The 2008 Legislative Session Update

Many education-related bills were introduced and eliminated from the Indiana General Assembly’s docket during the month of January. Those bills that originated in either the House or the Senate, and are still active, have now been sent to the other chamber for action. In case you are tracking certain bills, please be aware that they retain their original bill number and designation, regardless of which part of the legislature is currently considering them.

Some of the education and/or childhood related bills that are still active are:

Senate Bill 0027 ---People accused of abuse in domestic violence cases would have to spend at least eight hours in jail to "cool off"
Senate Bill 0091 ---Foster care sibling visitation
Senate Bill 0143 ---Childhood lead poisoning prevention
Senate Bill 0180 ---Child abduction and seduction
Senate Bill 0187 ---Fetal development curriculum
Senate Bill 0262 ---Student attendance in former school corproration

House Bill 1122 ---Juvenile offenders and detention facilities
House Bill 1234 ---School attendance records and enforcement (would allow law enforcement of attendance issues)
House Bill 1290 ---Older youth foster care

To learn more about each of these pending bills,
please go to: www.in.gov/legislative
Contact information for Indiana legislators can also be found at this site

Now is the time to become involved

Become aware of the issues that are being discussed. These state issues will affect your home, your community, and your work place.
Learn who your Representative and Senator are. Find out what committees they serve on. Their committee connections mean they have the authority to discuss, make recommendations and/or changes on bills that come before that committee. The more facts that they have going into these meetings, the better. This information can be found at Indiana's Legislative Services Agency.
Take the time to call or write to your Representative or Senator and express your opinion. It doesn't have to be anything fancy...just a couple of sentences telling them what issue(s) you would like their support on. They rely on constituent feedback when casting their votes.
Keep in contact with them. Let them know that you are aware of their voting record. Tell them again how the bills before them affect your work and your home.

This is just a small sampling of the bills that will be discussed,
and possibly voted upon, during this session,
which ends on March 14th

For a full listing of bills, please click here.

Remember......one voice can make a difference. Get involved.