Indiana Call to Action: Multiple Indiana bills would threaten access to and use of e-cigarettes.

[charly1954]

Charly the second reading was yesterday where both bills passed, I believe. The third reading is today and should be on the live feed you're watching at some point today.

So it passed twice, thats not good right? If it passes 3rd reading today does that means we're screwed its law? Or does it have to pass the house? I vote but I don't follow Senate law passing proccedures. I sure am glad I DIY and have a large supply of Nic(kept in freezer).

Ya been watching for couple hrs they are on bill 413 now.

 

[Hoosier]

Recap: SB 539 was passed on second reading and then a seldom used rule was exercised to put it in another committee where it went through a second 1st reading.

It was read the second time yesterday evening, I was there, and passed with some amending.

It will go through a third reading today and pass.

Then we go to the next 45 days of the second half where bills switch chambers. We have meetings lined up. Actually we are very close to having an agreement between shop owners, the Hoosier Vapers, the opposing lobbyist, and the bills' authors. There is only one major point of disagreement and a couple of minor ones.

We are concentrating our efforts on the second half.

 

[Hoosier]

I hope folks are learning more about how their government works in all this...

It's quite different than the news portrays it, no?

 

[charly1954]

So this bill will not go to summer session I take it. I thought the whole bill was bad, now u r saying the bad stuff has been removed?

From what I read it was full of crap, expemptions for tobacco Co. selling E-Cig supplies, Tax on all E-Cig supplies including Battery(that's BC),Ind. store owners can't buy out of state, e-cigs equal to smoking law which means no vaping where smokes aren't aloud(thats a BIG LOUD OF CRAP), etc etc etc....

 

[four2109]

They will pass it. The vendors got a lot of what they wanted. I thought it was interesting that the < 2ml exemption didn't seem to get addressed. It seems that it narrows the field to vendors in IN who manufacture their own liquid and are licensed by the state.

I don't buy from them anyway, so I think I will just order another liter and quit worrying about it.

Yoder mentioned another bill being talked about which I think was the one Bacon was talking about. That involved a 24% tax on devices and a per mg/ml tax on liquid. Yoder implied that he put this bill together to avoid that one. Time will tell. They miss out tobacco money.

I watched too much of it yesterday. Disgusted. I'll have to look into that annexation bill. That is not what I had heard about it. I heard it took away the right to remonstrate and they had tied it into utilities.

 

[Hoosier]

Also, we are lucky to have folks willing to sacrifice their time and expend effort doing this stuff. The Hoosier Vapers council is small, but we don't quit.

Despite recruiting drives every year for council members we remain a small few who are being driven on by the overwhelming support we have from vapers. As much as we love to fight for the vaping community, it is so much easier when we see what vapers have done to support us. (Our wives are still worried about us and have named themselves"The Council Widows" during this general session.) Thankfully our wives are very supportive and love the vaping community too.

We would not be in negotiations without all the calls and letters from all across the state! It's very humbling...

 

[Hoosier]

The vendors got about squat if what they wanted yesterday! I don't know where you're getting your information from, but the amendments that we made yesterday were completely botched and had little to do with negotiations because of the crunch in legislative services at this final moment of the first half

 

[four2109]

Didn't they get the fees lowered, the kitchen and security standards lowered?

 

[charly1954]

Yoder mentioned another bill being talked about which I think was the one Bacon was talking about. That involved a 24% tax on devices and a per mg/ml tax on liquid. Yoder implied that he put this bill together to avoid that one. Time will tell. They miss out tobacco money..

Are you talking about bill 384, I am the one who posted that not Bacon. I Don't see that post, looks like someone removed it cause I don't see it.

I watched too much of it yesterday. Disgusted. I'll have to look into that annexation bill. That is not what I had heard about it. I heard it took away the right to remonstrate and they had tied it into utilities.

YA it said something about remonstrate but as a regular person I could care less. Takeing away cities right to annex at their own whim without the peoples approval who live in the annex area is great

 

[charly1954]

Indiana General Assembly, 2015 Session

Posted this once but can't find it.

SB-384 Taxation of electronic cigarettes.

Is this a new, passed, or voted down bill?

 

[four2109]

Are you talking about bill 384, I am the one who posted that not Bacon. I Don't see that post, looks like someone removed it cause I don't see it.

No, Bacon, is Ron Bacon, a legislator from southern Indiana. He was the one talking about taxes, and vaping causing pneumonia... Completely uninformed.

