State Government News Category

Home
State Government News Category

Emergency care and urgent surgeries remain unaffected;
Some non-emergent procedures may be rescheduled to preserve supplies

Oct. 21, 2024 (INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana hospitals are closely monitoring the ongoing national shortage of IV fluids that has impacted hospitals and health care providers across the country. While hospitals are experiencing varying degrees of impact related to the shortage, recent delays in shipments from third party vendors have forced some hospitals to reassess their stock levels and prioritize their current supply for patients in critical need.

“Despite Baxter’s return to 60% production, and the incoming shipments from international suppliers, it could take weeks until some hospitals begin receiving their allocation of IV fluids,” said Blake Dye, interim president of IHA.

Indiana hospitals have implemented comprehensive conservation plans, which include reviewing and optimizing fluid use for each patient, exploring alternative therapies, and prioritizing the available supply for critical care.

While hospitals are working to ensure continued care for Hoosier patients, some are having to reschedule elective and non-emergent procedures as part of their efforts to preserve supplies. In these cases, patients will be notified by their provider to reschedule their care.

Emergency care and urgent surgeries remain unaffected.

“We’re certainly not alone in this predicament as this is a nationwide shortage impacting every state,” said Dye. “Hoosiers should feel confident that Indiana’s hospitals are managing through the current situation, taking proactive measures that are aligned with clinical best practices, and are working diligently to minimize the impact on patient care.”

IHA continues to work closely with its 174 member hospitals, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), and the American Hospital Association, who is in frequent discussions with officials from Baxter, their distributors, and the federal administration to assess current supply levels and convey the impact of the disruption nationwide.

“We appreciate the way that Indiana hospitals are minimizing the impact this national shortage is having on patient care,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay M. Weaver, M.D., FACEP. “The Indiana Department of Health is in contact with Indiana hospitals and remains dedicated to working with our state and federal partners until the situation is resolved.”

# # #

ABOUT INDIANA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

The Indiana Hospital Association serves as the professional trade association for more than 170 acute care, critical access, behavioral health, and other specialized hospitals in Indiana. IHA advocates on behalf of its members in Indiana’s General Assembly, U.S. Congress, and with multiple regulatory agencies at the state and federal levels. Dedicated to improving quality, patient safety, and Hoosiers’ health status, IHA holds numerous grants and facilitates collaboration among hospitals to improve outcomes. IHA also provides members with the data analytics that they need to ensure access to quality, cost-effective health care services across the state of Indiana. To learn more about IHA, visit IHAconnect.org.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Secretary of State Diego Morales are asking the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to verify the citizenship status of voters who registered in Indiana without providing state-issued forms of identification.

“Hoosiers deserve to know that only eligible voters are participating in our elections and that legitimate ballots are not being diluted by noncitizens,” Attorney General Rokita said. “We are doing our part to provide this assurance.”

Attorney General Rokita and Secretary Morales sent USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou lists of certain voters who registered without state IDs — along with a joint letter formally requesting the agency’s assistance in verifying those individuals’ citizenship status.

“A fair and secure election process begins with accurate voter information,” said Secretary Morales. “As Indiana's Chief Election Officer, I am committed to ensuring that every registered voter in Indiana has met the legal requirements, including being a U.S. citizen. I’m proud to partner with Indiana’s Attorney General in taking proactive steps to gather missing information for those who completed their registration without a state-issued ID. This is crucial to maintaining the integrity of our elections and increasing public confidence. Only U.S. Citizens can vote in Indiana. Period.”

Federal law requires USCIS to respond to inquiries from state government agencies “to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the jurisdiction of the agency for any purpose authorized by law.”

The letter is attached.

As part of a multistate coalition, Attorney General Rokita is also pressing federal authorities in another letter to provide a plan for how they will verify voters’ U.S. citizenship status in response to state requests. Ohio and South Carolina are leading that effort.

