2-10-2020 Newsletter

And he wins the pre-primary elections!

With great pleasure and excitement, IMAN Associates announces that Dr. Fady Qaddoura won his pre-primary elections on Saturday 2/8/2020 and has been officially nominated by the Democratic Party as the party's nominee for the Indiana State Senate in the 2020 election. When elected, he will be the first Muslim American to serve in the Indiana State Senate!

​He is not only a public servant and a consensus builder, but he is also an immigrant and a Muslim American. He will bring the very much needed diversity to the Indiana legislature and will strive to give the voiceless a voice.

Although his campaign has gained a great momentum, his district is split 50-50, and he will face a very tight race. We need YOU to help us win this race by getting our message out. Every dollar you donate goes a long way in getting our message out regarding our universal values of justice, equality, compassion, mercy and fairness. 

Please attend the upcoming fundraiser event and show your support. It is a free event but registration is required. RSVP below!

Can't attend the fundraiser? You can still support his campaign by donating online. Please donate generously. 

Donate here

RSVP for Family Night here

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From our lobbyist's desk:
The 2020 Indiana General Assembly has wrapped up the first half of the short session. Monday (February 3) was the last day for House bills to pass from the House, and Tuesday (February 4) was the deadline for passage of Senate bills from the Senate. When legislators return to Statehouse on February 10, hearings will begin in the House and Senate on bills passed by the other chamber.

Of the 910 bills introduced this year, 288 are still alive. An additional 60 or 70 bills will likely die before session ends. Most of the casualties will result from the abbreviated schedule – with only three weeks to hear bills passed by the other chamber, committees won’t have time to consider every bill assigned to them.
 
Among the casualties are five bills addressing next year’s redistricting process. On the House side, Rep. Jerry Torr introduced the sole redistricting bill.  HB 1024, which would have established a bipartisan redistricting commission, died without receiving a hearing. In the Senate, Sen. John Ruckleshaus introduced two different measures: SB 105, which would have established a redistricting commission, and SB 293, which would have established procedures for the redistricting process. Although both measures had Republican as well as Democrat co-authors, neither was granted a hearing.  Two additional redistricting bills also died in the Senate for lack of a hearing: SB 87, authored by Sen. Greg Taylor (redistricting standards), and SB 138 (authored by Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane (redistricting commission). Although it is possible that redistricting provisions could be inserted in another bill before the end of session, at this point redistricting reform appears dead for the year.
 
One bill on IMAN Associates’ tracking list that is moving forward is SB 123, which passed the Senate 48-1 and is authored by Sen. Travis Holdman. The proposed legislation would allow the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to establish a program to incentivize investment in affordable and workforce housing projects in Indiana. The program would not go into effect until July 1, 2021. In the meantime, IHCDA would be required to provide a report this summer to the Interim Study Committee on Fiscal Policy concerning the affordable and workforce housing incentives offered in other states and recommending the type of incentive that should be offered in Indiana. Based on IHCDA’s findings, the 2021 legislature could then adopt a tax credit or other mechanism aimed at increasing the supply of affordable and workforce housing.

For brief summaries of the bills discussed above, along with other proposed legislation of potential interest to IMAN Associates, please visit our website.