Tag: BIC Matters

BIC MATTERS CALL TO ACTION: HB 1002 Up for Vote in Senate Tax Committee

Posted on by admin_ici

TO: BIC Grassroots Network
FROM: Vicki Kitchin
DATE: March 16, 2017

BIC MATTERS: HB 1002 Up for Vote in Senate Tax Committee

Call to Action: If your Senator is a member of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, contact him/her by end of day Monday, March 20. Ask your Senator to support HB 1002, which provides long-term, dedicated and stable funding for state and local road and bridge improvements. As passed by the House, the bill provides over $1.1 billion per year in additional new funding for INDOT and local governments.

Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee
Chairman Brandt Hershman (R-Buck Creek) 317-232-9840
Ranking Member Travis Holdman (R-Markle) 317-232-9807
Sen. James Buck (R-Kokomo) 317-232-9466
Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) 317-232-9494
Sen. Erin Houchin (R-Salem) 317-232-9488
Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) 317-232-9453
Sen. Ryan D. Mishler (R-Bremen) 317-232-9814
Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Centerville) 317-233-0930
Sen. James Smith (R-Charlestown) 317-234-9426
Sen. Greg Walker (R-Columbus) 317-232-9984
Ranking Minority Member Mark Stoops (D-Bloomington) 317-232-9847
Sen. Jean Breaux (D-Indianapolis) 317-232-9534
Sen. Lonnie Randolph (D-East Chicago) 317-232-9532
Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage) 317-232-9847

Senate Committee May Amend/Vote on HB 1002 Next Week
Senator Brandt Hershman, Chairman of the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee told committee members that they will likely amend and vote on HB 1002 next week (possibly Tuesday, March 21). His comment came at the end of a joint hearing on the bill with the Senate Transportation Committee where they heard about four hours of testimony earlier this week.

At that hearing, Representative Ed Soliday, Chairman of the House Roads and Transportation Committee and the bill author, kicked-off testimony. He emphasized that the House approach has come after six years of studying road needs in the state and evaluating the best methods of paying for improvements. He underscored the principles contained in HB 1002: it is data driven, sustainable and long-term.

INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness and Chief of Staff Chris Kiefer testified next. They illustrated the condition of state-maintained roads and bridges and the additional funding needed to prevent worsening conditions. They also discussed future projects for which no funding is available. They assured the committee that INDOT and industry have the capacity to handle any new funds that are authorized by the legislature with Commissioner McGuinness saying, “We are ready.”

The committee then heard from over 20 groups supporting HB 1002 and six groups opposing all or part of the bill. Detractors included representatives of anti-tax groups, petroleum marketers and convenience store owners. Proponents included BIC’s Dennis Faulkenberg, ACEC-IN’s John Brand, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, LaPorte Mayor Blair Milo, Tippecanoe County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh, and representatives from state and local chambers, organized labor, truckers, farmers, manufacturers, county officials, real estate and logistics.

Given that Chairman Hershman alerted the committee that they would likely amend and vote on HB 1002 next week, it is crucial that all members take part in the Call to Action noted above. After you talk with your Senator, send us an email and let us know what your Senator said.

Last Call to Register for Road Funding Day #2 on March 21
We need a strong turnout by BIC members next week for Road Funding Day on March 21 at the Statehouse. We have 80 registered – but we need 180! Show up anytime between 10 AM – 3 PM. Check in at our table on the 3rd floor of the statehouse. Pick up your talking points and then we’ll help you find your legislators. Your mission is to ask for their support in passing a long-term road funding package this session. We need a strong turnout for this event so that legislators hear support from back home. Register and see who else will be attending here: Road Funding Day on March 21.

Town Halls for this Weekend
This week’s list includes meetings tomorrow (Friday) in Kokomo, LaPorte and Valparaiso. On Saturday there are meetings in Staunton, Greencastle, Jeffersonville, Goshen, Lafayette and Monticello. Legislators tell us that having road funding supporters at these meetings is very helpful. Please take the time to show up and talk to your legislators.

Thanks and keep up the great work.

BIC MATTERS – Governor Eric Holcomb to Speak at Road Funding Day Event

Posted on by admin_ici

TO: BIC Grassroots Network and Road Funding Partners
FROM: Vicki Kitchin
DATE: February 13, 2017

SUBJECT: BIC MATTERS – Governor Eric Holcomb to Speak at Road Funding Day Event

Road Funding Day February 21
We are pleased to announce that Governor Eric Holcomb will speak at our Road Funding Day briefing on February 21. Governor Holcomb caps an already high-profile list of speakers including Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, House Roads and Transportation Chairman Ed Soliday, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Kenley and INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness.

With more than 215 road funding advocates planning to attend, along with over 25 state legislators, this is an event you don’t want to miss. Register today.

Update on HB 1002
Since the House Ways and Means Committee amended HB 1002 last week, the fiscal analysis has changed. The bill now moves all of the sales tax collected on fuel to the highway accounts in the first year, meaning INDOT’s share of the new funding is greatly increased in FY18. You can find an updated fiscal analysis of HB 1002 here.

