Contact Information
Legislative Assistant: Andrew Alvarez
Phone: 317-232-9620 | 1-800-382-9841
Press Contact
Contact Information
Press Contact
My LegislationWelcome to my website! I am honored to serve House District 19 as your state representative.
My goal is to accurately represent our district’s thoughts and perspectives while making our state the best it can be. My focus is on supporting policies that foster job creation for Northwest Indiana. I am also passionate about helping victims of sexual assault.
If you are interested in receiving information or updates regarding the issues being discussed in state government, do not hesitate to email my office at h19@iga.in.gov or sign up to begin receiving my email newsletter by clicking here.
You can also follow House Republicans on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
I am honored to serve our community in the General Assembly, and to support legislation moving Indiana forward.
Sincerely,
Julie Olthoff
State Representative
House District 19
Indiana House of Representatives: 2014-2018 2020-Present
Committees:
House District 19: Portions of Lake and Porter counties
Address: 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
Telephone:
Hometown: Crown Point
Occupation: President and owner of VIA Marketing
Representative Julie Olthoff was born the second oldest of seven children and worked her way through college. Employed at Adcom Advertising for nine years, she worked her way up to art director. Eventually she started her own firm, VIA Marketing. Her company has been serving Northwest Indiana for 29 years and employs seven people. She has been married to Ron Olthoff since 1986 and attends CrossPoint Church. Both participated in mission trips to Argentina and Brazil.
Community Involvement:
Athena International Leadership Award, 1994 Business Woman of the Year
2014 SBDC E-Day Women in Business Champion Award
Lake County Economic Development Alliance, Founding Board Member 2013
Engaging Northwest Indiana Business Women, Founding Board Member 2009 - 2012
2013 Chairman of Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce
1998-99 Chairman and Lifetime Achievement Award, Merrillville Chamber of Commerce
Employer of the Year Award 2003-2004
Merrillville Redevelopment Authority, 2014 President
Merrillville Plan Commission over 10 years
House District 19 includes all of Winfield and portions of Center, Ross and Hobart townships in Lake County and a portion of Porter township in Porter County.
STATEHOUSE (Dec. 21, 2020) – Lake County lawmakers were recently appointed to several House standing committees and leadership positions.
STATEHOUSE (Dec. 10, 2020) – Lake County and the town of Winfield recently received a combined total of nearly $2 million in state matching grants for road and bridge improvements, according to State Rep. Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point).
STATEHOUSE (Nov. 18, 2020) – Julie Olthoff of Crown Point took the oath of office Tuesday to serve as state representative for House District 19.
I am so proud to represent the people of House District 19 in the great Northwest Indiana Region. The richness we share in our communities can be seen in our ethnic diversity and the variety of our land. There is no other place like our home.
We celebrate our many cultures here during some of the best festivals and weddings held anywhere. We experience different customs all the time and love to share recipes for pastries, perogies, Lake Perch and many more. Our schools have become melting pots as a result of the people flocking here over the last 100 years for job opportunities. Our area churches teach us to be loving and generous and a neighbor to everyone.
Nearly two years ago, Riley Knight pulled over to help Linda Darlington out of a ditch where her car went off the road in Crown Point. This selfless act became a tragedy when both Knight and Darlington were struck and killed by oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, this incident is not rare, as a similar accident took place this past August in our community.
Recently, I received a letter from Maya Toma, an 11-year-old student from Crown Point. She is friends with Knight’s child and has seen firsthand how his family has suffered. Toma wrote me a letter about her idea of encouraging the public to keep two reflective vests in their cars in order to be more visible to traffic if and when they leave their cars.
Dear Friends,
The 2016 legislative session is here and I would like your feedback on several important issues.
I am committed to keeping the momentum going this session as we work toward developing a responsible, comprehensive and sustainable plan to maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure.
I have exciting news! Throughout the upcoming weeks I am hosting two different events within our community.
Public Forum
Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. (CST)
Hobart City Hall
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
Hobart
Friday, Jan. 22 at 11:15 (CST)
Session 1: Meet Indiana's Connections to Contracts & No Cost Consulting
Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza
800 E. 81st Ave.
Merrillville
Dear friends,
Congratulations, Jonas E. Salk Elementary! I am proud to share that they were recently named a Family Friendly School by the Indiana Department of Education.
The school was selected for their success in addressing the needs of students while fostering family and community involvement in education. In 2014, the Family Friendly Schools program was launched in response to the correlation found between active parental and local involvement, and the growth, stability and academic achievement of Hoosier students.
‘I hear shots’ is one of the most frequent phone calls Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) receives at our local office. As development continues within Winfield, residents often hear gunshots from nearby hunters and are concerned by how close the shots are to populated areas. Lt. Thomas Torsell Jr., a local DNR commander, asked to meet so he could discuss how our community can address issues regarding hunting practices, nuisance animals, and all-terrain vehicles.
Now that we are well into the summer months, I am pleased to announce that Senator Niemeyer and I are hosting a public forum to answer questions about this past legislative session as well as hear any questions or concerns that you may have.
I recently had the opportunity to attend two ceremonial bill signings for legislation that I advocated for throughout session. One bill was Senate Enrolled Act 94 which works to provide additional opportunities for rape victims and ensure justice can be fairly served.
My primary goal as your state representative is to promote progress in Lake County by listening and responding to the needs of my constituents. A common concern I have heard is that it takes too long to receive a state building permit, so I decided to look into this and learn what was being done to help permit approvals move through the process in a timelier manner.
These past four months have flown by, and I am pleased with this session's accomplishments. As you may know, this was a long session dedicated to crafting and passing the state's biennial budget. Within the budget, we were able to fund many programs that benefit Hoosier students, teachers and taxpayers.
