UPDATE 2/9

SB 9: Victim’s Impact legislation has passed out of the Senate and has been sent to the House of Representatives where Rep. Joanna King and Rep Bob Morris will oversee its progression. Hearing in committee was on 2/3.

Thanks again to the Zent extended family and Senator Liz Brown (R-15) for all their work. See the back story here

CasiNO legislation HB 1038 (Relocation of Gaming Operations)

This bill passed out of the House by a vote of 67-30. It will now be heard by the Senate Public Policy Committee on Wed at 1 pm. NOW is the time to call the members and express that you DO NOT want a casino in NE Indiana. See members here: LINK

Previously: it was amended in Ways & Means to now include Allen, Dekalb, Steuben, and Wayne counties for consideration. Another amendment put forth by Rep Smaltz (Auburn) inserted a referendum.

(SB 70) is a dead bill.

The public, open forum scheduled by Allen County Council yielded several hundred people, most vehemently against the casino. Only 3 of 35 testimonies were “for” the casino initiative in NE Indiana, the others’ testimony were overwhelmingly opposed.

see casino backstory here

see casino research here

Crossover Date is 1/29 for both house and senate

Crossover Date is 1/29 for both house and senate

Senate Bill 88 is an omnibus education bill that includes several new pieces to enter into code. Our interest is in the CLT language. Then Classical Learning Test (CLT) is a comprehensive assessment for those students taught using the classical pedagogy and for many homeschool students who are used to long form assessments. This bill would require any/all state funded colleges and universities in Indiana to accept the CLT on par with the ACT and SAT. The digest for the entire bill here:

“Requires public schools to incorporate the importance of: (1) obtaining at least a high school diploma and acquiring additional training in preparation for the workforce; (2) securing full-time employment; and (3) waiting until marriage to begin having children; into student instruction. Includes the Classic Learning Test in certain references to nationally recognized college entrance examinations. Requires a state educational institution (SEI) to accept the Classic Learning Test examination to the same extent the SEI accepts the ACT or SAT examination with respect to admission criteria.” LINK

This bill made it through the Senate and will now be heard by the Education Committee on Wed at 8:30 am. Want to weigh in and support this bill? email us your testimony to coalitionforabetterindiana@gmail.com