DOCSLIB.ORG

Context in Misappropriated Funds 221 Cases in 4 Years Reveals Relative Good Character of Indiana Local Government by BRIAN A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Context in Misappropriated Funds 221 Cases in 4 Years Reveals Relative Good Character of Indiana Local Government by BRIAN A V18, N38 Thursday, June 6, 2013 Context in misappropriated funds 221 cases in 4 years reveals relative good character of Indiana local government By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Misty Buck was a deputy clerk in the Muncie clerk’s office and failed to de- posit $11,325.50. Brittany Cohee of the Benton Township trustee’s office in Monroe County made $2,370 overpayments of salary. Chandler Clerk-Treasurer Timothy D. Osha rolled up $143,010.36 in personal expenses on credit cards, personal property use, penalties and interest and audit costs. Bunker Hill Town Court Judge Melvin Smith didn’t make deposits of $37,052.50, including speeding tickets some of you might have incurred on U.S. 31 in Miami County. Supt. Marion Chapman of Cannelton School Corporation rolled up $615,586.55 misap- propriated compensation and benefits and improp- er handling of a trust fund principal. Melody Buchanan, deputy clerk-trea- surer of West Terre Haute, was responsible for missing cafeteria receipts. $463,752.19 in missing collections. These public servants are part of a rogues gallery Debbie Deitrich was a cafeteria employee at Lo- gansport Memorial Hospital responsible for $60,403.24 in Continued on page 3 Support for life after birth By CRAIG DUNN KOKOMO – This column is not about advocating for a position regarding the issue of abortion. That is not a minefield that I care to cross at this “We will have to keep wrestling time. This column is directed at with this octopus until it gets pro-life advocates in our government tired.” who are under the lamentable belief that the issue stops at the point of - The late Gary Mayor birth. They seem to labor under a Rudy Clay, on cutting thought process that says, “If you have an unwanted pregnancy, have $13 million from the the baby.” “If you have been told that city budget HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, June 6, 2013 you will have a baby with congenital They intuitively know that birth defects, have the baby.” their child will be different, be treated “If you’ve been raped and are differently, be more expensive and be www.HoweyPolitics.com pregnant, have the baby.” more difficult to raise and will present Then, when the baby arrives, challenges when it reaches adulthood. their attitude transforms to, “It’s your Their dreams of sports stars, rocket Howey Politics problem, deal with it!” scientists and cheerleader beauty Indiana Politicians postulate all of queens go up in smoke. is a non-partisan newsletter the time about creating environments I am the father of four chil- for success. They talk about creating a dren so I can speak with some author- based in Indianapolis and tax structure that will make our state ity on this subject. Nashville, Ind. It was founded more attractive for business develop- Children are scary! in 1994 in Fort Wayne. ment and expansion. They introduce They make constant de- It is published by bills to make certain industries more mands to be fed, clothed, entertained, WWWHowey Media, LLC lucrative in the name of jobs. They educated, coached and nurtured. It build sports stadiums and induce pro- is a darn difficult job when they are 405 Massachusetts Ave., fessional teams to locate in them in an healthy and have loving parents with Suite 300 effort to make their community “world good jobs. I can only imagine how ter- Indianapolis, IN 46204 class.” rifying the prospect of raising a child in They spend to build jogging a single parent household, a child with Brian A. Howey, Publisher paths, bike trails, swimming pools, a disability or a child in poverty can concert halls and parks to improve the truly be. Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington “quality of life” for their citizens. Who cares about the quality Jack E. Howey, Editor But what about the “quality of life of one of these children? What Matthew Butler, Daily Wire of life” for the newly born child with choices do they get to make? a birth defect or disability, the mother Those who advocate for struggling to find childcare so she pro-life legislation, regulations and Subscriptions can work, the mentally or physically policy are duty bound to help create $599 annually impaired adult who has lost their sup- an atmosphere that is conducive to Ray Volpe, Account Manager port system or the couple struggling the birth, development, education and ' 317.602.3620 through the expensive morass of the quality of life of children born with email: [email protected] adoption process? disabilities, children needing adoption I believe that many well- or those born to a struggling single meaning politicians care more about mother. We simply can no longer Contact HPI the quality of life in the womb than demand that a woman give birth to www.howeypolitics.com the quality of life after birth. It is a a baby and then feel no sense of [email protected] problem that must be addressed. responsibility for the well-being of the There are many reasons child. 'Howey’s Cabin: 812.988.6520 why a woman chooses to have an We are a nation that has 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 abortion. There are selfish reasons spent vast amounts of money over the 'Washington: 202-256-5822 such as an inconvenient lifestyle years on every type of special interest 'Business Office:317.602.3620 change. Many times, the father of the handout known to man and lobbyist. child has disappeared and the mother We have bailed out, handed does not feel that she can bear the out and stimulated with trillions of © 2013, Howey Politics Indiana. time and financial demands of single dollars. We have run up a staggering All rights reserved. Photocopy- motherhood. There are issues of pain federal debt by spending funds on ing, Internet forwarding, fax- and grief with a pregnancy resulting duplicative weapons systems, alter- ing or reproducing in any form, from rape. native energy boondoggles, massive whole or part, is a violation of Science has progressed to a federal government employment and point of recognizing birth defects in programs of immense waste. federal law without permission the womb and confronting the parents Yet we have failed to serve from the publisher. v with the difficult decision of whether many of those who have been unfor- or not to terminate the pregnancy. tunate enough to not be able to afford HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, June 6, 2013 a K Street or Statehouse lobbyist. I believe that it is just as important for the people, If we really want to dramatically reduce the politicians and organizations whose goal is to make abor- number of abortions, we will take actions that support our tion illegal or extremely difficult to speak out for the babies words. who are born and the mothers who have made the decision We will provide adequate pre-natal care, to choose life. support infant nutrition programs, aid the adoption pro- Until we see an equal emphasis on postnatal qual- cess, provide sufficient physical, occupational and speech ity of life issues, the divisive battle of our time will continue therapy for those with disabilities, support special needs to be fought in legislatures and courtrooms and not in the education, foster expanded child care programs for working hearts of scared pregnant girls and women. v mothers and support occupational and residential programs for adults with disabilities who are unable to work and live Dunn is chairman of the Howard County Republican on their own. Party. agencies and various districts (library and sewer), and 11 Misappropriations, from page 1 with the state. The message for the tiny fraction of unscrupulous which in combination misappropriated $9,785,401 between characters is that the State Board of Accounts, the two 2009 and 2012, according to the office of the Indiana At- federal District Attorneys and the 92 county prosecutors are torney General. There is $9,017,490 in original balances for watching. audit report cases still open. They are part of what is called When the State Board of Accounts in a certified the civil prosecution of public corruption that included 142 audit report finds that public money has been misappropri- cases between 2009 and 2012 during the Zoeller adminis- ated from a local government office, the audit authorizes tration. the Indiana Attorney General’s Office to attempt to collect Another 29 cases have been filed as of last week the amount in order to reimburse the public treasury. The in 2013, pushing the total to more than $10 million. There attorney general’s office does that by sending demand have been 221 audit report cases, some of which did not letters and then filing legal actions to freeze the assets of result in civil litigation to