ECONOMIC RESILIENCE

Pre-K: While ‘On My Way’ Pre-K funding was restored to pre-COVID levels in the budget, early learning did not share in the significant increase to K-12 education that could have expanded program enrollment.

Work Share:  Establish an Indiana Work Share program to save jobs, retain workforce skills, and maintain benefit coverage.

• SB44 would have created a Work Share Program, allowing businesses to reduce employee hours and qualify workers for partial unemployment benefits to avoid layoffs (and longer-term displacement) during a recession – the bill had bipartisan and broad business support, but died without a vote. Missed opportunity.

Pregnancy Accommodations:  HB1309 was signed into law under the guise of “pregnancy workplace accommodations” – actually, the bill provides employers no specifics or clarity, and offers expectant moms no substantive protections (modest provisions for flexible scheduling, regular breaks and the ability to sit if duties don’t require being on your feet). The bill only affirms pregnant women can request such accommodations (which they can already). Missed opportunity. The Chamber will continue to push for more substantive protections for expectant mothers on the job, to improve maternal and prenatal health and provide clarity for employers

Public School Buildings “Dollar law” Update:  SB358 narrowly passed, changing the so-called “dollar law” (governing the transfer of unused public school buildings to charter schools) to share the revenues from the sale of a school building with charters within that district, allow post-secondary institutions to claim unused properties along with charters, and adding new compliance – we support a balanced approach that encourages educational opportunities and options, while allowing districts like IPS to redevelop ‘right-sized’ properties to help fund classroom programs (as long as revenues are shared equitably with innovation network school partners, as applicable).