Wednesday, May 23, 2018
For nearly 20 years, May has been recognized as Military Appreciation Month, when our country recognizes troops – past and present – for their service to their fellow Americans. There have been many Hoosier men and women who have sacrificed their safety and dedicate their lives to protect our country.
This session, the Indiana General Assembly continued to stand behind our current and previous service members through laws regarding education, tax incentives and medical treatment.
When members of the military are called to active duty, they put their lives on hold to serve. Previously, if an enlisted person was called to active duty while enrolled in a college course, he or she could be responsible for the cost to re-enroll in the course when they return. House Enrolled Act 1047 addresses this issue by allowing those individuals to re-enroll in an uncompleted course for no additional fee or receive a refund or credit at state educational institutions. With this law in place, it will be easier for servicemen and women to further their education.
The General Assembly also passed Senate Enrolled Act 96, which extends the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Pilot Program until 2020. This program assists in providing diagnostic testing and hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) to veterans. HBOT is an important and well-established medical treatment commonly used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, divers’ sickness, skin grafts, heat burns and crush injuries.
Lastly, Senate Enrolled Act 262 requires the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue a permanent parking placard to a disabled Hoosier veteran when requested. The parking placard are issued at no cost to the requestor.
For more information on these bills and others passed during the 2018 legislative session, visit iga.in.gov.