YA it said something about remonstrate but as a regular person I could care less. Takeing away cities right to annex at their own whim without the peoples approval who live in the annex area is great

I hope that's what it does because they have their sights on my area. I have to look at the posting I saw on FB again for the bill #. It's frustrating when everything gets presented by sides with an agenda, but then bills are often written so that they have consequences beyond what they appear.

 

[four2109]

Indiana General Assembly, 2015 Session

Posted this once but can't find it.

SB-384 Taxation of electronic cigarettes.

Is this a new, passed, or voted down bill?

Huh, That only shows that it went to the fiscal policy committee. I bet it comes back to life when the current bill gets through.
It would have been kind of hard to enforce without licensing of distributors at some level.

Maybe Hoosier knows.

 

[Hoosier]

Those were changed, yes, but those are not the main problems with the bill. Those are the problems the reps want to talk about in camera. Huge difference!

 

[charly1954]

Huh, That only shows that it went to the fiscal policy committee. I bet it comes back to life when the current bill gets through.
It would have been kind of hard to enforce without licensing of distributors at some level.

Maybe Hoosier knows.

As I said earlier I am new to all this, but watching is learning.

 

[charly1954]

No, Bacon, is Ron Bacon, a legislator from southern Indiana. He was the one talking about taxes, and vaping causing pneumonia... Completely uninformed.

I hope that's what it does because they have their sights on my area. I have to look at the posting I saw on FB again for the bill #. It's frustrating when everything gets presented by sides with an agenda, but then bills are often written so that they have consequences beyond what they appear.

Right now my city Logansport is trying to force people south of town into being annexed. Because the hoosier hwy runs thru it and any new businesses built they want the GREEDY tax dollars. The people took it to court and now waiting on a dicission. So I listened to this bill closely.

If I heard right point blank towns will have to talk to all residence within the annex area and get them to vote yes for annexation. Also the city has to go to the people, the people do not have to contact the city. If the city gets 51% its a done deal no going to court to fight it. Thats what I heard.

 

[charly1954]

That was it, no dicussion. Sat here all day waiting for nothing. Here's the vote count.

I added a photo from my PC, wasn't big enough so added a link. Now I can't find a way to remove the attached photo

 

[four2109]

Right now my city Logansport is trying to force people south of town into being annexed. Because the hoosier hwy runs thru it and any new businesses built they want the GREEDY tax dollars. The people took it to court and now waiting on a dicission. So I listened to this bill closely.

If I heard right point blank towns will have to talk to all residence within the annex area and get them to vote yes for annexation. Also the city has to go to the people, the people do not have to contact the city. If the city gets 51% its a done deal no going to court to fight it. Thats what I heard.

OK, You heard SB 330, The one I saw a post about is HB 1561. It's on Annexation too. The same 51%, but they can exempt farm ground and that's their biggest opposition. It also requires only 60% of the assessed value owners to agree instead of 75%. Also some interesting wording about non-contiguous areas, extending annexation along highways... I'm not sure what the percentages were before.
Indiana General Assembly, 2015 Session

I listened to the hearings yesterday and watched my Rep vote against my wishes on every bill that I cared about.
The gerrymandering in this state is what needs to stop if the population is ever to be represented fairly.

 

[four2109]

That was it, no dicussion. Sat here all day waiting for nothing.

Yeah, I know the feeling. You'll never get that day back. They could at least do the reading of the bill title so you could understand it. I kept having to tab to the calendar to see what the bills were that they were talking about. The Senate took their calendar down when they went to lunch. ...?

 

[zoiDman]

Those were changed, yes, but those are not the main problems with the bill. Those are the problems the reps want to talk about in camera. Huge difference!

Keep Fighting the Good Fight.

And know that you are Making a Difference.

 

[Hoosier]

Thanks zoiD. I feel like folks give me too much credit.because there are a number of people busting their butts and taking time away from their families in this fight and one of my main jobs is pushing messages out and keeping activists on focus.

This is a team effort. There is now way 1 or even 3 people could do this.

I would implore folks in other states to get organized now and search out people who are willing to fight. There are a number if resources for this kind of thing... CASAA is a great watchdog, AVA has grew advice, The Vaping Militia has folks willing to fight, and there are vapers, just everyday folks, who have a passion for something that has changed their lives...not to mention the shop owners who will listen and help if approached. None of what we have done and are doing would be possible without all those components.

We are on the proverbial razor's edge here, but I think we can win this. I believe in the folks supporting us. Our opposition is not from Indiana and we are seeing more bills in other states that are too similar to what we are facing to think, for a moment, that this is localized. We have to stop it here. I cannot see failure as an option.