INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana’s new Gold Star Family License Plate commemorating fallen Hoosier veterans will be available at the start of the new year, State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) said.

Grace Darling Siebold initiated wearing the Gold Star after her son died in combat. Her concept became a national symbol for those grieving the loss of loved ones killed in combat.

Gold Star plates can be obtained by spouses, parents, siblings or children of anyone who died while serving on active duty in the military – active, Reserve or National Guard.

Alting – a key advocate for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to create the new license plate – said it will be available in January, 2010.

“After many attempts to make this commemorative plate available in Indiana, families of fallen Hoosiers will finally be able to pay a small, but highly visible tribute to their brave loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom,” Alting said.

According to the BMV, the plates carry no special or group fee; however, standard plate fees and excise taxes will still be applied. Family members will need to provide an official DD1300 – the military’s emergency notification form reporting war casualties – from the Department of Defense.

Indiana’s concept of the Gold Star Family License Plate is built upon the Gold Star Mothers’ Coalition dating back to World War I. Grace Darling Siebold initiated wearing the Gold Star after her son died in combat. Her concept became a national symbol for those grieving the loss of loved ones killed in combat.

Visit www.in.gov/bmv/5084.htm to learn more about Indiana’s Gold Star Family License Plate, Alting said.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — State Sens. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) and Brandt Hershman (R-Wheatfield) today invited area middle and high school students to make the Indiana Statehouse their “classroom for a day” by serving as Senate pages during the 2010 Indiana General Assembly.

“During the legislative session, pages spend one day at the Statehouse working with their senator and Senate staff,” Alting said. “Student pages start the day in orientation before touring the historic Statehouse. Throughout the day, pages spend time in the Senate Chamber observing the introduction of bills, listening to debates and delivering important messages among senators and staff.”

“Through Indiana’s valuable page program, students interact firsthand with legislators and meet other students from across the state while learning about the legislative process through observation and participation,” Hershman said.

Interested students should submit page requests in a letter or e-mail. The student’s name – as it would appear on a certificate – address, home telephone number, age and school affiliation should be included with the request. Friends wanting to page on the same day should send requests together. Specific date requests will be considered, but may not be possible. The Senate’s page office will confirm the scheduled date after processing incoming requests.

This will be a short session of the legislature – running from Tuesday, Jan. 5 to Sunday, March 14 – so days to serve as a page will be limited. Students are urged to send their requests as soon as possible.

Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette)

To be a page for Alting, e-mail requests to Senator.Alting@iga.in.gov or send by U.S. Mail to:

Sen. Alting
Indiana Senate
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

To be a page for Hershman, e-mail requests to Senator.Hershman@iga.in.gov or send by U.S. Mail to:

State Senator Brandt Hershman, District 22

Sen. Hershman
Indiana Senate
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Students can visit http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/ to determine if they should page for Alting or Hershman.

Participating as a page is an excused absence from school. Pages must arrive at the Statehouse by 8:30 a.m. Parents are responsible for transportation and student pages are responsible for their own lunches, which can be economically priced at the Government Center Cafeteria, Circle Centre Mall or one of the many downtown restaurants.

For additional information, call 1-800-382-9467.

Sen. Alting represents Senate District 22, which includes a portion of Tippecanoe County.

Hershman represents Senate District 7, which includes Carroll, Clinton, Howard, Jasper, Tippecanoe and White counties.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) urges Indiana’s shoppers to pay careful attention to the age and content ratings provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) when purchasing computer and video games as gifts this holiday season.

A recent Entertainment Software Association (ESA) poll found that 43 percent of Americans plan to buy one or more games in 2009, and a majority will do so during the holidays.

“The high volume of game purchases makes it even more important for parents and other gift givers to make sure the games they buy are age-appropriate,” Alting, chair of the Commerce, Public Policy and Interstate Cooperation Senate Committee, said. “Using the ESRB computer and video game rating system is a good guide to use when determining if a game’s content is suitable.”

