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By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Salem officials have approved an agreement that would allow the merger of the city’s dispatch department with the county’s 911 center.The unanimous vote was held during the Monday, May 13, meeting of the Salem Common Council. All members were in attendance.

Mayor Justin Green explained that weeks’ worth of talks with county officials led to the drafting of an interlocal agreement that details the merger.

Green said the city’s dispatchers have never directly received 911 calls: all those calls are routed through the county’s dispatchers and are forwarded to city dispatchers.

The change will not result in any loss of jobs, Green said. The city’s current dispatchers will have the option of transferring to the county. Green said both the city and county departments struggle to find adequate staffing: it is hoped the merger will alleviate that problem.

“This proposal makes sense in a lot of ways,” Green said, adding that a combined city-county dispatch is not unique to Salem and Washington County.
The interlocal agreement that details the merger offers both parties the opportunity to opt out with a 90-day notification. The agreement has a term of five years.

Following a motion to approve the interlocal agreement by Council member Dylan Moore, a unanimous vote in favor of the merger was cast.

Green said the Washington County Commissioners have agreed to the draft ordinance and are expected to discuss – and possibly approve it – during the Tuesday, May 21, meeting.

In other business:

*An additional appropriation of $33,000 was approved to pay for overtime for the Salem Police Department. Clerk-Treasurer Sally Hattabaugh said that should cover any overtime that occurs through the end of the year. It was noted that staffing shortages have caused the overtime, and it is hoped the addition of two new officers will help to alleviate scheduling issues.

*Hounds Way was added to the city’s street inventory.

*Salem Police Chief Eric Mills introduced the city’s newest officers, James McAfee and Owen Bowers. The new officers are currently in training and will be doing ride-alongs with more seasoned officers during the next several weeks.

*The Brick Street Festival", which will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 8, was approved. A portion of East Market Street – from 301 to 304 – will be closed from 4 to 8 p.m. to allow vendors to set up.

In honor of National Foster Care Month— Representative Erin Houchin (R-IN), Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) reintroduced the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act to remove barriers to higher education for homeless and foster youth and help ensure they can pursue a higher education and get the support they need to thrive.

“Every child in America deserves access to a good education, and that doesn’t have to stop with high school. For students overcoming obstacles like homelessness or foster care, the chance to pursue higher education can be the difference maker in finally breaking the cycle of poverty,” stated Congresswoman Erin Houchin. “As a former child services worker, I am proud to sponsor the bipartisan Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act, and I call upon Congress to pass this important legislation. As homelessness reaches a record high, this is America’s opportunity to contend on behalf of kids who have shown resilience in the face of adversity.”

“A higher education should be within reach for every student—but the barriers for homeless and foster youth can be especially high, and it’s critical we get these students the support they need to help make their dreams of going to college a reality,” said Senator Murray. “As the homelessness crisis worsens—with more students and young people struggling without stable housing and support—our legislation will remove barriers and help provide more stability for homeless and foster youth, so they can pursue a higher education and thrive. This bipartisan bill takes common sense steps to support some of our most vulnerable students, and I will keep pushing alongside my colleagues to get it signed into law.”

“I am proud to introduce this essential legislation in the House, which will even the playing field for homeless and foster youth seeking higher education and ensure that these youth are supported once enrolled,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “We know that education is key to success, stability, and financial security, making it all the more important for homeless and foster youth to have both access to higher education and the resources they need to succeed. As a Representative of Los Angeles County—home to over 30,000 foster youth—I will always champion our most vulnerable young people through my work in Congress. I would like to thank my colleagues Rep. Houchin, Senator Murray, and Senator Braun for their tireless work on behalf of our nation’s homeless and foster youth.”

In 2023, the number of families staying in homeless shelters and those who were visibly unsheltered increased by 16%, and homelessness nationwide jumped to a record level. More than 1.2 million students in public schools across the country are experiencing homelessness.

The Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2024 requires colleges and universities to take steps to improve outreach to and support for homeless and foster youth, prioritizes homeless and foster youth for Federal Work Study opportunities, provides in-state tuition rates for students who haven’t had stable residency, and improves data collection and reporting to better reach and serve homeless and foster youth—among other steps. Prior versions of the legislation proposed a number of critical improvements to the financial aid process for homeless and foster youth, which were subsequently enacted into law as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act that Senator Murray co-authored.

