Look to AARP Indiana as Your Statehouse Voice
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-12-19 16:51:40.026710-05:00
Hoosier lawmakers will focus intently on property taxes when they convene in January for their biennial short session, which must end by the middle of March.
AARP Indiana will monitor the tax debate closely to make sure the results are fair and transparent.
But we also will pursue a consumer-friendly agenda topped by strong protections for homeowners facing mortgage troubles; stronger protections against job-related age discrimination; and new steps to reduce hospital-acquired infections.
All three issues are critically important to older Hoosiers.
- Indiana's mortgage foreclosure rate is more than double the national average and could grow worse as adjustable-rate mortgages reset to higher rates in 2008.
- Older workers comprise a growing share of the labor force, and at least in Indiana, lack adequate protections against discrimination.
- The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that about 2 million people per year develop various kinds of infections, some deadly, during their hospital stays.
Tackling those issues will take skill and persistence under difficult political circumstances.
Property taxes will crowd most other issues from the legislative plate. Lawmakers have limited time in which to act. Different parties control the House and Senate. And 2008 is an election year for governor, for all 100 House members and for half (25) of the Senate.
Fortunately, your capable AARP advocates include Interim State Director June Lyle and a volunteer Legislative Team drawn from the ranks of AARP members across the state. Now in its sixth year, the "Leg Team" has raised AARP's legislative profile by talking directly with lawmakers every Monday during the legislative session. The team has also enhanced the role of nonprofessional lobbyists at the Statehouse.
But we need your voice, too. That's why we'll ask you periodically this winter to call your legislators about pending legislation. We'll provide the background information you need to make effective calls, and we'll keep you informed of our progress by print, e-mail and the Web.
Since you're reading this, you already know how to find us on the Web. But we encourage you to subscribe to our biweekly Hoosier Advocate, a free newsletter that contains more information - and more current information - than our Web page can accommodate.
If you'd like to receive the Hoosier Advocate, please send an e-mail to Martin DeAgostino. Just make sure to say whether you want the e-mail or the snail mail version.
And please continue to check this site for news about AARP Indiana and for helpful information about health, money, leisure, family and volunteering.
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