ESRB ratings employ a two-part system. Rating symbols appear on the front of virtually every game’s packaging and provide an age recommendation, such as EC (Early Childhood 3+), E (Everyone 6+), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teen 13+), M (Mature 17+) and AO (Adults Only 18+). On the back of the package, next to the rating, are content descriptors, which are short words and phrases that provide information about what’s in the game that may have triggered the rating, or may be of interest or concern to parents.

The rating label is located on the front of the video game package. All video and computer games should feature a rating.

“As a parent, I know it can be difficult to keep up with all the entertainment options out there for our children, but the reality is that video games are among the easiest for parents to manage,” said Patricia Vance, president of the ESRB, which assigns video game ratings. “The ratings on the package give valuable guidance about content and age-appropriateness. We now provide ‘rating summaries’ on our Web site that can be sent to shoppers’ cell phones, which give even more detailed descriptions of the contents of games parents would want to know about and purchase. Parents should use these resources to make sure the games they’re giving as gifts this year are ones they deem OK to play.”

“Video games are again one of the hottest items on the wish lists of millions of children this year, mine included,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The various tools provided by the ESRB make it easier for parents to choose which games are right for their kids. By choosing appropriate titles, computer and video games can provide families with hours of shared entertainment at an excellent economic value.”

All game rating information as well as rating summaries can be found by searching for titles on the ESRB’s Web site at www.esrb.org, as well as via a mobile Web site at m.esrb.org that enables parents to look up rating summaries right from the store aisle when they are unsure as to whether a particular game is right for their child.

This year, the ESRB celebrates its 15th anniversary. Since 1994, the organization’s rating system for computer and video games have been an effective mechanism for informing consumers. The latest report of the Federal Trade Commission revealed that nearly 90 percent of parents are aware of the ESRB system, and more than 70 percent of parents use it regularly when deciding which games to buy. In addition, the report called the system “a useful and informative tool that parents increasingly use to help them make informed decisions about games for their children.”

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) was recognized today by Senate President Pro Tempore David Long (R-Fort Wayne) for achieving an outstanding voting attendance record of 99.8 percent during the 2009 regular legislative session.

Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette)

“Legislators are elected to be the voice of their constituents at the Statehouse,” Long said. “This is often much easier said than done. Senators frequently have meetings, visitors and many other activities occurring simultaneously. Sen. Alting’s commitment to the citizens he represents is clearly shown by his excellent voting attendance record.”

In addition to votes on bills, there are also votes on amendments, committee reports and procedural motions.

“My foremost responsibility as a state senator is to ensure my constituents’ voices are heard on issues that come before the General Assembly,” Alting said. “I am committed to the citizens of Senate District 22 and representing their viewpoints.”

Long also commended Alting and other senators for working with fellow lawmakers of both political parties.

“Hoosiers may be pleased to know the Indiana Senate passed 98.7 percent of legislation with bipartisan votes and 58.7 percent unanimously,” Long said.

Sen. Alting represents Senate District 22, which includes a portion of Tippecanoe County.

Dear Editor:

Bankrupt Unemployment Fund Fix Balances Needs of Workers, Concerns of Businesses
Indiana’s General Assembly last week approved a plan to replenish the state’s bankrupt jobless fund. The bill, which passed the Senate 46-3, is a bipartisan compromise that preserves worker benefits, restores the fiscal integrity of the system, and prevents premium increases for employers who do not lay off workers – generally speaking, Indiana’s vital family-owned small businesses.

For industries with layoff histories, typically big business, any premium increases would be phased in over two years to help ease the impact during these troubled economic times. Regardless of size, if a business never lays off workers, a decrease in premiums should result.

To further empower business and restore the integrity of the system, House Enrolled Act 1379, which we co-authored and advocated, launches a series of sweeping reforms to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and creates new on-going oversight to prevent future problems with Indiana’s unemployment insurance fund.

For some time, premiums paid by businesses – which fund unemployment benefits for laid-off Hoosiers – have failed to keep pace with benefits paid-out to workers. As a result, Indiana’s fund is now partially sustained by a more than $800 million interest-free loan from the federal government, an amount estimated to top $1 billion by year’s end.