It's hard to believe that the last two weeks of session are here. Representing our community at the Statehouse has been very rewarding. With the last day we can conduct our work on April 29, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the process and what the next two weeks will be like at the Statehouse.
STATEHOUSE – With a resolution in the House Chamber, State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) honored 10-year-old Mackenzie Williams for her devotion to helping others. For the past two years on her birthday, instead of asking for presents, the Crown Point resident has raised money and donated items to Haven House, an emergency shelter for domestic violence victims and their families.
I am excited to say a bill I co-sponsored to designate the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (NILEA) as a criminal justice agency and make it a board certified training center passed unanimously out of the House.
When it comes to creating jobs in Northwest Indiana, it is essential to support legislation that promotes economic growth. This session, I supported several bills working toward this goal.
This session, I co-authored several bills that improve the quality of life for Hoosier families. This includes increasing funding to $5M per year for domestic violence treatment and prevention as well as $1M per year for sexual assault victim assistance.
This legislative session, I authored a bill to support and provide nonprofit organizations with more flexibility over their charity events. Under House Bill 1435, charities will be able to give or auction sealed alcohol beverages as prizes without obtaining a permit. This bill passed 92-6 out of the House and now moves onto the Senate for further discussion.
Currently, wine baskets and other alcohol beverages were not allowed to be prizes at auctions. This restriction has caused local events in Lake County, such as the Rotary's Clothing Our Children event, to be canceled.
Alcohol beverages can be big ticket items for charity auctions that draw in donations and can now be auctioned up to four times a year without a permit. As more people participate in these auctions, more funds can be raised for charities and their worthy causes.
The most rewarding part of being a state representative is finding solutions to benefit my community and state. Nonprofits use charity events as a way to raise awareness and better communities, and I am pleased to have authored legislation that will allow them to raise funds in the way they believe is most effective.
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) authored legislation to support nonprofit organizations and provide them more flexibility over their charity events. House Bill (HB) 1435 would allow nonprofits to give away or auction alcoholic beverages as prizes at gaming charity events without obtaining an alcoholic beverage permit. The bill passed out of the House with a vote of 92-6.
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Cindy Kirchhofer (R-Beech Grove) authored House Bill (HB) 1007, Domestic violence prevention and treatment, to support Indiana’s domestic violence programs. One of the priorities of the House Republican legislative agenda is to address some of the public safety concerns impacting Indiana, particularly in the area of domestic violence. The bill was co-authored by State Reps. Julie Olthoff and Dave Frizzell, HB 1007 passed unanimously out of the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee today.
Education has always been a top priority for the House Republicans. More than 50 percent of our state's biennial budget is allotted to fund kindergarten through 12th grade. As a part of this year's budget, we will work to focus more dollars on the classroom and fix the school funding formula.
To better understand the funding formula, it's important to learn how we currently appropriate funds to our schools. The first step is to establish the foundation amount or the starting point for the funding formula. The foundation amount is essentially the minimum guarantee for each student and is currently $4,587 per student for fiscal year 2015.
From the foundation amount, adjustments are made for several variables including the number of low-income students; the number of special education students; the number of career and technical education students; and the number of honors diplomas awarded.
After the foundation is applied, the complexity index is used to increase the funding for low-income students. In the 2013 budget bill, the complexity index focused on students receiving free and reduced lunch for the first part of the biennium and then switched to focusing on students receiving free textbooks.
As an advocate for education, I am pleased that nearly $500,000 in grants have been made available by the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and Early Learning Indiana. These grants can be applied for by any Lake County program or facility that participates, or agrees to participate, in the On My Way Pre-K Pilot Program. Applications for grants are due February 15 and can be found here, along with information about the On My Way Pre-K Program.
Please contact my office if you have any questions about the funding formula, education or any other concern. I appreciate any input and feedback I receive as I represent our community.
The 2015 legislative session is officially underway, and we are off to a great start. I encourage you to get involved over the next four months, and there are a number of ways you can do this.
A good place to begin is on the Indiana General Assembly website. On this site, you can watch a live video feed of committee meetings, debates and as I vote for legislation on the House floor. You can also find information about my committee assignments and legislation I'm working on.
Today, more people are using social media as a means to access information. I encourage you to follow the Indiana House Republicans on Twitter @INHouseGOP. You can also find information about current events, state government and happenings in our community on all of our social media sites, which are listed below.
I'm very excited about the launch of the Indiana House Republicans new, user-friendly website. Click here to view my page where you will find my biography, a downloadable headshot, constituent resources and how to sign up for my e-newsletters.
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) congratulates several local schools that were awarded teacher performance grants by the state. For the first time in Indiana history, grants will be presented to teachers rated either effective or highly effective as a bonus.
STATEHOUSE - House Speaker Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis) announced committee assignments and leadership appointments for the Indiana House Republican Caucus.
State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) has been appointed to the Government and Regulatory Reform; Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; and Family, Children and Human Affairs committees.
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) will host two meet and greet events on Saturday, Dec. 6. Both events will be hosted as open forums allowing constituents in attendance to ask questions and speak with Rep. Olthoff. The media is welcome to attend.
STATEHOUSE – State Representative Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) was sworn into office on Organization Day, which marks the first official meeting of the 119th General Assembly. Rep. Olthoff was elected to represent House District 19, which includes portions of Lake County.
“I am excited by my new role as a state legislator and look forward to representing my community at the Statehouse,” said Rep. Olthoff. “I will do my best to create a better, stronger Northwest Indiana and ensure that the thoughts and viewpoints of my constituents are heard down in Indianapolis.”
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