October 11, 2024
Ur M. Jaddou
Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
5900 Capital Gateway Drive
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746

Dear Ms. Jaddou:

The Offices of the Indiana Attorney General and Secretary of State request the assistance
of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) in verifying the citizenship
status of certain individuals registered to vote in Indiana. As voters in our state cast their ballots
in the coming weeks in important federal, state, and local races, it is essential that they do so with
confidence in the integrity of our elections. It is beyond question that states have a compelling
“interest in protecting the integrity and reliability of the electoral process.” Crawford v. Marion
Cnty. Election Bd., 553 U.S. 181, 191 (2008). “[P]reventing voter fraud” and thereby ensuring
“public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process,” are priorities that should be pursued
vigorously at all levels of government in our country. Id. at 197. They are essential to the proper
functioning of our constitutional Republic. One of the chief ways that we can pursue these goals
is by confirming that every person registered to vote in Indiana is a U.S. citizen. Therefore, we
ask, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1373, that USCIS verify the citizenship status of the individuals
registered to vote in Indiana who are identified in Attachments A, B, and C of this letter.

As the Attorney General and Secretary of State of Indiana, we are tasked in various ways
with safeguarding the lawful and orderly administration of Indiana elections. See, e.g., Ind. Code
§ 3-6-4.1-22; Ind. Code § 3-6-3.7-1; Ind. Code § 3-7-26.3-10. Ensuring that our elections are
conducted in accordance with state law means, among other things, keeping ineligible voters off
our state’s voter rolls. See Ind. Code § 3-14-2-10. We take that responsibility seriously.

Under federal law, it is “unlawful for any alien to vote in any election held solely or in part
for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential
elector, Member of the Senate, [or] Member of the House of Representatives.” 18 U.S.C. § 611(a).
Federal voter registration laws require the form for federal elections to state “each eligibility
requirement (including citizenship).” 52 U.S.C. § 20504(c)(2)(C)(i). Likewise, falsely claiming
to be a citizen to register to vote or to vote in a federal, state, or local election constitutes a federal
felony punishable by up to five years in prison. See 18 U.S.C. §1015(f).

Similarly, Indiana law prohibits non-citizens from voting. Ind. Code § 3-7-13-1. Our State
Constitution expressly reserves the franchise to citizens. See, e.g., Ind. Const. Art. 2, § 2(a) (“A
citizen of the United States, who is at least eighteen (18) years of age and who has been a resident
of a precinct thirty (30) days immediately preceding an election may vote in that precinct at the
election.” (emphasis added)). And Indiana statutes governing voter registration make clear that a
person must be a “United States citizen” to register to vote. Ind. Code § 3-7-13-1. Attempting to
register or assisting someone else to register to vote when the registrant is not an eligible voter are
crimes under Indiana law. See Ind. Code § 3-14-2-1 & 2.

In addition, Indiana is obligated by federal law to “perform list maintenance” on its
statewide voter registration list—including removing voters “who are not eligible to vote” from
the voting rolls. 52 U.S.C. § 21083(a)(2)(A) & (B). Indiana law also requires Indiana election
officials to take steps to verify the residency and citizenship of registered voters. See Ind. Code §
3-7-38.2-16; Ind. Code § 3-7-38.2-7.3. State election officials are further directed to remove
ineligible voters from the voter rolls under various circumstances. See, e.g., Ind. Code § 3-7-46-
1; Ind. Code § 3-7-45-1; Ind. Code § 3-7-38.2-1.

Under current law, there is no single method for verifying to a reasonable degree of
certainty the citizenship of all Indiana voters. We therefore seek to utilize all tools at our disposal
to verify voters’ citizenship and help ensure the integrity of our state’s voter registration system.
One of those tools is provided by federal law, which requires USCIS to “respond to an inquiry by
a . . . State . . . government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration
status of any individual within the jurisdiction of the agency for any purpose authorized by law.”
8 U.S.C. § 1373(c). Federal law also prohibits USCIS from “in any way restrict[ing], any
government entity or official from . . . receiving from [USCIS] information regarding the
citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.” Id. § 1373(a). That
means USCIS cannot restrict its own officers and employees from responding to our request for
citizenship verification. Information provided by USCIS in response to this inquiry can then be
used by Indiana state and local officials to remove ineligible voters from our voter rolls. See
Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 570 U.S. 1, 15 (2013) (explaining that states may
“deny[] registration based on information in their possession establishing the applicant’s
ineligibility” (quotations omitted)).

