiana 49th among states in environmental quality. The report cited poor air and water quality, high carbon emissions, minimal incentives for renewable energy, and little political will to change as reasons for the ranking. Inspired by DePauw University professor Kelsey Kauffman's success with student involvement in prison reform legislation at the Indiana General Assembly, both students and professors thought about how the same success could be had with environmental affairs in the 49th greenest state. What emerged was a unique program intended to provide Indiana state legislators with sound, nonpartisan research on environmental issues, and students with experiential learning of the public policy process. The DePauw Environmental Policy Project, or DEPP, provided students with the opportunities to conduct independent research, engage with legislators, and attend legislative hearings and relevant conferences. The program served a niche role in a state with one of the most part-time legislatures in the country, and in 2008, it was honored as the Hoosier Environmental Council’s “Organization of the Year.” Over the years, DEPP has evolved into a larger production and widened its policy scope. Funded by DePauw University and an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, this year DEPP has maintained its environmental focus while expanding its lens to other issues of state and local government, as well as establishing a website and weekly newsletter, IN Citizen Connect. In such a momentous legislative session, DEPP will provide wide-ranging, up-to-date coverage of significant policy matters and public issues. The purpose of this newsletter is to educate college students to assume a more active role in Indiana state and local politics. We hope you enjoy our flagship issue. Contact us at INcitizenconnect@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter @INgovconnect, and visit our website at incitizenconnect.wordpress.com
Making your voice heard First, find out who represents you in the state legislature (House and Senate). Simply go to http://district.iga.in.gov/DistrictLookup/ and type in your home address. Then do any of the following (from most to least effective): Testify on a bill in person: Anyone in Indiana can speak on any bill, but citizens rarely avail themselves of the chance because it is hard to know when, where and how to do it. If you let us know what issues you care about, we will let you know when and where bills will be heard on your topic. Speak directly to your legislator: Ideally, you should do this in person, either in your home district or at the legislature. (Most legislators hold regular legislative updates for constituents that are publicized in local newspapers). If you can't speak to them in person, try calling them, though during session it may
be hard to get through unless you have their cell phone or home phone number. The House switchboard number is 317-232-9600; Senate is 317-232-9400. Send a handwritten note by mail: If you must type, make sure the letter is sufficiently personalized so that the legislator knows it is you who wrote it and not some advocacy organization. Address for the legislature: 200 W. Washington St. / Indianapolis, IN 46204. E-mail: Be sure to include your home address and personalize the e-mail as much as possible. E-mail addresses for state senators are “s,” followed by the senator's district number, followed by “@in.gov.” The same goes for members of the House, but use an “h” instead of an “s.” For example, Rep. Jim Baird (R) represents Indiana House district 44; his e-mail is “h44@in.gov.”
DEPP student, Sheah Hilton, testifies in front of the Senate Commerce and Development committee on SB173. The proposed legislation would grant a property tax exemption for a period of three to five years for all new houses built from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. Hilton proposed tying in an additional requirement for installing geothermal technology in order to qualify.
Top 5 environmental issues of the 2011 session With a Republican takeover in the House and historical inaction in environmental committees, the 2011 legislative body was expected to pay as much attention to environmental issues as it would to raising taxes. However, Sen. Beverly Gard (R), chair of the Senate Energy and Environmental Affairs committee, and others have unleashed a flood of environmental legislation upon the statehouse in the session’s infancy.
1. Redefining renewable energy The Senate committee on Energy and Environmental Affairs voted 9-1 to add “low temperature, oxygen-starved gasification of municipal solid waste” to the definition of “renewable energy resources” in SB 66. (This experimental technology uses grinders to gasify solid waste at temperatures below 1,000 degrees.) Environmentalists expressed concern about diluting the state’s definition of “renewable energy resources.” 2. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) RES (Renewable Energy Standard) PACE bonds are low-interest loans given to homes and businesses to cover the up-front expenses of energy-efficient technology. Several bills related to PACE have been introduced and are likely to be heard in committee. A Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requires electric companies to obtain a certain percentage of their energy from renewable resources. Several bills have been introduced, at least one of which is likely to be heard. In a reversal of previous years, environmental advocacy groups are likely to oppose the RES in part because the targets are low.