recover funds. The amount still public officials and seeking civil judgments against them to owed by defendants in currently open cases is $8.8 million, according to AG spokes- man Bryan Corbin. Indiana has some 30,000 public employees, around 10,000 elected officials and 3,000 units of government, so 221 misappropriation cases over a four-year period is, in a way, good news. A fraction of 1% have been caught. And $10 million in misappropriated funds in the context of more than $40 billion in government funds is also heartening. Of the more than 164 cases provided on a SBA spreadship provided by the Attorney General, 37 cases involved towns, 33 in school corporations, 26 in townships, 23 in cit- ies, 20 in counties, 18 in HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 4 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, June 6, 2013 require repayment.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
    IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Marc A. Simon, as Executor of the Estates of CIVIL DIVISION Sylvan Simon and Bernice R. Simon, Docket No. GD-20-011130 Plaintiff, vs. RESPONSE TO COLT’S MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN National Rifle Association of America, Inc., SUPPORT OF ITS Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC, Colt PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS Defense, LLC, John Doe Company and Robert Bowers, Filed on behalf of Plaintiff, Defendants. Marc A. Simon, as Executor of the Estates of Sylvan Simon and Bernice R. Simon Counsel for Plaintiff: ROBERT A. BRACKEN, ESQ. PA ID 206095 CHARLES A. LAMBERTON, ESQ., PA ID No. 78043 BRACKEN LAMBERTON, LLC 707 Grant Street The Gulf Tower, Suite 1705 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 JURY TRIAL DEMANDED Tel. (412) 533-9281 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES Bond v. United States, 134 S. Ct. 2077 (2014) ............................................................................................................ 6, 7 Chiapperini v. Gander Mountain Co., Inc., 13 N.Y.S.3d 777 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2014) ....................................................................................... 3 Cipollone v. Liggett Group, 505 U.S. 504 (1992) ................................................................................................................ 6, 8 City of Cincinnati v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 95 Ohio St. 3d 416 (2002)........................................................................................................... 8 City of Gary v. Smith & Wesson, 801 N.E.2d 1222 (2003).............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • David Dale Owen and Joseph Granville Norwood: Pioneer Geologists in Indiana and Illinois
    David Dale Owen and Joseph Granville Norwood: Pioneer Geologists in Indiana and Illinois Clark Kimberling* In 1993 America’s highest-grossing concert act popularized a song entitled “Dire Wolf,”’ and a leading children’s television series was using dire wolves as bad guys.2Elsewhere, players of Dungeons and Dragons empathized with the species. Although these modern- day dire wolves are mythical and fantastic, a few millennia ago real ones roamed both American continent^.^ They hunted other ani- mals, slew them with their powerful jaws, and ate them. In 1854 Francis A. Linck of Evansville, Indiana, found a fossilized jawbone of what was later identified as the first known dire wolf and thus established a new species. Tracing the movement of this fossil from Evansville to New Harmony, Indiana, then to Philadelphia opens up an interesting view of the study of geology in the mid-nine- teenth-century Middle West and of two geologists living in New Harmony in 1854: David Dale Owen and Joseph Granville Norwood. Although the story of Francis A. Linck and his discovery can be viewed as a kind of introductory note to the Owen-Norwood account, it is in itself a fascinating tale. Linck’s father, also Francis, was a native of Wurttemburg, Germany, who migrated to Vander- *Clark Kimberling is professor of mathematics, University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana. For abundant and enthusiastic help, he wishes to thank Faye Mark, archivist, Indiana University, Bloomington; Ronald L. Richards, curator of paleobiology and chief curator of natural history, Indiana State Museum, Indi- anapolis; Josephine M. Elliott of The Workingmen’s Institute, New Harmony, Indi- ana; Rodney D.