Accordingly, we formally request that USCIS fulfil its obligations under 8 U.S.C. § 1373(c)
and verify the citizenship of the individuals identified in the attachments to this letter. The attached
lists of registered voters include all voters currently registered in Indiana who completed their
registration without submitting a state-issued form of identification. See Ind. Code §§ 3-7-33-4.7.
Although possession of a state-issued identification does not demonstrate that a person is a citizen,
the fact that a person obtained such identification provides some assurance that their citizenship or
immigration status may have been previously confirmed by a state official. See Ind. Code § 9-24-
11-5(c) (requiring the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue temporary identifications to an
individual who has temporary lawful status.”).

For each individual for whom we seek verification, we have provided the name and date
of birth. That information is sufficient to allow USCIS to verify these individuals’ citizenship
status through use of USCIS’s Person Centric Query Service. In total, we seek citizenship
verification for 585,774 individuals. We have separated the individuals who are the subject of our
request into three categories: (1) registered Indiana voters who registered without providing a
driver’s license number or social security number (Attachment A); (2) registered Indiana voters
located overseas (Attachment B); and (3) registered Indiana voters who registered to vote without
providing a driver’s license number (Attachment C). We request that USCIS provide us with
verification of the citizenship statuses of these individuals in this order priority—first providing
verification for the individuals in Attachment A, followed by verification of the statuses of the
individuals’ listed in Attachments B and C.

The last day to register to vote in Indiana was October 7. Election Day is a little over three
weeks away. We are thus at a critical juncture in this election cycle when verifying the integrity
of Indiana’s voter rolls is of acute importance. Because “the right to exercise the franchise in a
free and unimpaired manner is preservative of other basic civil and political rights,” Hoosiers
deserve to know that only eligible voters will be participating in our elections, and that their votes
will not be diluted or distorted by ballots cast by non-citizens. Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533,
562 (1964). We ask that you assist us, as you are required to do by law, in giving the citizens of
our state that assurance.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important request.
Sincerely,
___________________________ _________________________
Todd Rokita Diego Morales
Indiana Attorney General Indiana Secretary of State

Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5 percent in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced today. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January.

Over the last decade the COLA increase has averaged about 2.6 percent. The COLA was 3.2 percent in 2024.

Nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in January 2025.  Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2024. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).

“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security.

Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages.  Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) is slated to increase to $176,100 from $168,600.

Social Security begins notifying people about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December.

This year, for the first time, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a newly designed and improved COLA notice that makes it easier for customers to find the information they need most. The simplified COLA notice is now only one page, uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of a person’s new benefit amount and any deductions.

Individuals who have a personal my Social Security account can view their COLA notice online, which is secure, easy, and faster than receiving a letter in the mail. People can set up text or email alerts when there is a new message--such as their COLA notice--waiting for them in my Social Security.

People will need to have a personal my Social Security account by Nov. 20 to see their COLA notice online. To get started, visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Information about Medicare changes for 2025 will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare, the 2025 benefit amount will be available via my Social Security's Message Center starting in late November. Those who have not opted to receive messages online will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To read more, please visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

Elite Cleaning LLC Of Sellersburg has organized two semi-trucks for relief efforts in tornado-stricken states. The trucks are furnished by Steve Riley, owner of AKKT Trucking in Deputy. One truck will go to Florida and one to North Carolina.

Donations needed are new clothing linens (underwear, socks, bras etc.), nonperishable food, bottled water, dog and cat food, baby formula, diapers, wipes, feminine products, medical supplies, blankets, sleeping bags, and travel-size personal care products. All items should be new and in original packaging.

Monetary donations will strictly be used for fuel to deliver the items and purchasing additional items.

