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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana's new child care laws take small bites out of the larger issue
Children play with crafts at the home daycare run by Janna Rodriguez, who has spent more than a decade in child care. (Photo provided by Janna Rodriguez) For the more than 850,000 Indiana children who are infants through 9 years old, only 763 licensed child care centers exist to take care of them when their parents cannot. Because of this, a CNBC study ranked Indiana almost at the bottom for quality of life, with the worst access to child care in the country. At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, Indiana Senate Democrats prioritized child care in their agenda, writing that they hoped to fully fund the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), a child care subsidy for low-income families. But with the session ending April 24, their goal did not come to fruition in the supermajority Republican General Assembly. A 2024 study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce found that over half of Hoosier parents miss work or class because they cannot find child care. Absenteeism and employee turnover caused by this struggle creates an estimated $3.05 billion in losses for Hoosier employers each year. Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber, told in January that child care desserts like Indiana deter potential workers from coming to the state. 'We are such a great state to do business in, and we have so much economic development going on, … but that enthusiasm and that economic development is going to take more workforce,' Sinders said. The Indiana General Assembly did not allot funding in the state budget to give Hoosiers universal, affordable child care through the CCDF, On My Way Pre-K or any other program. Instead, lawmakers wrote piecemeal legislation that addressed small parts of the larger problem. — House Bill 1253 was signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun on May 1. During a House meeting late in the legislative session, which ended April 24, bill author Rep. Dave Heine, R-Fort Wayne, said the Senate amended the bill to no longer require children who receive child care at a school to be a child of an employee. The Senate also changed the bill to allow multi-site child care centers, like a YMCA, to be able to operate under one license. 'It really will make it easier for them to expand but also, importantly, maintain the ability of the state to, you know, inspect and hold accountable those individual sites without jeopardizing the functioning of the entire enterprise,' Sam Snideman, vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana, told The most important Senate amendment, in Heine's opinion, was the addition of language that allows in-home child care centers to continue operation as class two structures as long as they are licensed in that category before July 1. 'This is very important language that was added because right now, we have 43 child care facilities providing child care to approximately 800 children that could be at risk of closing down if we did not add this language,' Heine said in the House meeting. — Senate Bill 463, also signed by Braun May 1, would give a tax credit to employers who offer near or onsite child care to their employees. Snideman said adding this option would make employers who opt into the tax credit more competitive in Indiana's job market because employees with kids might choose to work there for child care. The new law will also expand the Micro-Facility Pilot Program, a project that allows existing child care centers to open small, non-residential ones that serve three to 30 children. Sinders said the Indiana Chamber supported SB 463 and HB 1253 because they attempt to make child care more affordable and accessible in Indiana. — House Bill 1248, signed into law April 10, sets aside CCDF funds for foster families who receive last-minute placements. 'We don't want to disadvantage those folks who are doing, you know, really important work or, you know, quite honestly disrupt the care for kids who are already facing tremendous challenges.' Snideman said. — House Bill 1102, another child care bill that reached the governor's desk, receiving his signature April 3, will allow schools to enter contracts with religiously affiliated, nonprofit pre-K sites that offer child care. Snideman said this will create more potential providers for Hoosier families. Snideman believes the reason Indiana has not invested fully in CDDF and other government-funded child care initiatives is because the issue is so broad. But both he and Sinders believe there's room for optimism. 'I think about it from a positive perspective,' Sinders said. 'The legislature is willing to continue to work on this issue and continue to try to make progress. … Every bite at the apple helps get you to the solution.' Snideman is even more confident about the possibility of universal child care in Indiana's future. 'We are committed to expanding opportunities for Hoosiers in this space,' he said, 'which means we will be committed to this long, incremental process of us getting to a place where eventually, you know, every family in our state who wants and needs to send their kids to pre-K or to child care will have that opportunity. This piece is from as part of the Statehouse Reporting Project, a collaborative effort by collegiate journalism programs operating in statehouses across the country.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cigarette tax increase called for in Indiana revenue forecast
