Assistance for small businesses passes both chambers STATEHOUSE – House Bill (HB) 1170, authored by Rep. Kathy Heuer (R-Columbia City) and co-authored by Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) passed the Senate Monday with a 48-1 vote and will now be sent to the governor’s office to be signed into law. HB 1170 expands the Training 2000 Program to provide assistance to new or existing businesses in Indiana for training or retraining of employees, or additional training to upgrade skill levels. “Ensuring that employers have the resources necessary to train new employees and keep their current employees’ training up-to-date is crucial to the success of our Hoosier businesses,” said Rep. Karickhoff. The Training 2000 Program and Fund is comprised of the Skills Enhancement Fund, Indiana Specific Insurance Related Education Training Program and Technology Enhancement Certification for Hoosiers Fund. The programs are administered by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to provide reimbursements for a qualified business’s training costs. Currently, Training 2000 funds are only available to train new employees or to use in new capital investment. HB 1170 assures the IEDC that they can distribute training assistance funds for retention and upgrading of incumbent employee skills. “This helps our economy as a whole, not just individual business,” said Rep. Karickhoff. “We’re focused on building a strong workforce and retaining them in order to create a solid foundation for our economy to grow.” -30-
State Rep. Mike Karickhoff serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. He is also the chair of the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Rep. Karickhoff represents portions of Howard and Grant counties, most of the city of Kokomo and the towns of Swayzee and Greentown.
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