With nearly 20,000 active service men and women calling Indiana home, it is important to provide them resources for their service and sacrifice. This session, I supported several new laws assisting members of the military.  

Supporting College Students Called to Active Duty: Members of the armed forces, Indiana National Guard, a neighboring state’s National Guard or reserve branches will receive a tuition refund or college credit and can be re-enrolled in courses if they are called to active duty while attending an Indiana college.  

Providing Sailors In-State Tuition: Sailors serving 180 days or more on the USS Indiana (SSN-789) will be eligible for in-state college tuition rates when attending Indiana colleges or universities. The USS Indiana is a United States Navy Virginia-class attack submarine that was christened in April 2017 and will be commissioned into service later this year.   
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Helping Veterans with Disabilities: Starting in July, Hoosiers who qualify for a disabled veteran Indiana license plate can make a one-time request to receive a permanent parking placard from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.   
While we can never repay the debt owed to the brave men and women who serve our state and country, we can take steps to better serve those who serve us.    

Americans will come together on Saturday, Nov. 11, to honor all the brave men and women who have served our country. While we can never fully repay the debt we owe our veterans for protecting our freedom, we can work each day to express our gratitude for their bravery and commitment to this great nation.

For the veterans and their families who call Indiana home, there are a variety of state resources available, including:

• Military Family Relief Program for essential support with expenses related to food, housing, utilities and medical services;
• Veteran and Family Support Services Program for resources dedicated to family members of veterans, including counseling, vocational training and tutoring;
• Employment opportunities with businesses hiring veterans;
• Educational opportunities, including tuition and fee exemptions for children of veterans; and
• Earned benefits for veterans, their dependents and survivors.

Another way to help veterans is by ordering the Support Our Troops specialty license plate, which helps fund Indiana’s Military Family Relief Program.

Please take time this Veterans Day to honor those who protected us, and to all of our veterans who have served and those who continue to serve, thank you.

Dear Friend,
Throughout the legislative session, we worked to better serve and honor Hoosier veterans. House Republicans supported policies providing service members and their families the care and protections they have rightfully earned.

There is now a process to allow for the proper burial of deceased veterans who do not have living family members. The Military Family Relief Fund, which provides emergency grants to military families in need, expands to include all Hoosier veterans. More service members will be able to apply to become police officers and firefighters after they finish their careers in the military now that the maximum hiring age for these positions has been raised from 36 years old to 40 and a half years old.  Now there are also established penalties for stolen valor, making it a crime to profit financially by lying about military service.

Click here to learn about the various new laws to help Hoosier veterans. Please contact me with input and ideas on how to better serve our heroes.

Sincerely,

Dear Friend,
To help attract the best and brightest to Hoosier classrooms, this week I voted in support of a proposal establishing the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship. Under House Bill 1002, students in the top 20 percent of their class, who also commit to teaching in Hoosier schools for at least five years, could receive up to $7,500 per year to cover tuition. In today’s economy, I understand our top-performing students have many college and career options, and this scholarship would encourage high school students to earn a degree and enter the teaching profession in Indiana.

The House of Representatives also advanced two proposals to help better serve Hoosier veterans and their families. Under House Bill 1089, six newly designated districts would be established in Indiana, with six officers serving the veterans and their families in their assigned district. This would be a more streamlined system, resulting in better meeting the needs of those who bravely served our country.

House Bill 1271 would help service members and their families overcome the effects of violence and change destructive behavior patterns – sometimes a result of post-traumatic stress disorders and traumatic brain injuries caused during military service – by involving the United States Department of Defense Family Advocacy Program (FAP) in cases of abuse or neglect. Because FAP staff members are trained to respond to incidents of abuse and neglect, support victims, and offer prevention and treatment, they have the tools and experience needed to help Hoosier veterans and their families.

If you have questions or input as we continue moving Indiana forward, please contact me.

Sincerely,