[r73] Rep. Davisson's Support for Charter Schools (2/18/2011)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   Friday, February 4, 2011

Although we were in session for only two days this past week, we are not going to let the snow slow us down. So far this session, we have sent several bills to the Senate for consideration and we are starting to receive bills from their chamber as well. The legislative session has been busy, but very productive. As many of you may have heard, we heard some very important and heavily debated bills.
Unemployment insurance was one of the most significant bills that was passed on to the Senate after a contentious vote of 61 to 38. The unemployment benefit bill is a vital piece of legislation because it tackles the important issue of repaying our $2 billion debt to the federal government and trying to make unemployment benefits fair for everyone.
The unemployment insurance bill has set up a pay schedule to make sure Indiana has paid its debt and interest to the federal government by 2020. I think that this is a noteworthy aspect of the bill because it is extremely important that we are able to pay back our debt.  For too long, we were giving more in benefits than we were taking in and had to resort to using our reserves to pay the benefits. Once the recession hit, we no longer had the adequate funds to pay the unemployed and had to ask the federal government to loan us the money. It is of the utmost importance that we pay back the debt; we do not want to be in the same fiscal condition that other states are in. We pride ourselves on being one of the more fiscally conservative states in the nation.  It is imperative that we address this issue right now and make our future more secure. 
The other point worth mentioning in regards to the unemployment insurance bill is that it seeks to rectify the current system. That is, we want to make the system fairer to every individual who receives benefits. This means that seasonal employees will no longer receive more in benefits than another individual who makes the same salary. Additionally, "on-call" or "as-needed" employees will no longer receive benefits when they are called for work. We want to reform the current system and close all loopholes that exist.  I support any initiative that helps those in need and makes it a fair process.
Another piece of legislation that I was involved in was the unused medication bill. This bill would allow correctional facilities to return unused medication back to the pharmacy that dispensed the medication.  This bill passed through the House 98 to 0 and will now go to the Senate chamber.
As you can see from my discussion above, we have already had to work on some very complex issues in the 5 weeks that we have been in session and we will be tackling more issues in the coming weeks. As always, I encourage you all to send me your thoughts and concerns on any of the legislation we will be covering.  Know that I am working hard to best represent the interests of District 73. Thank you for your continued support.