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Indiana Teachers

Mike is proud to have supported and voted for the following teacher legislation for the 2021 General Assembly.

Appropriates money for capital expenditures, the operation of the state, K-12 and higher education, the delivery of Medicaid and other services, and various other distributions and purposes.

Unions

Mike has fought for our Union brother and sisters at the State House. Mike has introduced legislation to protect our Unions and Working Families. Furthermore, Mike received a 90% voting score from the Indiana AFI-CIO. Mike will continue to fight for our Unions and advocate for our working families in Indiana.

Mike is proud to have authored the following Working Family/Union legislation for the 2021 General Assembly. Unfortunately, these bills didn’t get a hearing.

Requires that, whenever the actual costs for the construction of a public improvement are at least $150,000, a contractor or subcontractor shall pay the workers employed in the performance of work for the construction of the public improvement a rate of wages that is not less than the prevailing wage determined by the commissioner of the department of labor (commissioner). Requires that employer contributions for fringe benefits paid under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement be included in the prevailing wage determination unless a contractor or subcontractor is required by federal, state, or local law to provide the fringe benefit. Provides that a prevailing wage determination is conclusive for one year from the date of the determination unless the determination is superseded by a later determination.

Small Businesses

Mike is proud to have authored the following Small Business legislation for the 2021 General Assembly, Unfortunately, these bills didn’t get a hearing.

Provides that, to the extent that the definition of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) in Title 6 of the Indiana Code is not updated by amendment in the 2021 session or thereafter to conform with the CARES Act and its related amendments, a taxpayer is entitled to an exemption from state adjusted gross income equal to the amount of income associated with forgiveness of a covered loan under the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act that is excluded from the taxpayer’s federal gross income under Section 1106(i) of that Act, but otherwise included in the taxpayer’s state adjusted gross income based on the definition of the IRC in Title 6 of the Indiana Code

H.B 1317: Sales tax remittances by restaurants

Provides for a payment program for restaurants with unpaid sales tax and food and beverage taxes. Defines “state tax liability” as sales tax and food and beverage taxes incurred after February 28, 2021, and before August 1, 2021. Provides that a restaurant can enter into a payment program agreement with the department of state revenue that covers state tax liability for the prescribed time period. Provides that, upon payment of all state tax liability, the department shall abate and not seek to collect any interest, penalties, collection fees, or costs.

First Responders

Mike is proud to have co-authored and co-sponsored the following First Responder legislation for the 2021 General Assembly.

Requires the Indiana law enforcement training board to establish mandatory training in de-escalation as part of the use-of-force curriculum, and requires de-escalation training to be provided as a part of: (1) pre-basic training; (2) mandatory in-service training; and (3) the executive training program. Establishes a procedure to allow the Indiana law enforcement training board to decertify an officer who has committed misconduct.

S.B 232: Exposure risk diseases

Exposure risk diseases. Adds any variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), including coronavirus disease (COVID-19), to the list of diseases considered an exposure risk disease for purposes of emergency and public safety employee death and disability presumed in the line of duty. Provides, for any employee who is diagnosed after June 30, 2021, with a health condition caused by any variant of SARS, including COVID-19, that if the health condition results in disability or death and the employee wishes to have a presumption of disability or death incurred in the line of duty apply to the employee, the employee shall, by a written affidavit executed before death, provide verification that the employee has not, outside the scope of the employee’s current employment, been exposed to another individual known to have any variant of SARS, including COVID-19.

S.B 396: 1977 pension and disability fund

1977 pension and disability fund. Amends the definition of “salary of a first-class patrolman or first-class firefighter” for the purpose of benefits paid from and contributions made to the 1977 police officers’ and firefighters’ pension and disability fund (fund). Establishes certain requirements if an employer certifies a new salary under IC 36-8-8-6.5. Changes the maximum age for an applicant to a police department from 35 to 39 years of age.

H.B 1115: Interfering with public safety

Interfering with public safety. Provides that a person who enters a marked-off area after having been denied entry by a firefighter commits interfering with public safety. (Under current law, the offense is committed only if the person is denied entry by an emergency medical services provider or a law enforcement officer.) Increases the penalty for obstruction of traffic under certain circumstances.

Veterans

Mike is proud to have co-authored and co-sponsored the following veteran legislation for the 2021 General Assembly.

Tuition for qualified nonresident veterans. Provides that a qualified nonresident veteran who enrolls in a state educational institution not later than three years after the date of the qualified nonresident veteran’s discharge or separation from the armed forces of the United States or the Indiana National Guard is eligible to pay the resident tuition rate at a state educational institution.

H.B 1392: Occupational licensure of military spouses

Occupational licensure of military spouses. Amends as follows the law under which a provisional occupational license may be issued to the spouse of an active duty member of the armed forces assigned to Indiana: (1) Provides that the law applies to the spouse of any active military service member, including a member of a reserve component of the United States armed forces or a member of the National Guard. (2) Eliminates a provision under which a military spouse applying for a provisional occupational license is required to submit to a national criminal history background check, and provides instead that a military spouse applying for a provisional occupational license must be determined by the appropriate professional board to not have a disqualifying criminal history if a national criminal history background check is required for the regulated occupation for which the military spouse seeks a provisional license.