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is releasing a statement following the release of the April revenue forecast for the state. Below is the full statement: 'With today's announcement by the State Budget Committee on the revenue forecast, it's clear we must tighten our belts and consider new sources of revenue to ease financial constraints. And in the process, we should take the opportunity to make Indiana a healthier state.'We commend Governor Braun for putting such a big emphasis on Hoosier health. It will take all stakeholders working together to build a healthier and more financially resilient future for all of us. 'A big action still on the table this legislative session is a minimum $2 per pack increase to the cigarette tax. We urge lawmakers to put the increase in the state budget both for the positive impact on the health of Hoosiers who smoke and the additional revenue. 'Having healthy, prosperous communities and citizens is so vital that we included the aspiration as one of the six pillars of our Indiana Prosperity 2035 visioning plan for the state. Indiana proudly has built one of the country's most competitive business climates. But we also must be willing to identify, discuss and act on difficult matters surrounding the health of Hoosiers like the adult smoking rate so we can continue to prosper as citizens and as an economy. 'We look forward to further discussions with the Braun administration and legislative leaders about how our Wellness Council of Indiana can help achieve our shared goals. That program's mission is to improve Hoosiers' quality of life by empowering employers and communities to create thriving places. We believe the right approach is investing in Hoosier health today instead of paying down the road when the cost will be even greater.' Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OrthoPediatrics Corp. Named One the 2025 Best Places to Work in Indiana
WARSAW, Ind., March 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OrthoPediatrics Corp. ('OrthoPediatrics' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq: KIDS), a company focused exclusively on advancing the field of pediatric orthopedics, today announced it was selected as one of the 2025 Best Places to Work in Indiana. This is the 9th time the Company has been recognized by the annual program created by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. OrthoPediatrics President & CEO David Bailey commented, 'I'm so proud of our organization for being named one of the 'Best Places to Work' in Indiana for a 9th time. Our leadership team is committed to fostering an engaging and inclusive culture, and meaningful career experiences for all our associates. We are always investing in our people and looking for new and attractive ways to build on what we have created at OrthoPediatrics. It's an honor to know our colleagues feel proud to work for our company and advance our cause of helping KIDS.' The list features honorees from all corners of the state and more than 20 industries. In this 20th edition of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce initiative, a total of 150 companies made the cut. 'We all recognize that currently there is intense competition for talent. This program is a great way for organizations to take the temperature of their culture and how it's resonating with today's workers,' says Indiana Chamber President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders. 'Companies on the right cultural track also are much more likely to be effective across the board and have increased productivity and overall success. We salute each of this year's winners for their commitment to displaying best practices in their workplaces, which are enabling them to attract and retain employees.' This statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize, and honor the participating employers in Indiana with the leading workplace cultures. The final rankings will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, and then published in the Indiana Chamber's BizVoice® magazine after the event. For more information on the Best Places to Work in Indiana program, visit: About OrthoPediatrics in 2006, OrthoPediatrics is an orthopedic company focused exclusively on advancing the field of pediatric orthopedics. As such, it has developed the most comprehensive product offering to the pediatric orthopedic market to improve the lives of children with orthopedic conditions. OrthoPediatrics currently markets over 75 products that serve three of the largest categories within the pediatric orthopedic market. This product offering spans trauma and deformity, scoliosis, and sports medicine/other procedures. OrthoPediatrics' global sales organization is focused exclusively on pediatric orthopedics and distributes its products in the United States and over 70 countries outside the United States. For more information, please visit For more information about the OrthoPediatrics Specialty Bracing portfolio, please visit Investor ContactPhilip Trip TaylorGilmartin Groupphilip@ in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Raising Indiana's cigarette tax just makes sense
