Banner Graphic, Volume 13, Number 105, Greencastle, Putnam County, 10 January 1983 — Page 3

Heating upi State lawmakers keeping close eye on energy assistance funds

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Democratic lawmakers are keeping a close watch on the state’s federally funded heating assistance program after losing a battle over it in the legislature last month. Despite the mild weather, Hoosiers already have filed 4,000 more applications for low-income heating funds than were filed during last year’s entire heating season. Gov. Robert D. Orr is looking at the situation just as closely as the Democrats. Project SAFE, which originated in 1979 as a state program but has since been totally federally funded, provides credits on gas and electric bills for elderly and needy families. Democrats suggested during last month’s special legislative session that $lO million of the state’s largest tax increase in history be allocated for emergency heating money for the program. That suggestion was rejected, with Republicans arguing it

Bill requires annual hospital statement

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The ndiana Hospital Association ays it would be too costly for hospitals to file annual financial 'eports with the state governnent. A bill requiring an annual itatement from hospitals has >een placed before the state louse of Representatives. The iealth organization agrees lospitals should release some nformation about their finanes, but that’s all. “It’s frankly going to cost us a ’ll of a lot of money,’’ said

Mo state law on subject

Interim mayor procedure eyed

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - If some northern Indiana lawmakers have their way, confusion that followed last year’s shooting of LaPorte’s Mayor A.J. Rumely will not happen again., LaPorte had no state precedent to follow on how to legally operate as the mayor of the northwest Indiana city unsuccessfully battled for his life for nearly six months. Sen. Dennis Neary, DMichigan City, and four House legislators are sponsoring bills that would allow a mayor who is absent, ill or injured to “designate a member of the city legislative body as acting executive, with all the powers of the office” for a maximum of 15 days within a 60-day period. Under the bill, when the mayor is incapacitated and unable to designate an acting mayor, the president or president pro tern of the city’s legislative body would become acting executive. If a Republican city council chairman filled in for a

Police arrest suspect

in Indianapolis heist

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis police have arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with last week’s robbery of a Brink’s Inc. armored car. Daniel M. Resnover was arrested early Sunday at his home, Indianapolis police say. He is the brother of two men convicted of killing a Brink’s security guard during a 1980 robbery. Resnover was charged with committing robbery with injury. He is being held on $250,000 bond. Police say they are seeking two other men. Last Monday, robbers grabbed a Brink’s guard as she walked out of a supermarket with a bag of money. One bandit

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John C. Render, an attorney and lobbyist for the association. He said the bill would force hospitals to obtain information for reports they don’t normally compile, and that would drive up accounting costs. However, Rep. Walter J. Roorda, R-DeMotte, who is sponsoring House Bill 1001, said much of the information already is listed on annual Medicare reports. “If you and I are paying the bills, then we ought to be able to look at the accounting,” Roorda

Democratic mayor, or a Democratic city council chairman filled in for a Republican mayor, “that could cause some political problems.” Neary said. Neary is considering amending the measure to allow deputy mayors or city controllers to be interim mayors, in addition to council members. A hearing on Neary’s bill is scheduled Tuesday in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Ernest Niemeyer, R-Lowell, whom Neary expects to cosponsor the measure.

handcuffed the woman to the back of the Brink’s truck and another pointed a shotgun at the driver as the third climbed into the rear of the truck. They then fled with an undetermined amount of cash. Police say an informant’s tip led to the arrest. Resnover is also being held on a 1982 Michigan City warrant, charing him with armed robbery and contempt of court. Police found a .38 caliber gun and $5,120 at the residence where they arrested Resnover. Resnover is the older brother of Gregory D. and Earl I. Resnover, who were found guilty in the shooting death of a Brink’s guard in August, 1980.