If lawmakers failed to find a fix in the near-term, we risked facing a federal government takeover of the fund – a move that could have resulted in a massive, permanent expansion of Indiana’s unemployment insurance system and additional premium increases on top of those required to balance the fund.

Thirty states have jobless funds which are already insolvent or at risk of insolvency, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. But many of these states are placing the burden to replenish their funds solely on the shoulders of businesses without looking to find efficiencies in their systems. No general tax revenues are used to fund the UI system. All proceeds are paid in via insurance premiums paid by employers, and all of the premiums in the UI fund are used only to pay unemployed worker benefits.

Common Sense, Cost-Saving Reforms
Indiana’s solution, HEA 1379, balances nearly dollar-for-dollar up to $302 million in cost-savings and reforms to the system with approximately $315 million in premium increases for 2010.

Reforms to the system include the creation of a compliance center tasked with monitoring the fund to prevent improper and overpayments to unemployment insurance claimants and an oversight committee charged with making future recommendations for reforms to the system.

Common-sense, cost-saving reforms will require jobless Hoosiers receiving benefits to actually apply for one job per week, not just look for one as current law provides. Workers fired for poor attendance, working under the influence of alcohol or stealing from their employers will no longer be able to claim benefits.

Fairer, Yet Competitive Premiums
Just as high-risk drivers pay higher premiums for their auto insurance than motorists who rarely have accidents, businesses more likely to lay off workers should pay higher premiums than those that never lay off workers. Consequently, nearly 40,000 Hoosier employers who have never tapped the fund will actually receive a slight decrease in premiums, while those who use the fund more frequently will see increases – but only to levels that maintain Indiana’s economic competitiveness with other states.

Even businesses experiencing the largest increase in their annual, per employee contributions – those who draw down the fund’s balance the most by laying off the most workers – will still pay lower premiums than the Midwest average of $1,042. New premiums will also be phased in over the next two years, giving businesses still recovering from the recession relief from approximately $100 million in 2010 premiums.

A Forward-Thinking, Innovative Solution
Lawmakers went into this session in need of an unemployment reform bill that would work for all Hoosiers — our employed and unemployed, our small businesses and large industries. Senate Republicans worked in a bipartisan fashion to author and pass a comprehensive bill that closes loopholes, protects many small businesses from premium increases and positions Indiana as a forward-thinking, innovative leader in tackling this nationwide problem.

Ron Alting Brandt Hershman Dennis Kruse
State Senator State Senator State Senator
Lafayette–District 22 Wheatfield–District 7 Auburn–District 14

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A House panel on public health today voted 8-0 in support of State Sen. Ron Alting’s (R-Lafayette) bill aiming to provide more low-income Hoosiers affordable treatment for cervical and breast cancer.

“Senate Bill 554 would allow more low-income and uninsured Hoosiers to receive financial assistance for these cancer treatments while, at the same time, make services more efficient,” Alting said.

Alting, co-author of the measure, said low-income and uninsured Hoosiers in need of cancer treatment are currently eligible for Medicaid only if they are screened through a federal program administered by the Indiana State Department of Health. Those who have not been screened through the federal program are not eligible for Medicaid, and not everyone has nearby access to facilities participating in the program.

According to Alting, many low-income and uninsured Hoosiers – already with very few options when in need of screening – live in 32 of Indiana’s 92 counties without breast and cervical cancer screening facilities participating in the federal program.

“In most cases, finding cancer early through screening and prompt treatment are keys in preventing breast and cervical cancer deaths,” Alting said. “It is very important for women over 40 to be screened every two years for breast cancer. Women who are sexually active should be screened every one to three years for cervical cancer. “

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. Every year, breast cancer claims the lives of nearly 1,000 Hoosiers.

Statistics show death as a result of cervical cancer is on the rise and in Indiana, approximately 100 people die of cervical cancer every year, Alting said.

Sen. Alting represents Senate District 22, which includes a portion of Tippecanoe County.