Indiana's current cigarette tax is 99.5 cents per pack, and a perennial proposal would raise it to $2 a pack. (Getty Images) When a proposal has both a fiscal and health upside you would think it would be popular. But pushes to raise Indiana's cigarette tax have faltered for years. Now is the time to pull the trigger. 'Indiana is an unhealthy state, and one of the big culprits is Hoosiers' high tobacco usage. This impacts the productivity of our workforce, healthcare costs and future economic prosperity in our state,' said Vanessa Green Sinders, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's president and CEO. 'So, it's disappointing that raising the state's very low cigarette tax is again not getting the buy-in needed, especially when you consider that the tax rate hasn't changed in 17 years and the state has the 11th highest adult smoking rate in the nation,' she said. This is something that we should all be able to agree on.' CONTACT US Indiana's current cigarette tax is 99.5 cents per pack, and a perennial proposal would raise it to $2 a pack. A fiscal analysis shows the $1 increase would bring in about $205 million in the first year. The House has passed it several times, with the Senate blocking it repeatedly. This year, House leadership rightly deferred to the Senate to put that tax into the state budget. And Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray at least sounds more open to it than usual. He acknowledged how lean the revenue and budget picture is for the next years. 'That's a challenge. We also have other challenges with Medicaid that is continuing to rear its head,' Bray said. '(It's) probably more on our thought list now than it has been in the past. So yeah, I think it's part of the conversation.' He added that lawmakers won't pass it to simply continue to grow the Medicaid program. 'That's not productive work for us. So that's not how we're going to go about it. But yeah, it is part of the conversation right now,' he said.' Indiana is drowning in health care costs as its Medicaid budget has exploded at an exponential rate. One of the key priorities for the session is to try to contain those costs. Senate Republicans passed a bill to reduce Indiana's Healthy Indiana Plan, which is the Medicaid expansion population added in 2015 under then-Gov. Mike Pence. They have repeatedly implied that these Hoosiers aren't eligible for the taxpayer-paid coverage. They call it 'right-sizing' the program. That's just a nice way to say they are taking insurance away from upwards of 250,000 Hoosiers. Poor Hoosiers. If this tax increase could keep even some of those Hoosiers covered and out of emergency rooms, it would be a win. But the fact is, a cigarette tax increase wins in more ways. That's because cigarette taxes have the added bonus of getting people to quit smoking. And this lowers health care costs for all of Indiana. The American Lung Association said increasing taxes on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, is one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, especially among youth. Multiple studies have shown that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4% among adults and about 7% among youth. They advocate a $2 increase per pack. A 2022 study showed that cigarette smoking rates among adults by state ranged from a low of 6.7% in Utah to a high of 21.0% in West Virginia. Indiana came in at 16.2%. And what does that ultimately mean? Smoking causes $3.4 billion in health care costs each year in Indiana. I could go on, but it's clear Indiana has a real problem. Raising the cigarette tax can reduce that number and help Indiana's financial picture. I don't see the downside. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tribune-Star Editorial: Child care bills deserve attention
There is momentum at the Statehouse to address child care affordability and availability. Most of the momentum is fueled by the realization — finally — that child care affects the workforce, therefore it affects the ability for Indiana to compete in a national and global market. 'What we hear from not only our small businesses but our large businesses is the need for workforce. The harder we make it on our workforce to enter the workforce, the worse off our businesses are going to be,' Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne, minority chair of the House Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee, told The Statehouse File. Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, echoed those remarks. 'Indiana, we are such a great state to do business in, and we have so much economic development going on, … but that enthusiasm and that economic development is going to take more workforce,' she said. Research conducted during March 2024 by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce suggests that insufficient child care availability is costing Indiana $4.22 billion in lost economic activity each year. It also found over half of Indiana parents miss work or class due to child-care problems. Child care-friendly legislation has been filed by two Democrats so far this session. House Bill 1430, filed by Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser, D-Jeffersonville, will create the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership program. And, Senate Bill 115, filed by Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, will give workers and caretakers increased access to paid family and medical leave. Both bills have a long way to go to gather support and with a Republican-led supermajority may not have legs to stand on by the end. But they should. Both Democrats and Republicans are affected by the crisis and both support a healthy workforce for this state. Both of these bills deserve consideration and debate, but also movement. The General Assembly is uniquely positioned to play a role in solving the child care crisis. They should get serious in doing so. Affordable and reliable child care also affects families' well-being, the ability to live, work and play in their communities — their quality of life. Don't we want a state that can support families who want to stay here?
