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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State senator pledges to fight against criminalizing homelessness in bill
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's Senate Bill 197 as it stands Wednesday afternoon makes "street camping" illegal and a jailable offense, said state Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette. "It's coming out," Alting said Wednesday afternoon about the House's amendment to make sleeping on public land or on sidewalks a Class C misdemeanor. "(The bill's author) agrees with me that is not the correct way to handle homelessness. "We're a society of compassion." As the bill currently reads, sleeping or camping on publicly owned property becomes a Class C misdemeanor. An officer can warn those found sleeping or camping on publicly owned land. If the person is living on a sidewalk or a public right of way, they have 24 hours to move, based on the current version of the bill. If they are camped on publicly owned lands that are not on a right of way, the person must move within 72 hours of being warned. Failure to move is a Class C misdemeanor, and a conviction can carry a possible sentence up to 60 days in jail and a fine up to $500, according to Indiana law. Officers who sense there is a mental health issue can take the person to be evaluated. They also can give the homeless a ride to facility that will help the person such as a crisis intervention center, according to the version of the bill as of Wednesday afternoon. Originally, the bill addressed problems surrounding unsafe buildings and the property owners' responsibilities. But after the House amendment, it criminalizes homelessness, Alting said. "For whatever reason, these folks are homeless," Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said Wednesday morning. "Now they want to criminalize homelessness. "I foresee this being a problem when we're filling our jails with homeless people," Goldsmith said. "That's not good use of our resources." Alting said the Senate likely will vote in the coming days to remove the "street camping" portion of the bill. When that happens, the bill will go to reconciliation, where members of both chambers of the General Assembly will hammer out their differences so that the bill can be approved and sent to the governor's desk for his signature or his veto. Alting is on the reconciliation committee for the Senate. He said he's hearing that the House members on the reconciliation committee might push for wording that makes it illegal to sleep on the street or sidewalk, while not pushing the issue of homelessness camps on publicly owned lands. Alting said we're a free society, and homelessness should not be criminalized. Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@ Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Sen. Alting pledges to fight against criminalizing homelessness in bill
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana education deregulation bill sparks social-emotional learning debate in final Senate vote
Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, chats with colleagues in the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Tensions flared Tuesday in the Indiana Senate as conversations around an education deregulation bill devolved into a debate over social-emotional learning, or SEL. In focus was House Bill 1002, a Republican-backed measure that despite its length — 165 pages in the latest draft — would strike multiple sections of current state education code, trimming about 35,000 words in all. Examples include the removal of dozens of 'may' provisions, eliminating specific COVID-19 pandemic requirements and striking duplicate code. Republican bill author Rep. Bob Behning estimated that the cuts would reduce state education regulations by nearly 10%. Teachers should be focusing on academic rigor, math, science, reading, writing and technical skills, instead of emotional regulation, empathy. – Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville There was bipartisan concern, however, about the bill's deletion of existing requirements for teachers to complete training in SEL trauma-informed care and cultural competency. The bill would remove 'social, emotional, and behavioral functioning' evaluations from school psychologists' list of responsibilities. School improvement plans also would no longer be required to incorporate 'culturally appropriate strategies for increasing education opportunities' for certain student populations at the school, including different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. SEL, in particular, has been targeted by Republican lawmakers in recent legislative sessions and criticized by conservative groups that say such practices are akin to liberal ideology and should not be permitted in schools. GOP supporters said the newest proposed rollbacks are in response to federal guidance. A recent U.S. Department of Education letter, for example, said considerations based on race in educational settings is 'unlawful.' 'Teachers should be focusing on academic rigor, math, science, reading, writing and technical skills, instead of emotional regulation, empathy,' said Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. 'Teachers are not therapists, nor should they be treated as such. Trained, licensed mental health professionals are better equipped to handle the social emotional aspects of student life.' Republican senators who voted against House Bill 1002: Sen. Ron Alting, of Lafayette Sen. Vaneta Becker, of Evansville Sen. Mike Bohacek, of Michiana Shores Sen. Sue Glick, of LaGrange Sen. Jean Leising, of Oldenburg Sen. Jim Tomes, of Wadesville Sen. Mike Young, of Indianapolis Sen. Andy Zay, of Huntington But his colleague, Republican Sen. Ron Alting, of Lafayette, disagreed. He emphasized that 'the best counseling I've had in my whole life was from my teachers and my coaches.' 