INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is inviting Hoosiers to give their feedback on how the state should spend federal grant money to grow Indiana’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

IDEM, in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Drive Clean Indiana (DCI), plans to apply for funding for both corridor and community EV charging enhancements through Round 2 of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program.

Hoosiers can visit GOEVIN’s website, goevin.com through July 24, 2024, to learn more and complete an online survey to identify priorities and projects to include in Indiana’s grant application.

Round 2 of the CFI program will provide up to $1.3 billion to deploy publicly accessible EV charging along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) and local communities across the U.S. corridor projects must be located within 1 mile of a designated AFC; community projects can be located on any public road or publicly accessible location. 

Additional information is available on the GOEVIN website at goevin.com/programs-and-incentives. Information on the page includes:

• An overview of the goals and objectives of Indiana’s statewide CFI Grant Program;
• Links to key aspects and requirements of FHWA’s CFI Grant Program;
• A timeline of key milestones for the RFI and statewide application development; and
• A link to the online survey.

Hoosiers are highly encouraged to review available information before taking the survey.

About the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants Program: (fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi) Authorized through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five years to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling publicly accessible infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities, including downtowns and local neighborhoods, and particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities.

About GOEVIN: (GOEVIN.com) GO Electric Vehicle INdiana (GOEVIN) is a collaborative, statewide initiative dedicated to advancing the adoption of electric vehicles across the state. The GOEVIN Team is comprised of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the Indiana Utility Group, and Drive Clean Indiana. GOEVIN aims to raise consumer awareness of electric vehicles (EV) by providing unbiased, educational information on the benefits of driving EVs in the Hoosier State.

About IDEM: (idem.IN.gov) IDEM implements federal and state regulations regarding the environment. Through compliance assistance, incentive programs and educational outreach, the agency encourages and aids businesses and citizens to protect Hoosiers and the environment.  

The Pathways to Prosperity Act would take critical steps to expand federal resources available to community and technical colleges to support partnerships between colleges and employers

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Pathways to Prosperity Act. This bill is designed to strengthen America’s workforce development pipeline between community/technical colleges and good-paying jobs from local employers.

The bipartisan Pathways to Prosperity Act expands the existing Strengthening Community Colleges Grant Program. This federal program provides competitive grants to community/technical colleges to support partnerships with employers. These partnerships align workforce development programs in community/technical colleges to local industry needs. The idea is to establish, improve, or expand high-quality workforce development programs to get more Hoosiers into jobs that require skills training.

Senator Braun also authored the JOBS Act with Senator Tim Kaine which would make it possible to use Pell Grants for career and technical education programs.

“There are many good-paying jobs out there that go unfilled because of a lack of skills and career/technical training,” said Senator Mike Braun. “This bill will help close the gap and give more Hoosiers access to skills training programs that will put them on the path to a better career and higher pay for their families.” 

“I tell business leaders all the time, come to Georgia; Georgia is open for business. As these new, good-paying jobs come to the Peach State, it’s important that these local jobs are filled locally. That means we need a workforce that’s trained to step into these roles,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “That’s why I’ve introduced new bipartisan legislation to strengthen our workforce development pipeline by giving technical colleges federal resources to collaborate with local industry partners to train Georgians up for the jobs coming to our state. This legislation is a win for workers who will have access to better-paying jobs; a win for businesses that will be able to find more of the workers they need where and when they need them; a win for our community and technical colleges to help keep their classrooms full; and a major win for our state’s economy that will benefit from thriving businesses and a world-class, homegrown workforce.”

Specifically, the Pathways to Prosperity Act of 2024 would provide funding to:

• Set up, enhance, or broaden the quality of educational or career training initiatives at community colleges.
• Enhance opportunities for individuals to attain nationally or regionally recognized postsecondary credentials in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
• Develop or scale up career training, career pathways, or work-based learning options like apprenticeships.
• Assist individuals with barriers to employment with accessing programs.
• Provide support services to help participants complete education and training.

 Beginning July 1, families who provide a home through adoption or eligible guardianships to a child in Indiana’s foster care system will receive financial supports equal to 100 percent of the amount the child received while in foster care.

The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) provides these subsidies through its Indiana Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) and Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP). Financial supports help ensure caretakers who adopt or take guardianship of children in DCS care are best positioned to meet the needs of those children. Finding the right, safe and permanent home in a timely manner is a top priority for DCS, and these supports play vital roles in accomplishing that.  

Currently, families receive at least 50 percent of the amount the child was entitled to while in foster care and may negotiate higher amounts based on the individual circumstances of the child and family. With the change to 100 percent, caretakers across the state will be equipped more than ever to provide for the needs of Hoosier children. This step will also eliminate the need for most financial negotiations and help remove a barrier that can delay permanency for children. 

DCS Director Eric Miller, MPA, MBA, noted that nearly 2,000 Indiana children find permanent homes through adoption and more than 1,000 others find permanency through guardianship each year. 

“We often hear from families who are interested in adoption or guardianship, but they worry they might not be able to afford the additional costs that are necessary to meet a child’s needs,” Miller said. “By making assistance more readily available, we are creating more opportunities for Hoosier children to find their forever home and better supporting the families who make that happen.”  

This change is the latest move by DCS to remove barriers to permanency for Indiana children. In July 2023, with approval from the Indiana General Assembly, DCS implemented a kinship stipend program to support unlicensed kinship caregivers. These individuals can be a relative, godparent, stepparent or another person with whom the child has a close personal connection. More than half of all Indiana children in foster care are currently placed in kinship care. As of the end of May, DCS has issued more than $10.1 million in stipends, benefiting more than 4,000 children in unlicensed kinship placements.

Information on the Indiana Adoption Assistance Program can be found here. Details about the Guardianship Assistance Program are available here. To learn more about Indiana’s adoption program, visit https://www.indianaadoptionprogram.org/.

More information about kinship care and the support available can be found here.

About Indiana DCS: The Indiana Department of Child Services leads the state’s response to allegations of child abuse and neglect and facilitates child support payments. We consider the needs and values of all we serve in our efforts to protect children while keeping families together whenever possible.

"Children will live in safe, healthy and supportive families and communities." If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline at 800-800-5556.