HB 1002 is now eligible for action by the full House. The process includes “Second Reading” where legislators have an opportunity to further amend the bill, followed by “Third Reading” where the House will vote on the entire bill as amended. Please contact your member in the House of Representatives and ask for support of HB 1002. Find your legislator here.

Thanks for your continued advocacy and your feedback from local town hall meetings. Your involvement is critical to our legislative success.

Bosma, Soliday, Kenley, McGuinness to Speak at Road Funding Day

Posted on by Andria Hine

TO: BIC Grassroots Network and Road Funding Partners
FROM: Vicki Kitchin, Executive Director
DATE: February 9, 2017

BIC MATTERS:  Bosma, Soliday, Kenley, McGuinness to Speak at Road Funding Day

Road Funding Day Speakers Announced
Register for Road Funding Day on February 21 and hear what these VIPs have to say about the legislation being debated by the Indiana General Assembly this year:

  • Indiana Speaker of the House Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis)
  • House Roads and Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso)
  • Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville)
  • INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness

The schedule for the day is shown here:

February 21, 2017
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
350 W. Maryland Street

10:00 AM Registration and networking
10:30 AM Briefing featuring Speaker Bosma, Chairman Soliday, Chairman Kenley and Commissioner McGuinness
12:00 PM Lunch for all attendees – our coalition has invited ALL legislators to attend the lunch
1:30 PM Legislator visits at the statehouse (just across the street from the Marriott)

At the event registration site, you can see we have about 160 people signed up including county and city officials, economic development reps., farmers, organized labor, MPOs, road corridor groups, chambers and many from BIC’s collective membership. Make sure your name is on the list, but don’t stop there. Encourage your local officials to attend. Also, reach out to your local legislators and encourage them to attend the lunch. So far, we have about twenty legislators who have signed up for the lunch and we’re re-issuing the invitation again today. Remember, we will also visit with legislators after lunch at the Statehouse.

Bottom line: We need a large crowd for this event to show our esteemed speakers the breadth of support for this year’s road funding legislation across the state. Sign up today.

Updated List of Town Hall Meetings
Yesterday, we issued a new list of town hall meetings for the next few days. We’ve learned that the LaPorte/Hammond meeting is cancelled. View this Town Halls document for the most up-to-date schedule.

House Ways and Means Committee Vote Sheet
Here’s the official vote sheet from yesterday’s Ways and Means Committee action on HB 1002. It wasn’t available for our update yesterday. Look at the column marked “DPA,” meaning “Do Pass as Amended”, for the final committee vote on the amended bill.

BIC MATTERS – Ways and Means Committee Passes HB 1002

Posted on by admin_ici

TO: BIC Grassroots Network
FROM: Vicki Kitchin
DATE: February 8, 2017

SUBJECT: 1) House Ways and Means Committee Passes HB 1002; 2) Upcoming Town Halls

House Ways and Means Committee Passes HB 1002
Today the House Ways and Means Committee passed HB 1002 on a vote of 14-9. Two Republicans (Reps. Clere and Davisson) and all Democrats present at the time voted against the bill (Rep. Klinker was excused). The committee did approve an amendment offered by Chairman Tim Brown that moves all the sales tax collected on fuel purchases to the highway accounts beginning in FY 2018, rather than phasing this in over four years. This is a positive amendment as it means more funds will be available sooner for road and bridge improvements. While this is a key component of the House Democrat proposal to fund roads, none of the Democrats on the committee supported the amendment.

Representative Ed Soliday, chairman of the Roads and Transportation Committee, explained the bill and Chairman Brown also allowed limited testimony. BIC, local government representatives, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana State Building and Construction Trades and the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce all spoke in favor of the bill. No one testified against the bill.

HB 1002 will be eligible for amendment by the full House of Representatives next week. We do not know yet when the bill author will call it for this step, known as “2nd Reading.”

We still have a long way to go in the legislative process, but today’s vote by the House Ways and Means Committee is significant. HB 1002 provides long-term, dedicated, stable funding for Indiana roads and bridges. BIC thanks Chairman Tim Brown, Chairman Ed Soliday and all those members of Ways and Means who voted in favor of this bill today. If your legislator was one of those voting in favor, please reach out to them with a big “Thank You.”

Town Hall Meetings for this Weekend
Speaking of showing support to our legislators, we’ve been getting good feedback from several of you on the Town Hall meetings from around the state. Legislators very much appreciate it when supporters of HB 1002 attend these meetings. We need BIC members at every one of these meetings. On this week’s list you’ll find meetings on Friday, February 10 in Fishers, LaPorte, Elkhart and Terre Haute. On Saturday, February 11 meetings are in Lebanon, Evansville, Huntington, Martinsville and Fort Wayne. On Monday, February 13 there’s a meeting in Anderson and on Tuesday, February 14 there’s one in New Palestine. Attend these meetings, share your support for HB 1002, and contact BIC with feedback.

Finally, remember to register for Road Funding Day at the Statehouse on February 21. Thank you.

