OneZone has announced its 2021 legislative priorities for the upcoming session of the Indiana General Assembly: Employer liability, smoking/cigarette tax, and workshare.
“COVID 19 has highlighted both strengths and weaknesses in the employer community at large,” said OneZone President and CEO Jack Russell. “By making sure our business community has confidence and feels protected, addressing health concerns, and having a creative, sustainable unemployment benefit solution, we can make an impact on our community.”
You can read more about each priority below and online at onezonecommerce.com.
Employer liability
In order for businesses to confidently reopen and remain open, they need to know that they will be protected from unwarranted lawsuits when they themselves have followed government-issued guidelines to appropriately protect their employees and customers from COVID-19. OneZone supports employer liability legislation specifically related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Smoking/cigarette tax
Indiana’s tobacco use costs Hoosier businesses over $6 billion each year in health care costs, absenteeism, and productivity loss. With the recent addition of respiratory health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is needed even more so now. Therefore, OneZone supports an increase in the tobacco tax as a disincentive to the sale of tobacco products. OneZone also supports taxing vaping/e-cigarette products similarly to how the state taxes traditional tobacco products.
Workshare
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the need for creative, sustainable unemployment benefit solutions. OneZone supports the development of an opt-in workshare program, because it would allow more people to remain in the workforce while saving taxpayer money on unemployment benefits.
About OneZone
OneZone, a Hamilton County chamber of commerce, serves the Central Indiana business community as a commerce connector, strong voice, significant presence and business advocate in an ever-changing marketplace. With OneZone, businesses get an organization that reaches across municipal boundaries – just the way business does – to deliver more impact and more opportunities more efficiently.