Using feedback and listening to the concerns of local constituents, I filed several bills that I think could benefit not only our district, but also the State of Indiana. I have heard many concerns regarding alcohol displays in stores. And I agree with them because we have had too many occurrences where minors walk out of big box stores with liquor in hand. Cigarettes are behind the counter and out of the reach of minors, why should alcohol be treated any different? House Bill (HB) 1175 would require stores, excluding liquor stores, to display liquor in a room or partitioned area separate from other retail items for sale on the premises. Minors would be prohibited from those areas without a parent or guardian who is at least 21 years of age. On a similar note, I authored HB 1016 to allow a juvenile court judge to have the option of making a juvenile a ward of the Department of Correction-requiring the minor to stay in a juvenile facility overnight-if the minor was caught with alcoholic beverages. Some would say this is a "scare tactic" to prevent underage drinking, and I would agree. The Center for Disease and Control Prevention reports that alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs. In 2008 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 28% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol. My legislation is simply one small measure to bring those statistics down. I filed another piece of legislation to do with the judicial system, just another side of it. It was at the request of our newly-elected sheriff, Doug Cox, to allow county jails and the Department of Corrections to return unused prescription drugs. Majority of jails are given "packs" of prescriptions but are not given the option to return any unused drugs-state prisons are, but not county jails. Giving county jails the opportunity to return unused drugs would allow them to have more of a variety of other prescriptions and not have as many unused on-hand. This legislation has already received a hearing in committee and will be scheduled for a floor debate this week. As Chairman of Financial Institutions and as someone who has worked very closely with this committee and the issues it addresses, I have filed several bills that I think will help our Hoosier consumers. HB 1182 establishes the "Consumer Protection Assistance Fund" (CPAF) to be administered by the attorney general. CPAF would provide financial assistance to individuals who are (1) awarded restitution by a court in connection with a violation of certain consumer protection statutes and (2) are willing to assist the attorney general in the investigation and prosecution of the case. HB 1181 would amend the definition of "mortgage" in order to help with foreclosure prevention efforts. In addition, HB 1181 would require creditors to prove they have the most up-to-date contact information on the lender before filing foreclosure on a property. HB 1174 came at the request of Mayor Fred Paris of Franklin, allowing local governments to have the option of hiring a broker to sell real estate directly rather than having to use a bid process. You can keep up-to-date on these bills and other pieces of legislation by visiting www.in.gov/legislative. If you want a status report, you can search the bill number or subject matter. If you want to watch a committee hearing, you can click on "Watch the Indiana General Assembly Live." You will see a list of committee rooms, you just have to click on the appropriate room and watch live. You can also watch live session footage by clicking "Watch video live from the House." If you have any questions or concerns regarding these pieces of legislation or any other legislative matters, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can call me at 1-800-382-9841 or email me at H58@in.gov. In addition, please visit my website at www.in.gov/h58 and take a moment to fill out my legislative survey. I look forward to hearing your comments. |