BIC MATTERS: Ways & Means Committee to Hear HB 1002 Tomorrow

Posted on by admin_ici

TO: BIC Grassroots Network
FROM: Vicki Kitchin, Executive Director
DATE: February 7, 2017

SUBJECT: House Ways & Means to Hear HB 1002 Tomorrow

Chairman Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) has scheduled the Ways & Means Committee to hear HB 1002 tomorrow. This is the bill that creates long-term, dedicated and stable road funding for Indiana highways, roads, streets and bridges. BIC strongly supports HB 1002. The committee will hear the bill on Wednesday, February 8 at 1:30 PM in Room 404. The chairman has posted it for “amend and vote only,” meaning he will allow very limited testimony. You can watch the hearing here.

NOTE: this is NOT a call out for members to attend the hearing. You will recall that we did that when the House Roads and Transportation Committee and the Ways and Means Committee jointly heard the bill in January, and we had a great turnout from members. So, thank you, but that is not needed tomorrow.

We are asking you to attend Road Funding Day at the statehouse on February 21. We are lining up an impressive list of speakers and you won’t want to miss this event. Also, we need members from all corners of the state to attend so that we can impress upon legislators that their constituents back home support them on road funding legislation. Please sign up today.

BIC Matters – This Week’s Town Hall Schedule and HB 1002 Update

Posted on by admin_ici

TO: BIC Grassroots Network
FROM: Vicki Kitchin, Executive Director
DATE: January 26, 2017

SUBJECT: BIC Matters – This Week’s Town Hall Schedule and HB 1002 Update

Much to update you on this week – we will be as succinct as possible.

Attend a Town Hall Meeting – Use this Updated Schedule to Find One in Your Area
Use this updated list of town hall meetings to find one in your area. Local legislators typically attend. Road funding advocates (specifically BIC members) need to attend these meetings to offer legislators encouragement and positive affirmation about HB 1002, the long-term road funding plan working its way through the House of Representatives. Keep in mind that opponents will attend these meetings so it’s critically important that supporters attend to counter their negative messaging. This week’s list includes Carmel, Jeffersonville, Shelbyville, Delphi, Kokomo, South Bend, Richmond, Fort Wayne, Rochester, Vincennes, Greensburg, Vevay, Frankfort, Columbus and Danville. Your mission: Attend and talk to your local legislator about why passage of HB 1002 is important and encourage them to support it. After you attend, send an email to vkitchin@buildindianacouncil.org so we can track what is happening in each legislator’s local community.

Coalition Toolbox
Our coalition has posted tools to a drop box account including Twitter graphics and other items you can use to promote the passage of HB 1002. We encourage you to use Twitter and Facebook to send positive messages about our effort. Also, follow BIC on Twitter at @BuildINCouncil.

Register for Road Funding Day at the Indiana State House
Over 60 people have signed up for the February 21, 2017 event. We will invite all legislators to attend the lunch portion of the program and we’ll all go to the Statehouse after lunch to talk with those legislators who could not attend the lunch. Sign up today at the Road Funding Day registration site.

House Roads Committee Passes Long-term Road Funding Bill
At the conclusion of about 6.5 hours of testimony yesterday, the House Roads and Transportation Committee passed HB 1002 on a vote of 8-5. It was nearly a party line vote with all but one Republican (Rep. Bob Morris – Fort Wayne) voting in favor of the bill, and all Democrats voting against. While this was a joint hearing with the Ways and Means Committee, only the Roads and Transportation Committee voted. Committee Chairman Ed Soliday presented the bill and talked about the years that he and the committee have studied this issue and said that now is the time to act. The committee did amend the bill including capping indexing at one cent per year after the initial tax increases. Commissioner Joe McGuinness and Chief of Staff Chris Kiefer testified for INDOT. They clearly illustrated the funding shortages that INDOT faces if additional funding is not approved this year. Testifying from BIC were Jeff Mulzer of Mulzer Crushed Stone and J.H. Rudolph & Co., John Brand of Butler, Fairman & Seufert and BIC lobbyist Dennis Faulkenberg of APPIAN. By BIC’s count, 34 testifiers supported the bill while six were opposed. Supporters included truckers, mayors, commissioners, county highway engineers, chambers, manufacturers, logistic companies, labor and others. Opponents were conservative anti-tax groups.

A big THANK YOU to Chairman Soliday and the members of the Roads and Transportation Committee who voted in favor of HB 1002. Also, THANK YOU to all the BIC member companies who attended the hearing. We all wore “Road Funding Yes!” stickers and filled the House chamber at the beginning of the hearing.

HB 1002 will now be recommitted to the House Ways and Means Committee. We don’t know yet when Chairman Tim Brown will hear the bill. Stay tuned.

INDOT BUDGET HEARING
On Tuesday, INDOT testified at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing about their budget for the upcoming biennium. Commissioner Joe McGuinness, CFO Dan Brassard and COS Chris Kiefer presented the budget and answered committee questions. It’s important to note that their presentation was based on known revenues at this time, rather than a presumption that the legislature will approve additional funding in this legislative session.

That’s it for this week. Keep us posted on what you’re hearing out there.