Housing foreclosure bill becoming contentious, a state fire academy being proposed and a proposal to legalize fenced in deer hunting is still alive……
FORECLOSURE SETTLEMENTS
Housing advocates say an Indiana law that has helped thousands of residents avoid foreclosure could be gutted under a bill lawmakers are considering.
An amendment to a bill introduced by Republican Sen. James Merritt deals with the 2010 mortgage settlement law that requires lenders to hold conferences with distressed homeowners.
Democratic Sen. Karen Tallian of Portage wrote the amendment. She tells The Indianapolis Star it was designed to reconcile state and federal laws on foreclosure rights and wasn’t meant to hurt distressed homeowners. She’s revised the amendment to restore the court-supervised settlement conferences, but the provision wouldn’t apply to big banks that are subject to federal regulations.
Housing advocates say the revised amendment exempts almost all Indiana mortgage lenders from the state law and effectively eliminates the program.
FIRE ACADEMY BILL
Indiana public safety officials say a proposal moving through the General Assembly will help standardize curriculum and provide more consistent training for firefighters throughout the state.
The House and Senate have both approved similar versions of a bill that would establish a unified fire academy and training program in Indiana. Lawmakers say the academy is long overdue.
Indiana’s current fire training program is a regional model. Most states have a statewide academy program.
Fire officials say collaboration can be difficult when training varies, and this can create dangerous situations for firefighters.
The bill would allow the State Fire Marshal to create a set standard for firefighter training and curriculum.
The House must accept Senate changes to the bill before it can be sent to Gov. Mike Pence for approval
ENCLOSED DEER HUNTING
The leader of the Indiana Senate is holding up a proposal that would legalize the state’s high-fenced deer-hunting preserves.
The House voted last month to approve a bill that sets up a licensing and inspection process for Indiana’s four current preserves where farm-raised deer are hunted.
Those preserves currently aren’t regulated in Indiana and the state appeals court has ruled the Department of Natural Resources overstepped its authority in trying to shut them down.
Senate President Pro Tem David Long says he’s keeping the proposal on hold as House and Senate members work in private on a possible compromise. Long has been an opponent of the fenced preserves for several years and says he doesn’t think simply legalizing the current ones is a permanent solution.
ECIG ADVERTISING WRAP
As the State Senate prepares to vote on whether Indiana should regulate e-cigarettes, a new study says advertisements for them makes tobacco users want to smoke…
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