FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR LONG
With all of the attention being paid to the Toll Road bill, there were a number of important pieces of legislation that passed without a lot of attention. One of them was a bill that I authored, SB 75, known as the Military Family Relief Fund.
About two years ago, I became aware that several of our military families in the Fort Wayne area were having a tough time making ends meet as a result of a serious loss of income. That loss of income was the direct result of a working father or mother who was a member of the National Guard, and who had been called to active duty to serve in the Iraqi conflict. The disparity in the pay between the income from their regular job and the pay received for military service was significant, and with the length of service overseas often being extended beyond 12 months, many of the families of our citizen soldiers were suffering financial hardship.
As a result, I began looking about for a possible solution, and came across legislation that had recently passed in Illinois, called the Illinois Family Relief Act. It created a fund from which military families could receive grants for necessities of life, such as food, medical bills, transportation expenses, etc. The chief source of the funds was a tax “check off” that any Illinois taxpayer could utilize, where all or a portion of any refund to which they might be entitled could be donated directly to the fund.
The beauty of this system is that it did not require the use of State tax dollars, thereby avoiding a fight over whether this was a proper use of limited state resources. The law also established other sources for the fund, such as direct, tax-deductible contributions from the public. Illinois residents had been very enthusiastic about helping build the fund, and it seemed a good fit for our state as well. I therefore introduced a bill in the 2004 Session modeled after the Illinois law, but the idea of a tax check off didn’t resonate with our state fiscal leaders, and it failed to get a hearing.
I came back this year with some new ideas, and a few extra allies that hadn’t been part of my team last year, including Governor Daniels, whose support proved crucial in the end.
The result was a new law that has already been signed by the Governor, and will, I believe, prove to be a big help to our military families. And it will provide this help without the use of State tax dollars.
SB 75 has established the Indiana Military Family Relief Fund. The fund will be used exclusively to provide grants to the families of Indiana’s citizen soldiers (National Guard and Reserves) who have been called to active duty since September 11, 2001.
The chief source of funds will come from two new license plates. The first is an updated Veteran’s plate, which will be available to anyone retired from active duty, as well as to the families of any active duty soldiers. It will cost $30.00, with the proceeds donated directly to the Fund. The other new license place will be emblazoned with a yellow ribbon and will carry the title Support Our Troops. It will cost $40.00, and again, the proceeds will be donated directly to the Fund. The plates will be available as of January 1, 2007, and the State will begin advertising them soon on the State’s website, and also, hopefully, on TV all over Indiana via public service announcements. There will also be an opportunity to donate directly through the State Veteran’s Affairs Commission’s own website.
The grants will be doled out through a special committee established by the Veteran’s Commission, and must be used for the necessities of life such as food, medicine, utilities, transportation, and family medical emergencies. Eligibility will be determined by the Commission’s special committee.
I believe that we have created a workable and meaningful source of aid for our military families who are sacrificing every day so that we can enjoy our freedoms at home. Remember, it matters not one bit how you feel about the war in Iraq. What matters is that a lot of Hoosier families are hurting financially because their loved ones are fighting over seas, and we have a chance, and really a responsibility, to help them during these difficult times.
Keep your eyes and ears open for public announcements about the opportunity to donate to the Fund, and then I hope you will join the Long family, and many others, in contributing to the support of our state’s military families.
It’s the least we can do to say thank you for their sacrifices.
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