While sessions of the General Assembly come and go with the winter and spring seasons the 1999 legislature will be anything but ordinary. As you are reading this think about the critical issues that are on the table the State House: tax reform, home health care funding, utility deregulation, pollution prevention, managed health care, the farm crisis, and campaign finance reform among others.

Consequently, as you read the issues that are outlined here please realize that Citizens Lobby Day 1999 on February 23rd may be the most important lobby day we have ever held. We hope you and your organization can be present at the ISTA building at 150 W. Market (by the State House) in Indianapolis beginning at 10:00 a.m. on February 23rd. Here are the issues that will be addressed at Citizens Lobby Day 1999:

• Tax reform proposals that could involve cuts ranging from $513,000,000 to over $1,000,000,000! If these proposals are implemented will they benefit senior citizens on fixed incomes, the working poor, or family farmers on the verge of bankruptcy? Or will these tax cuts benefit corporations under the guise of property tax reductions while reducing the public investment in education, health and human services?
• Utility reform and deregulation: The big electric utilities, such as Cinergy and American Electric Power, and the denizens of Ma Bell will be working at the State House to move their self serving agendas. In the meantime, CAC will be pursuing positive utility reforms to promote protections for consumers and environmentally friendly power alternatives.
• Home health care: Citizens Action Coalition is working closely with the member organizations of the Indiana Home Care Task Force, including AARP, United Senior Action, and the Indiana State Council of Senior Citizens, to achieve a two year appropriation of $120,000,000 for the CHOICE program while expanding Medicaid waivers for additional home and community based long term care services and protecting the funding base for Social Service Block Grants. Our objective is nothing less than a long term care system in Indiana in which nobody, regardless of their age, can be forced into a nursing home for the lack of affordable home care and community based services.
• Solving the "new" farm crisis! Thousands of family farmers could be forced out of business this year in Indiana unless the federal and state governments step in to stop the outrageously low prices farmers are being given for their grain crops and livestock. Citizens Action Coalition has worked with family farmers to put together a public policy package that can bring real economic relief to Indiana’s family farmers. But The Farm Crisis, What Indiana Can Do plan cannot help a single farmer in our state, or any state, without action from the Governor and the General Assembly.
• Campaign Finance Reform: 1999 could be a breakthrough year for achieving significant changes in Indiana’s campaign financing and lobbying laws and regulations. CAC has worked with citizen groups all across Indiana to develop a package of campaign finance reforms. Additionally, Governor O’Bannon has announced his own plan for improving campaign finance laws. Consequently, 1999 may provide a great opportunity to reduce the influence of Big Money in the public policy process.
• Managed Care: The 1999 General Assembly will challenge CAC and other consumer interests to expand and to protect the Patient Protection Act that was enacted in 1998, while stopping attempts by the insurance industry to block consumer efforts to establish a statutory definition of "medical necessity.".
• Pollution Prevention and Environmental Issues: The 1999 session will challenge us to expand funding for such important programs as the Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute (formerly the industrial pollution prevention institute) at Purdue University, while protecting and strengthening other environmental programs.

Please remember, the great success that has been achieved in recent years on specific issues in our state has only happened because of the involvement of citizens like you in the public policy process. So given the big issues that are on the table in 1999 your involvement at Citizens Lobby Day is very important. Thank you.

Christopher E. Williams, Executive Director
John Cardwell, Legislative Director

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