Accomplishments

Committed to our community, Joe Zakas has been a strong and steady voice for us in the Indiana Senate.

Our state faces stiff challenges. Joe believes Indiana must enact policies that create a positive climate for economic growth, business development, and job creation. He sponsored legislation to create the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in order to better promote business development and job growth in our state. He sponsored legislation to create the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in order to better promote business development and job growth in our state. Its work has helped Indiana to tie with Utah for second place in the U.S. for private sector job growth for the first half of this year at 2.4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the 2010 legislative session, Joe supported new incentives to spur job creation in Indiana.

Education is key to the long-term success of Hoosier children and to the future of our state. The 2010 session of the General Assembly provided additional tools for school corporations to use to address budget cutbacks. In addition to that, Joe supported the effort to insure that Hoosier children be proficient in reading by the end of the 3rd grade. Also, he was an early promoter of encouraging high school students to take advanced classes for credit at both the high school and college levels. Improving the number of Hoosiers with post-secondary educations is a continuing effort which Joe supports, as Indiana participates in an increasingly competitive global arena.

With regard to public safety, Joe believes Hoosiers have a right to be safe in their own homes and neighborhoods. This principle has lead Joe to author bills which created Indiana's Amber Alert program, the Missing Children's Information Clearinghouse, and the Code Adam program. He has passed legislation to increase the use of DNA evidence in order to convict criminals, and also to exonerate the innocent, and believes we should continue to improve on the use of DNA evidence.

Joe was the main author of the resolution to establish the Crime Victims' Bill of Rights, which Hoosiers voted to be added to the Indiana Constitution.

Joe has supported lower property taxes. He believes additional property tax controls are needed whether or not Hoosiers vote to add the property tax cap proposal to the state constitution this Election Day, November 2.

In the 2010 session, Joe authored legislation to improve Indiana's adoption, criminal, and probate/trust laws. One bill responded to the loss of Mishawaka police officer, Cpl. James Szuba and his K-9 partner, Ricky. Another bill helped Memorial Hospital and the city of Mishawaka to develop property near the toll road entrance on Capital Avenue. Also this year, Joe took action to help the local Boy Scout organization to solve a significant property tax problem.

He works hard to obtain state funding available for local projects, such as for the following: IUSB building projects; Ivy Tech in Elkhart; Innovation Park and the new cancer research facility at Notre Dame; playgrounds in Clay and Harris Townships; restoration of the Old Courthouse in South Bend; Mishawaka's Ball Band monument, dredging near Kamm Island, and funds for the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris library; the airport control tower in Elkhart.