was too soon to tell if the program was in trouble. They added that if more funds were needed, the regular legislative session was a more appropriate place to help out. Rep. James Jontz, D-Brookston, said he wants to revive the idea, with either a $lO million or sls million state allocation. This year, Indiana received $51.8 jnillion in federal funds for the program, up from $49 million last year, said Jean Merritt, executive director of the Indiana Department on Aging and Community Services that administers the program. Eligible households are entitled to up to $225 in credit on their winter heating bills about as 6 increase from last year’s amount, Ms. Merritt said. The average credit is about $206. "We could serve a greater number of households if we reduced the amount. The benefits are just as low as we think they should go,” she said. “Two-hundred-twenty-five dollars is not going to go nearly as

said, adding that revealing financial information would generate “peer pressure" in the hospital industry to keep costs down. If the bill became law, hospitals would be required to report income and expenses from the previous year, schedules of fees and charges, planned capital expenditures, assets and liabilities and the range of services offered. That information would be sent to the State Board of Health, which would verify it

state

Reps. Anita Bowser, DMichigan City; G. Edward Cook, D-Plvmouth; Jerome J. Reppa, R-Munster; and Robert L. Price, D-Elkhart, are the House sponsors of an identical bill. “There is no law calling for who is to take over in the absence of a mayor,” unless the city of Indianapolis is involved, Neary said. The House and Senate bills apply to cities with populations between 35,000 and 249,999. “If the mayor’s ill or gone or even injured, there should be some procedure somewhere,”

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and make it available for public inspection. Hospital costs per patient day in Indiana increased 15 percent between 1980 and 1981, records show. Hospital officials attribute that to inflation, costly equipment and an aging population that requires extensive care. However, business and insurance industries say there are other factors that raise the costs unnecessary building projects and overuse of hospital services, which they say is

Neary said. Neary and Ms. Bowser say the measure was prompted by the shooting of Rumely, 71, and his wife, Frances, last May. Frances Rumely died in the Memorial Day attack Rumely died on Thanksgiving Day of complications from gunshot wounds. Harold Lang, a disgruntled city worker who had been fired, had pleaded innocent by reason of insanity but changed the plea to guilty but mentally ill. He was sentenced to serve 110 years in prison.

far as it did last year,” Jontz said, pointing out that gas costs alone for some households have increased an average of 40 percent in the last year. Ms. Merritt said 123,313 eligible Hoosiers applied between Oct. 25 and Jan. 6, compared with about 119,000 applications for Project SAFE help last year. “That indicates to us there is a much greater need out there,” she said, explaining unemployment is part of the reason for the increase. “Right now we are in fairly good shape. We have the money because we have budgeted for 158,000 households.” Historically, when temperatures plunge, applications rise. “Obviously it’s not cold yet. We know that when it gets colder our number of applications will increase drastically,” Ms. Merritt said. “The fact that we’ve gone so far over over what we had last year there are some real conclusions you can draw.” Jontz said, “The fact that it’s still mild on Jan. 6 does not mean we won’t get a cold streak next weekend.”

promoted by the insurance system. Health care experts say nearly universal insurance protection for hospital care insulates consumers from its true costs, but those costs eventually are felt by higher insurance premiums. Steven C. Sobat, spokesman for U.S. Steel's Indiana operations, says institutions relying heavily on public largesse owe the public some accountability.

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January 10,1983, The Putnam County Banner-Graphic

Jontz said there is bi-partisan support to increase funding during the 1983 General Assembly. The state is “looking at whether there’s enough money there,” Orr said last week. “I most certainly want to make sure we have an adequate amount of help and assistance on something of that kind.” Indiana residents are eligible if they live in one-person households with an annual income that doesn’t exceed $5,580, two-person households earning less than $7,775, three-person households earning less than $9,700 and four-person households earning less than $11,625. Ms. Merritt said when applications reached the limit other funds could be diverted, such as $7 million for weather needs, portions of a $1.5 million contingency fund and about $1.9 million in carryover funds from last year. “If we had to, we have about a $9 million edge, making < a total of) about S6O million available,” she said.

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