    [Show full text]
  • Owen Family News
    OWEN FAMILY NEWS Volume 22, Issue 1 Published by Owen Family Association March 2007 Page 1 htpp//www.geocities.com/~owenfamily Bi-Annual Owen Family Association Reunion Will be held in Ashville, NC INSIDE THIS ISSUE Our Feature Article: Feature Article: DescendantsOwen DNA of William Project and Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 4 Update and Table C. Owen Johnson by Whit Athey Page 52 Pages 4-8 Our bi-annual reunion will be September 29th and 30th in Ashville, NC. Reuben Pickett Owen Carol and Bob Owens of Bakersville, NC have kindly agreed to be our host andObadiah His Descendants: Owens, a and hostess. They are busy making plans for your participation. Details DescendantAdrian Boone of Richard Owen will be available in the June issue of the Owen Family News. OwenJody of HalifaxMoeller andCo. VA by JosephineLee Gentemenn Moeller Page 55 Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Pages 4 & 10 IN FUTURE ISSUES North Carolina, Asheville is perhaps best known as the loca- All Those Owens Named tion of George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate and the home of - MarchBrackett Feature Part Article II - major American novelist, Thomas Wolfe. Asheville is also a Descendants of William and by Jane Hillard thriving and eclectic city, dubbed the “Paris of the South” in Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 5 the early 1900’s for establishing itself as an artisan city with by C. Owen Johnson unique style and architectural talent. The Owens≈ of Texas Established in 1797 as the trading center and seat of DescendantsPart 4 of Reubenby Hugh Pickett Goodman, Owen—Part 4 the newly created Buncombe County, Asheville grew stead- by JosephinePage 3Moeller ily through the 19th century.
    [Show full text]
  • MISSISSIPPI GEOLOGY 2 Figure 3
    THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES miSSISSippi• • • • geology Bureau of Geology I 2525 North West Street Volume 6, Number 3 • Jackson, Mississippi 39216 March 1986 EXCAVATION OF AN ARCHAEOCETE WHALE, BASILOSAURUS CETOIDES (OWEN), FROM MADISON, MISSISSIPPI· David T. Dockery Ill Mississippi Bureau of Geology John E. Johnston Mississippi Bureau of Geology INTRODUCTION Company, notified the Mississippi Bureau of Geology concerning the find. After examination, the excavated On October 22, 1985, backhoe operator Richard Ivy materials were identified as vertebrae, rib, and limb of Triangle Construction Company encountered some bone fragments of the large archaeocete whale hard objects while excavating for a sewer line in the Basilosaurus cetoides (Owen). Yazoo Clay at Hunter's Point subdivision just northeas: Richard Ivy reported that the bones were encountered of Madison, Mississippi (SW/4, NW/4, Sec. 10, T.7N. ten feet below the surface while excavating for a six­ R.2E.). At first he thought these objects were petrified foot long residential sewer pipe connecting to the main wood. Bob King, also with Triangle Constructio~• line. According to his observation, he had cut the Reconstructed skeleton of Basilosaurus cetoides (Owen). Scale bar equals 1 meter. From Thurmond and Jones, 1981 . Figure 2. John Johnston and Phillip Higdon watching and listening for the backhoe to encounter bone. of vertebrae and ribs were eventually exposed (Figures 1 and 2) . At the beginning of the excavation, the fragmentary nature of the bones ruled out any necessity for a site survey (Figure 3). The main objective was to find the skull or at least fragments of the skull and jaws.
    [Show full text]
  • The Family History of Robert Owen by ARTHURH
    The Family History of Robert Owen By ARTHURH. ESTABROOK Eugenics Record Office, Carnegie Institution of Washington This is a day of great achievements and momentous jumps in science, engineering and agriculture ; even in war. Recently new weapons of slaughter, poisonous gas, aerial bombs, gFns with a range of fifty miles and other inventions and develop- ments in every field of human activity have become matters of every-day occurrence. One day the world acknowledges the genius who accomplishes these things, the next he is for- gotten or overshadowed in the presence of so many other per- sons of marked ability. We have become accustomed to new methods of thought and procedure and new systems of govern- ment. A hundred years ago a man with a vision and a message stood out with striking prominence. Such a man was Robert Owen who lived for an ideal and whose ruling passion was, in the words of his son, Robert Dale Owen, “the love of his kind, individually and collectively.” Robert Owen at thirty-five had made almost a million dollars as a manufacturer ; he then re- tired from business and devoted the remainder of his life to the betterment of the working man, to the formation of co- operative societies, the carrying out of a community experi- ment, to agitation for the enactment of laws prohibiting child labor, for factory inspection laws, and for a better and fuller education of the children in the schools ; this all as long ago as the period of 1800. hobert Owen was born of humble parentage at Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales, May 14, 1771.
