Starting July 1, all Indiana employers who employee five or more employees under the age of 18 (per location), must begin using the Youth Employment System (YES) to track and report minor-employee information. Schools will no longer issue work permits effective July 1, and the new requirement is designed to simplify the process of hiring minor employees.
 
YES is live now, and employers can begin using the system now to set up their accounts and start inputting their minor-employee information. Employers who fail to comply with the new law effective July 1 could face a penalty of up to $400 per infraction.
 
More information is available on the DOL's Youth Employment site here.

The final 2021 Indiana Legislative Update took place on Saturday, April 10, with briefings from Rep. Peggy Mayfield (District 60) and Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61). 

The monthly forums, held while the Indiana General Assembly is in session, are co-hosted by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of Monroe County, and the LWV of Brown County.
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Watch the April 10 forum on CATS here.

The Indiana Dept. of Transportation is surveying residents about their transportation needs and preferences, with information to be used in the Monroe County Coordinated Public Transit-Human Service Transportation Plan. 

The brief survey asks about current forms of transportation that are used, types of services that you'd use if available, and other transportation needs.

Click here to take the survey.

State Senator Shelli Yoder will hold office hours every Friday from 8:30-10 a.m. to talk with constituents in District 40.​ The first session, to be held online, will be on Feb. 5.

District 40 covers most of Monroe County, including the City of Bloomington. 

Click here for details about how to attend.

The Chamber is partnering with the League of Women Voters of Bloomington/Monroe County for a monthly Legislative Update series, starting on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 9:30-11 a.m.

The virtual event will be conducted via Zoom. Click here to register.

State legislators representing Monroe County will give overviews of their activities in the Indiana General Assembly and will take questions from the audience.  Each session will be taped by CATS and replayed on scheduled dates or on request.
 
Subsequent updates are planned February 13, March 6, and April 10.

Indiana legislators have started to file bills for the 2021 General Assembly session, which runs through April 29. Find a list of the proposed bills for the Senate and House of Representatives here.

​The Chamber's Legislative Council will be tracking bills of interest to the business community. And legislators representing all or parts of Bloomington/Monroe County will give their insights on the upcoming session at the Chamber's Legislative Preview on January 15. Click here to register.

The Monroe County Board of Health announced new updates to its regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, to take effect at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

In addition to the updates, the board announced that Monroe County will follow Gov. Eric Holcomb's Executive Order 20-48, but with added restrictions for each color-coded level. Those levels are based on the average of scores for these two metrics: 1) weekly number of cases per 100,000 residents, and 2) the 7-day positivity rate for all tests. As of the week of Nov. 16, Monroe County is in the Orange level.

Click here to read the new Monroe County Board of Health updates.

Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statewide mandate for wearing face coverings on July 23, to take effect Monday, July 27.

The order is intended to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Monroe County health officials had previously issued a health order to take effect July 31, that included mandatory face coverings and other requirements. The mayor of Bloomington subsequently moved to implement that order earlier in the City of Bloomington, effective July 23.

The governor's order would make it a Class B misdemeanor if you fail to wear a face covering under certain conditions. Class B misdemeanors carry possible fines of up to $1,000 and a possible sentence of up to 6 months in jail.

Read the governor's executive order 20-37 here. Read more about local requirements here.

Andy Ruff prevailed in a field of 5 candidates for the Democratic Party nomination to the 9th District Congressional seat and will face incumbent Republican Trey Hollingsworth in November.

Here's a rundown of other winners in competitive races on June 2:

• State Senate District 40: Shelli Yoder (D)
• State Representative District 60: Peggy Mayfield (R)
• State Representative District 62: Jeff Ellington (R)
• Monroe County Council At-Large: Trent Deckard (D), Geoff McKim (D), Cheryl Munson (D)
• Monroe County Circuit Court Division 1: Geoff Bradley (D)
• ​Monroe County Circuit Court Division 8: Kara Krothe (D)

Click here for a full list of Monroe County election results in the June 2 primary. Candidates will move on to compete in the general election on Nov. 3.