Food bank talk dominates committee hearing

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Senate Appropriations Committee spent so much of its two hour meeting on Thursday focused on just one of its four bills that committee chair, Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville joked the supporters were using a political tactic to try to pass the bill.

“[Filibusters are] used to defy a bill, not have it passed,” Kenley said near the end of the discussion of Senate Bill 218.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, would allow those who file their taxes to use a check-off to contribute a portion or all of their tax refund to the Indiana food bank trust fund.
Errington said that providing an easy way to donate will help those who have lost their jobs due to economic hardship. She promised it wouldn’t cost the state any more money because it comes directly from the pockets of private citizens.

The committee chose to hold the bill after testimony concluded.

If this bill becomes law, many believe this would lead to more charities wanting their own check-off, even though Indiana has a one check-off cap. Even Errington, who said she’d support allowing more charitable options on tax returns, said her bill may lead to more charities wanting to add their names to the list of tax-return benefactors.

“Are we opening the floodgates to more causes?” said Errington, who told the committee she was solely focused on the food banks.

Jane Avery, the executive director of Community Harvest, said her Fort Wayne-based organization provides a necessity to those in need.

“Food is the basic building block to life,” she said.

While committee members questioned whether donors would replace their tangible donation with tax-refund money, food bank executive Robert Wilson assured them he was not worried.

“It is complementary. It’s another way for Hoosiers to lend a helping hand to those in need,” said Wilson, the operations manager of Gleaners Community Food