    [Show full text]
  • The Howey Political Report Is Published by Newslink Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville and South Bend -- Are Inc
    Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003 ! Volume 9, Number 26 Page 1 of 9 E. C., Elkhart, Gary The T.H. top primaries Howey !"#$%&'($))'*+$,#'#%'-$.'"$#$/*'$&',0)) By BRIAN A. HOWEY in Indianapolis The stage is set for the first round of Hoosier munici- pal elections, with intense mayoral primary races aimed at Political incumbents in East Chicago, Elkhart, Gary, Jeffersonville, and Terre Haute. There will also be a spirited primary race in New Albany as the Democrats jockey for position to chal- Report lenge Mayor Regina Overton. The nominees for Indiana’s four biggest cities -- The Howey Political Report is published by NewsLink Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville and South Bend -- are Inc. Founded in 1994, The Howey Political Report is already settled and those candidates will spend the next six an independent, non-partisan newsletter analyzing the months raising money, meeting with community groups and political process in Indiana. setting the stage for the homestretch that will begin on Labor Brian A. Howey, publisher Day. Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington writer Mayoral and council candidates face tough issues sur- Jack E. Howey, editor rounding reassessment, billions of dollars in unsolved com- bined sewer overflow problems, homeland security, dramatic The Howey Political Report Office: 317-254-1533 expenditures in snow removal and fuel prices, and an explo- PO Box 40265 Fax: 317-968-0487 Indianapolis, IN 46240-0265 Mobile: 317-506-0883 sion of methamphetamine labs that have hit smaller cities and towns much more dramatically than crack cocaine did [email protected] www.howeypolitics.com the bigger cities in the 1980s and ‘90s. There are also the traditional fault lines between city hall and police and fire Washington office: 202-775-3242; departments.
    [Show full text]
  • David Dale Owen and the First Geological Survey
    The Annals of Iowa Volume 24 Number 1 (Summer 1942) pps. 3-13 David Dale Owen and the First Geological Survey Walter B. Hendrickson ISSN 0003-4827 No known copyright restrictions. This work has been identified with a http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/">Rights Statement No Known Copyright. Recommended Citation Hendrickson, Walter B. "David Dale Owen and the First Geological Survey." The Annals of Iowa 24 (1942), 3-13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17077/0003-4827.6165 Hosted by Iowa Research Online David Dale Owen and the First Geological Survey BY WALTER B. HENDRICKSON On September 17, 1839, a steamboat landed at the little town of Rockingham, Iowa, and its passengers dis- embarked. They were the personnel of the most specta- cular of the many geological surveys and explorations carried out by the United States government in the Western lands. The leader of these more than one hun- dred men who made camp on the bank of the Mississippi River that September day was Doctor David Dale Owen, a young physician, geologist, and scientist. Owen, Scotch-Welsh in ancestry, had lived his youthful years in Scotland and Switzerland. The third son of the great British socialist and philanthropist, Robert Owen, he had enjoyed an excellent European scientific educa- tion.^ When Dale was twenty-one years old, hoping to become an industrial chemist, he came to America to join his father in New Harmony, Indiana. This little town on the Wabash River was the site chosen by Robert Owen for inaugurating an experiment in communal living. He planned to have a self-supporting agricultural and in- dustrial community.