Additional information can be obtained from Jessica Deal, CEO of Elite Cleaning LLC, at 812-820-4764 or Cody Bower, COO, at 812-557-0661.

All items must be in place by Sunday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m.

Donated items may be dropped off at the following locations:
Salem Speedway, Oct. 18-20
Sportsdrome Speedway, Oct. 11-12
Local pickups from KYNG Roofing and Remodeling, Louisville, call 502-509-3489
C&C Roofing LLC. 1425 Cedar St., Clarksville
Large Pole Barn, 812-785-7975
Wright Bros. Mechanical, Louisville
S7R Towing, Clarksville
Worrall’s Carburetor and Machine, Clarksville
Doyle’s Window Tinting, Jeffersonville
Jeffersonville Fire Department, Station 2, 10th St. Jeffersonville
G&G Radiator & Auto Service, New Albany
One Community Church, New Albany, Wednesday 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Upscale Hobbies, Sellersburg
Cornucopia Farm, Scottsburg
Wickey Quality Construction, North Vernon. Call 502-475-1942 to schedule drop offs
BBQ Paradise, Scottsburg, Wednesday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Oct. 9 &16
Fog Sellersburg, 11 a.m.—2 p.m.
Beechwood Funfest, Scottsburg, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Compose your way to $10k IN Indiana. The Indiana Destination Development Foundation (IDDF) and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch invite musicians to capture the fun and excitement of our state in the form of a musical jingle and win $10,000.

"Indiana is a state full of creativity, and we are thrilled to invite musicians to showcase their talents," said Lt. Gov. Crouch, chair of IDDF. "This contest is a unique way to celebrate Indiana while highlighting the excitement of all that our state has to offer."

All contestants must be 18 years of age or older and a resident or native of Indiana or a graduate of an Indiana institution of higher learning. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 4, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET. Individual musicians may submit only one jingle, however, an individual musician may also be part of an ensemble submission. Companies are not eligible to submit. The selected winner will be notified and receive $10,000.

"We are excited to tap into Indiana's rich musical talent with this contest and give Indiana musicians a chance to compose the spirit of our state," said Elaine Bedel, Secretary and CEO of IDDC. "Capturing the essence of Indiana is no small task and we are looking forward to hearing how Indiana's artists use their creativity to bring lyrics to life in a jingle."

Selection Process and Criteria

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel. The panel will select the finalist based on the extent to which the jingle meets the following criteria:

Reflects core pillars of the IN Indiana brand - Review the Free Campaign Kits!
Creative quality (e.g., musical composition, use of lyrics)
Versatility (jingle is suitable for multi-platform use)
Originality

Contest Rules and Regulations

No copyrighted music or lyrics, AI-written music or lyrics, libelous or defamatory lyrics, or parodies will be accepted.

A good jingle submission includes the phrase "IN Indiana", is catchy and adaptable and portrays the state in a positive, creative light. The tone of the jingle should always be informative, inviting, and inclusive, while injecting neighborly wit that keeps it fun and engaging.

Winner Notification

The winner will be notified no later than Dec. 6, 2024 and will receive a prize of $10,000.

How to Submit

Musicians wishing to respond to this call for jingle entries should:

Read and accept the Contest Rules and Regulations.
Visit the brand campaign website to learn more about the IN Indiana brand.
Musicians ready to submit a jingle should visit SoundCloud or YouTube to upload the jingle. Submissions can only be 30 seconds in length and will be accepted in WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, and MP3 formats only.
Fill out the form here!

For questions, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Miscellaneous

The winner acknowledges that they will supply music and vocal tracks separately.
IDDF shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all submissions, unless and until IDDF releases its rights to the submission back to the contestant. Contestants are given full rights to their submissions if they are not chosen as the winner.
The winner gives up all rights to and interest in the music and lyrics of the winning submission.
Contestants shall not share their submissions anywhere (web, social media etc.), nor make any use of their submissions, nor any part of their submissions, or a variation of their submissions, until they receive notice that IDDF’s rights to their submission are released.
Contest Rules and Regulations