3. Hydraulic fracturing The Senate committee on Energy and Environmental Affairs voted to lift the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing – commonly referred to as “hydro-fracking” – involves forcing fluids into bore holes in order to make cracks in rocks to extract gas and oil. Environmentalists argue that this process uses huge amounts of water and chemicals that contaminate ground water. A separate bill on hydraulic fracturing has been proposed in the House that would require companies to disclose what chemicals they use during hydro-fracking. The chair told DEPP he is unlikely to hear the bill. 4. Utility Regulation The hot-button issues concerning utility regulation will likely center around utility rates and eminent domain. Last week, the Senate Utilities and Technology committee met to hear SB 1160, which would require the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to allow utility companies to increase rates in anticipation of costs resulting from federal mandates (i.e. environmental regulations from the EPA). HB 1301 and SB 72 would give utilities the power of eminent domain in construction of CO2 pipelines. Opposition to this resolution in the House is expected, as citizens will likely speak out against granting utilities the authority to claim privatelyowned land. 5. CAFOs The chair of the House committee on Agriculture, Rep. Don Lehe (R), has yet to decide whether to hear HB 1134, a bill that would restrict CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) spreading manure near waterways. The proposed legislation focuses on manure brought to Indiana from neighboring states that have stricter regulations on CAFOs. The bill would affect the 625 CAFOs in Indiana, those who live near them, and surrounding waterways. The chair noted that IDEM has worked on similar regulations for two years and does not want to duplicate its efforts.
Top 6
Non-environmental issues of the 2011 session
1. Labor
Right-to-work issues and unemployment benefits have already proven to be contentious issues for the 2011 legislative session. On the first day of the session, House Democrats protested the hearing of a right-to-work bill. Last week, labor union members overflowed into the hallway outside the committee room for the Senate Pensions and Labor hearing of SB 333. The laborers appeared in opposition to the bill’s restrictions on “project labor agreements.” Several other potentially controversial bills have yet to be scheduled for a hearing. 2. Criminal Justice
Indiana is rewriting its criminal code for the first time in 33 years. A draft revision was adopted unanimously in December by the Criminal Code Commission. However, the prosecutors’ association has since backed out of the deal. DEPP student Sally Reasoner will be testifying on the reduction of drug-free zones, a part of the proposed code revision that is closely associated with DePauw students who have testified on this issue for the past four years. 3. Education House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) introduced
a controversial bill, HB 1002, that would strengthen the presence of publicly funded charter schools across the state. The bill would allow approved charter schools to take over unused public school buildings and transfer transportation funding away from public schools. After two hearings and much debate, the bill is still awaiting a vote by the committee. Another significant bill, SB497, would grant high school students an educational scholarship for graduating in three years.
4. Local Government In his 2011 State of the State address, Governor Mitch Daniels reaffirmed his opposition to townships. Now, it seems, two possible outcomes for an overhaul of township governance exist in the 2011 Legislative Session with two bills: SB 405 and SB 380. Providing for complete eradication of township boards by 2015, SB 405 follows in the vein of Daniel’s wishes. With a less drastic approach, SB 380 requires townships not meeting a slate of criteria to merge with ones that do. 5. Immigration/English Only A bill, HB 1255, would require all official state documents to be printed solely in English. The bill includes numerous exemptions, most of which are mandated by federal law. The proposed legislation had no public testimony in committee and has already passed through the House. Regarding immigration-related bills, SB 162 seeks to increase penalties for employers who pay illegal immigrants less than minimum wage, while SB 590 provides for a more Arizona-style revision of illegal immigration matters. 6. Public Policy Rep. Charlie Brown (D) introduced a bill banning smoking in public places (HB 1018) for the fourth consecutive session. The bill passed out of committee but has yet to be voted on by the House. DEPP student Sam Leist offered testimony on the bill when in committee and was quoted by the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., his home town. Bills banning texting while driving, HB 1158, and cellphones while driving, HB 1129, have both passed out of the House Roads and Transportation Committee.
Kelsey Kauffman Director kelsey.kauffman@gmail.com
Anthony Baratta Assistant Director abaratta@gmail.com
Matthew Cecil Media Director matthewcecil_2012@depauw.edu
Sheah Hilton Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Employment, Labor and Pensions; Insurance sheahhilton_2011@depauw.edu
Ashley Conard Roads and Transportation; Education ashleyconard_2014@depauw.edu Laila Howard Education and Career Development; Public Health and Provider Services lailahoward_2013@depauw.edu Austin Malayer Public Policy; Agricultural and Rural Development; Natural Resources; Local Government austinmalayer_2012@depauw.edu Sally Reasoner Courts and Criminal Code; Judiciary; Education sallyreasoner_2011@depauw.edu
Sam Leist Elections and Apportionment; Environmental Affairs; Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs samleist_2014@depauw.edu Oksana Polhuy Energy and Environmental Affairs; Utilities; Insurance and Financial Institutions oksanapolhuy_2014@depauw.edu