    [Show full text]
  • Charlie's Duck Soup: Another Fine Mess
    V17, N19 Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 Charlie’s Duck Soup: another fine mess His disaster ricochets across 3 branches of government, 2 parties and up & down Market St. By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - It’s not quite “Duck Soup” with Oliver Hardy admonish- ing Stanley Laurel: “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.” But the saga of Secretary of State Charlie White is about to enter a multi- dimensional climax over the next two or three months. And while there have been statewide officer holders who have ended up in career-ending legal predicaments - Supt. of Instruction Harold Negley and Clerk of Courts Dwayne Brown the most recent - the Charlie saga has or could in- The next couple of months will likely bring a sensational end to the Charlie White volve all three branches of government and saga, one of the strangest chapters in Indiana political history. have unpredictable political implications up and down Market Street. voter registration, Class D felony; two counts of perjury, White is facing trial in Hamilton County Superior Class D felony; voting outside of precinct resident, Class D Court on a seven-count indictment for election fraud issued felony; procuring a fraudulent ballot, Class D felony; theft, in March 2011, perjury and theft related to his 2010 prima- Class D felony; and fraud on a financial institution, Class C ry vote in Fishers, allegedly from the wrong residence. The Continued on page 4 charges that will be heard on Jan. 30 include: fraudulent Mitch & Morton’s historic bond By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - Gov.
    [Show full text]
  • Indiana Senators
    Indiana Senators District Name Email Phone Legislative Assistant 1 Frank Mrvan [email protected] 317-232-9534 Nathaniel Massy 2 Lonnie Randolph [email protected] 317-232-9532 Michelle Moody 3 Eddie Melton [email protected] 317-232-9432 Ashley Lopez 4 Karen Tallian [email protected] 317-232-9404 Tyler Hempfling 5 Ed Charbonneau [email protected] 317-232-9494 Cheyenne Hodges 6 Rick Niemeyer [email protected] 317-232-9489 Michael Conway 7 Brian Buchanan [email protected] 317-234-9441 Kate Semmler 8 Mike Bohacek [email protected] 317-232-9541 Lawrence Hemphill 9 Ryan Mishler [email protected] 317-232-9814 Molly McMath 10 David Niezgodski [email protected] 317-232-9491 Shanee Francher-Donald 11 Linda Rogers [email protected] 317-234-9443 Cassie Anderson 12 Blake Doriot [email protected] 317-232-9808 Ryan Ritchie 13 Sue Glick [email protected] 317-232-9466 Jared Green 14 Dennis Kruse [email protected] 317-233-0930 Jake Torrie 15 Liz Brown [email protected] 317-234-9426 Kaitlyn Gomez 16 Justin Busch [email protected] 317-232-9488 David Boyer 17 Andy Zay [email protected] 317-234-9441 Kate Semmler 18 Stacey Donato [email protected] 317-232-9493 Eric Perry 19 Travis Holdman [email protected] 317-232-9453 Debby McCarty 20 Scott Baldwin [email protected] 317-232-9533 Parker Zent 21 Jim Buck [email protected] 317-232-9466 Jared Green 22 Ron Alting [email protected] 317-232-9808 Ryan Ritchie 23 Philip Boots [email protected] 317-234-9054 Sarah Potter 24 John Crane [email protected] 317-232-9984 Morgan Torres 25 Tim Lanane [email protected] 317-232-9427 Adam Jones 26 Mike Gaskill [email protected] 317-234-9443 Cassie Anderson 27 Jeff Raatz [email protected] 317-233-0930 Jake Torrie 28 Michael Crider [email protected] 317-234-9054 Sarah Potter 29 J.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Comment to National Labor Relations Board
    Comment to National Labor Relations Board Whereas: The NLRB’s “blocking charge” and “voluntary recognition bar” policies hold workers hostage in a union they oppose for years at a time; and Whereas: Union bosses routinely use these doctrines to expand Big Labor’s power by trapping workers and forcing them to pay dues to a union that they oppose; and Whereas: Board-invented doctrines actively block employees from exercising their legal right to vote on whether to remove unwanted union representation. Therefore: I urge the National Labor Relations Board to roll back “blocking charge” and “voluntary recognition bar” policies, and immediately implement the rule changes as detailed in the National Right to Work Foundation’s comments to the NLRB on this rule. Signatories #16001 through #17000: Bernard Pulz West Virginia Janelle Murlowski Minnesota Gordon Lee Texas Michael Munson Delaware George Foster Massachusetts Tuula Jesudason California Craig Dewart California Gary Mills California Timothy Butler California Muriel Edwards Arizona Rick Newman Pennsylvania Michael Petersen Nebraska Raymond Rodriguez California Nina Hohnstein California Roger Reber Ohio Maria Wagner Michigan Michael Manchak Texas Paul Stout Kansas Arleen Wood California Andy Jones Illinois William Bell Mississippi Dianne Rowe Florida Dan Billups California Katrin Kuriger Iowa Christine Hendricks Utah James Mitchell Florida Donald Dahler Arizona Charles Cornwallis Nevada William Slicher Delaware Sandi Renfro California Jerome Grashion Pennsylvania Rick Zellers Pennsylvania
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Senators: Vote YES on the Disability Treaty! © Nicolas Früh/Handicap International November 2013 Dear Senator
    U.S. Senators: Vote YES on the Disability Treaty! © Nicolas Früh/Handicap International November 2013 Dear Senator, The United States of America has always been a leader of the rights of people with disabilities. Our country created the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensuring the rights of 57.8 million Americans with disabilities, including 5.5 million veterans. The ADA inspired the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty. The CRPD ensures that the basic rights we enjoy, such as the right to work and be healthy, are extended to all people with disabilities. Last December, America’s leadership diminished when the Senate failed to ratify the CRPD by 5 votes. In the pages that follow, you will find the names of 67,050 Americans who want you to vote Yes on the CRPD. Their support is matched by more than 800 U.S. organizations, including disability, civil rights, veterans’ and faith-based organizations. These Americans know the truth: • Ratification furthers U.S. leadership in upholding, championing and protecting the rights of children and adults with disabilities • Ratification benefits all citizens working, studying, or traveling overseas • Ratification creates the opportunity for American businesses and innovations to reach international markets • Ratification does not require changes to any U.S. laws • Ratification does not jeopardize U.S. sovereignty The Senate has an opportunity that doesn’t come along often in Washington—a second chance to do the right thing and to ratify the CRPD. We urge you and your fellow Senators to support the disability treaty with a Yes vote when it comes to the floor.We must show the world that U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • F I F T H W E E K O F T H E L E G I S L a T U R E L E G I S L a T I O N W E ' R E F O L L O W I
    WEEK 5 2021 STATEHOUSE REPORT F I F T H W E E K O F T H E L E G I S L A T U R E With two weeks until committee report deadline, hearings are getting longer and typically last the maximum two hours of allotted time. The week began with a hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee of SB 373, a carbon credit initiative authored by Sue Glick (R-Howe). This bill was originally conceived by former Sen. Mark Stoops (D-Bloomington) and was studied during the interim. The bill passed committee unanimously and will be on the floor of the Senate Monday. Read more about SB 373 here. In House Utilities Committee this week we testified in opposition to HB 1520, a bill loosely aimed at the large topic of reliability. Kerwin reminded the committee that HB 1520 creates additional regulatory burdens and an unfunded mandate for staffing and increased workload at the IURC. What we should be talking about is expanding competition, choice for customers, expanding net metering and authorizing community solar. But the worst bill this week—indeed this session—is Senate Bill 386,which was heard in Senate Utilities last Thursday. SB386 is Indiana’s first attempt at securitization, or financing capital recovery with a bond repaid in utility bills. Unfortunately, SB386 gets it dreadfully wrong. Despite being sold as bill which will save customers money, the legislation only promises to increase utility bills by sticking consumers with a surcharge on their monthly bills for the next 15 years, while delivering the utility and their investors a truckload of cash.
    [Show full text]