Family Voices Indiana

From the Arc: The Arc of Indiana Legislative Memo #1 Thursday, January 10, 2008 The Indiana General Assembly convened the 2008 Legislative Session on Tuesday of this week and focus has been as expected, on property taxes. The House Ways and Means Committee held meetings in Fort Wayne and South Bend this week to receive public input on the property tax issue. Several bills relating to property tax reduction and elimination have already started receiving committee hearings. Legislative Bills are still being filed and released at this time. The deadline for filing bills is early next week. The deadline for bills to pass their house of origin is January 30th. It will be a quick month trying to keep up with bills and committee hearings! Bias Crimes Legislation Several bills have been filed regarding crimes against people with disabilities. The bills provide for harsher sentencing for offenders who choose their victim based on having a disability. The Arc of Indiana will be supporting t

Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services will represent students intargeted school districts that have been denied educational servicesor discriminated against under the provisions of the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act or Sections 504 and 508 of theRehabilitation Act of 1973. At this time the targeted school districts are Fort Wayne, Anderson,Gary, Bloomington and Green-Sullivan schools.Families who are having educational issues within the targeted school districts are encouraged to contact IPAS at: 1-800-622-4845 or by mail at: Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services 4701 N. Keystone Ave., Suite 222 Indianapolis, Indiana 46205

From the Arc of Indiana: The Arc of Indiana Governmental Affairs E-Mail Monday, January 7, 2008 The Indiana General Assembly will convene tomorrow, Tuesday, January 8, 2008. The Session will largely focus on property tax issues facing our state and local governments. The Arc will continue to send Legislative Alerts via e-mail on Fridays. The occasional mid-week e-mail may come when a priority bill has been scheduled and/or quick action is needed. Once bills have been introduced, The Arc will send out a complete listing of bills being prioritized as having an effect on people with developmental disabilities. Please use the information in the Legislative Alerts to contact your local legislators. Your personal contact with them is critical in making a difference! Please contact The Arc should you have any questions! You can sign up for these alerts at: http://capwiz.com/thearc/mlm /signup/

Please be advised that the State Advisory Council will meet on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. at MSD of Washington Township located at 8550 Woodfield Crossing Blvd. , Indianapolis , IN . 205-3332.

The following advocacy opportunity may be of interest. FV Indiana Representatives have attended in past years. While this years focus will be on property taxes. History indicates that individuals will be able to speak on issues of their choosing. Previously, this has included, Medicaid Waivers, First Steps, Health insurance and other issues. If you plan to attend please let FV Indiana know at fv.indiana@gmail.com . We would love to have the chance to meet you in person. People's Agenda: Taxing Time Town Hall Updated: Jan 4, 2008 01:49 PM EST Mark your calendars for January 23: People's Agenda - Taxing Time Town Hall. That's when you, the taxpayers of Indiana, can take over the chamber of the Indiana House of Representatives to tell lawmakers how the state's property tax crisis is affecting you, and what you want to see happen. You will find an open microphone and a few television cameras to voice your hopes, concerns and expectations for the 2008 session of the