The legislation is endorsed by: Alliance for Positive Youth Development; Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services (ACRC); Boys Town; Building Changes, Washington; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Center for the Study of Social Policy; Child Welfare League of America; Children’s Advocacy Institute; Children’s Defense Fund; Coalition on Human Needs; Congressional Research Institute for Social Work Policy; Covenant House International; Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption; Family Centered Treatment Foundation; The Family Focused Treatment Association; Family Promise; First Focus Campaign for Children; First Star Institute; iFoster; Foster Care Alumni of America; FosterClub; Foster Success; Higher Learning Advocates; The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice; John Burton Advocates for Youth; Juvenile Law Center; Lutheran Services in America; Mockingbird Society; National Association of Counsel for Children; National Center of Child Welfare and Housing; National Center on Adoption and Permanency; National Coalition for the Homeless; National Crittenton; National Education Association; National Foster Youth Institute; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National Network for Youth; SchoolHouse Connection; Think of Us; Youth Guidance; Youth Law Center; and Youth Villages.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is co-leading a 25-state lawsuit that seeks to overturn an invasive new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that threatens the reliability of our power grid and will once again jack up utility costs for regular, everyday Hoosiers.

Attorney General Rokita’s latest fight against continued EPA overreach into Hoosiers’ wallets takes aim at the agency’s inefficient new rule that oversteps the federal government’s authority and imposes unrealistic mandates on power plants -- all so the Biden administration can appease the powerful political forces behind the climate agenda.

“Hardworking Hoosiers and businesses depend on reliable energy at affordable prices,” Attorney General Rokita said. “They understand these draconian measures are chasing unrealistic goals and will do nothing to actually improve our already good air quality. They also know the importance of protecting the authority of state and local government against power-hungry unelected federal bureaucrats. This lawsuit is all about standing up for Hoosiers on all these counts.”

The wildly inefficient new rule imposes significant restrictions on coal-fired plants, requiring them to capture 90% of carbon emissions using expensive, unproven technology. The rule exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and gives insufficient consideration to important facts, such as cost and grid reliability.

In squaring off against the EPA’s newest confusing and radically inefficient rule, Attorney General Rokita is co-leading this lawsuit with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

After state Rep. Mike Speedy raised the issue, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita this week produced an advisory opinion clarifying that neither state nor federal law requires a coworker to use the preferred pronouns and names of fellow employees.

An employer therefore is likely not liable in cases where staff members choose not to use new names and pronouns that are gender-nonconforming, the opinion states — provided that a reasonable person would not find the work environment to be objectively hostile.

“Hoosier businesses should not be burdened with policing employees’ words to make sure their attitudes align with the latest, wokest fads,” Rep. Speedy said. “They face enough needless government regulations without being on the hook for enforcing politically correct views of transgenderism.”

No federal court, Attorney General Rokita said, has found occasional use of non-preferred pronouns alone, even if intentional, to be actionable discrimination or create a hostile work environment.

“Most Hoosiers agree that we all should extend love and compassion toward individuals beset with gender dysphoria,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Treating these individuals with respect, however, does not require us to deny basic truths, as we see them.”

The times call for common sense, Attorney General Rokita added.

“We must oppose the radical agendas of extremists,” Attorney General Rokita said, “who would force us all to march in lockstep with the transanity that dominates so many facets of society, from Hollywood to corporate boardrooms.”

The advisory opinion notes that courts have left unsettled the question of how a pattern of pronoun usage in referring to another person might create a hostile working environment that potentially could give rise to an action under Title VII — which is part of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Officials have adopted a new ordinance that includes a fine of up to $500 plus costs for tractor trailer drivers who use county roads rather than the official detour routes.The Washington County Board of Commissioners recently approved the ordinance, which took effect immediately.

The law aims to discourage tractor trailer drivers from using – and damaging – county roads rather than the state-approved official detours.

The county Highway Department will erect signs along roads where tractor trailer traffic is restricted.

Exceptions to the law include vehicles involved in the maintenance or repair of county infrastructure or trucks being used for pickups, deliveries, or service calls; however, such traffic must be kept to a minimum and drivers must use the shortest, most direct route.