Health:

Tobacco Tax: In a massive, missed opportunity, despite another year of unified support from the business and health provider community, the 2021 budget did not include a two dollar per pack on cigarettes. As a silver lining, the budget does include an e-cigarette tax in parity with current tobacco taxes—levying a 15% retail tax on e-liquids and 25% retail tax on cartridges—an important step for discouraging youth tobacco use.

Housing-Landlord/Tenant:

• Eviction Prevention: SEA148 overruled stronger tenant protections (taking aim at an Indianapolis landlord-tenant relations ordinance) – the General Assembly overrode Governor Holcomb’s earlier veto of the bill, and passed HB1541 to clarify some of its overly-broad language while maintaining most of the harmful impact; adding housing insecurity to the hardships faced by vulnerable families will make it more difficult to achieve an inclusive post-COVID recovery and complicate local hiring for businesses
• Along with mass transit and law enforcement – where advocates were able to blunt the most negative proposals – this represents another state-level intervention on areas traditionally reserved for local authorities operating closest to the voters, taxpayers, and families affected.

Education:

• Required FAFSA Completion:  In the latter part of session, the House amended SB54 significantly – what started as a mandate for students to complete the FAFSA before graduation (to better understand and hopefully take advantage of financial aid opportunities for post-secondary education and training) turned into a grant program to encourage districts to improve their FAFSA completion rate; however, the compromise bill couldn’t gain traction in the Senate and died, even as FAFSA completion rates continue to decline during this year of disrupted education.

Smart Justice:

• Sentence Modifications: HB1202 requires the Parole Board to review and discharge an inmate (convicted pre-2014), to parole or release a nonviolent inmate to the committing court for probation if their current time served exceeds current maximum sentencing – the bill failed to advance, leaving the task of sentencing reform unfinished alongside successes in law enforcement oversight.

Economic Development:

• Music Production Incentive Program: SB323 authorized the Indiana Destination Development Corporation to hire a music commissioner and pursue a statewide music development program. This aligned with the Chamber’s Indy Music Strategy to support artists, venues, and other parts of our music scene as an essential part of a vibrant quality of life to attract talent (and the business opportunities that follow) as a $1.2 billion sector of Indy’s (pre-COVID) economy – while this bill faltered, regional efforts in this arena will continue.