'If it wasn't for my coaches and my teachers in my life to keep me straight, to keep me going, I'm not sure where I'd be today. I sure wouldn't be here, I can tell you that,' he said. 'Those of you saying teachers aren't qualified … these kids need help … these kids need someone to love them,' Alting continued, becoming more passionate. 'I will leave the room if I hear another senator in this place say that a teacher or coach is not qualified to talk to our kids, or that these kids don't need to be talked to because they do.' Across the aisle, Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, pointed to oppositional testimony provided by teachers. 'They thought that removing this requirement was going to be a bad thing for their classrooms,' he said. 'I hear, by and large, from a lot of parents and teachers is that behaviors are the problem in the classroom, and that we need help. … Proponents of the bill say this is something that the parents should be taking care of at home … and that teachers aren't therapists or social workers.' 'Ask a teacher, if they have a kid in their classroom that is having meltdown after meltdown after meltdown, disrupting the classroom, consistently jeopardizing the education of everybody else in the classroom … I can guarantee you that teacher is going to say, 'Yes, SEL is probably going to be something that is going to provide some assistance to those students in those classrooms,' Pol noted. Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford, of Indianapolis, doubled down that SEL 'applies skills to manage emotions, build relationships and make responsible decisions.' 'I have seen this first hand with some of the students that I have been in with schools. Instead of a student striking another student, the educators were able to talk with the students and explain that we need to use our words, as opposed to striking another student. That's social emotional learning,' Ford maintained. 'That is a life skill that a student is going to need for the rest of their life.' More than an hour of debate left Raatz on the defensive. 'I agree … we need counselors in the classrooms and social workers to help with the social-emotional needs of the children. There's no two ways about it. What I disagree with is that we mandate, from this building, that there's a certain percentage of your time that you have to counsel,' Raatz said in his final remarks. 'The sheer thought that we're pulling things out that's going to hurt kids — I take offense. … We're talking about kids' lives and interaction between individuals. And the more the state gets involved, the more troubles we have.' The bill advanced from the Senate chamber in a 31-18 vote. Democrats — along with eight Republicans — opposed the legislation, which now returns to the House for final deliberations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Panel seeks to block charities from operating like true casinos
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, presents legislation in committee on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (Courtesy Indiana Senate Republicans) Less than three months after Hoosier regulators busted a northern Indiana charity casino, lawmakers added anti-fraud measures to legislation loosening spending rules for charity gambling revenue. Charitable, civic, veteran and other groups can earn money off bingo, raffles, and more. But some have gone too far. The Indiana Gaming Commission in December accused a Fort Wayne charity casino, run by an Elks Lodge, of racketeering and seized more than $100,000, WANE reported. 'We're just putting in some safety nets, if you will, to make sure that some of these charitable events like bingo, up north, doesn't turn into full-time casinos with profits like a full-time casino,' Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, told his Public Policy Committee on Wednesday. The substantial amendment, Alting said, is from the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. It begins by renaming popular 'casino game nights' to 'card, dice and roulette games events.' And starting next year, a single location wouldn't be able to host bingo or such 'games events' more than three days a week — no matter how many charities with gambling licenses are using the location. A group conducting bingo and other games events — and that rakes in at least $1 million close to their license's expiration — would have to get an independent financial audit done. CONTACT US And people operating festivals, bingo and other games events would have to wear 'legible identification card(s)' on their clothes. It has to have a first name, last name and the name of the charity group licensed to put on the event. Alting's committee accepted the changes without discussion. The amendment comes just a week after the Senate voted to legalize electronic pull tabs for charity gambling — despite skepticism. Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, alleged that 'figurehead' charities are running multiple gambling organizations to operate more days of the week than is allowed, and Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, complained that groups are holding on to the money raised instead of spending it on charitable purposes. The underlying proposal, Alting's Senate Bill 108, expands uses for charity gambling revenue. Current law indicates groups can use the money 'only for (their) lawful purposes,' including repairs, maintenance and improvements for property they own. The legislation recasts the restrictions to 'any lawful purpose' and nixes the list. Alting said he'd spoken with veteran service organizations struggling to use their revenue. The committee advanced the bill on a unanimous, 9-0 vote. It next heads to the Senate chamber. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
