Indiana chamber wants state to increase the smoking age, require computer science course

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce wants the state to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21, the group announced Monday as part of its legislative agenda. 

The proposal is part of the chamber's plan to decrease the state's smoking rate. The chamber also wants employers to be able to screen out potential hires for tobacco use, eliminating what the group calls a "special privilege." That would mean employers could choose not to hire a smoker.

The chamber announced its initiatives in advance of Tuesday's ceremonial organizational day for the Indiana General Assembly, which will get down to business for its annual session in January.

The chamber says smoking causes nearly $3 billion in healthcare costs and an additional $3.1 billion in productivity losses annually in Indiana. Nationally, 15 percent of people smoke compared to 23 percent of Hoosiers. 

Five other states require its citizens to be 21 to purchase cigarettes, according to data from the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation. 

Sen. Brandt Hershman, Indiana Senate majority floor leader and one of the panelists during the chamber's annual legislative preview, said it was "worthy of discussion" but worried about the balance of discouraging bad behaviors and becoming overbearing.

"There is not a reason we shouldn’t be able to debate this, but I just look at government intrusion with a little bit of a cautious eye," Hershman said.

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Last legislative session, the House proposed increasing the cigarette tax in order to raise money. Health advocates saw it as a way to discourage smoking. The initiative failed to gain momentum, however, because budget architects worried about relying on a diminishing source for funding.

Education issues will continue to be a top priority for the business community in 2018, as Indiana still struggles to find enough skilled workers to meet demand. 

If the state wants to remake itself in the image of a leader in high-tech jobs, it needs to do a better at training its young people to fill those jobs, the chamber says. 

To that end, one of the chamber’s top legislative priorities for 2018 will be making computer science a high school graduation requirement. It falls in line with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s priorities, unveiled earlier this month, to require that all schools offer computer science. 

Legislative leaders said they support the initiative. House Speaker Brian Bosma said it's "past time" the state require students to take computer science.

Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, said he supports the measure as long as it doesn't become an "unfunded mandate" forced onto schools. 

"I think it’s a smart move, but I think the state has to provide the resources to allow local school corporations to engage in that type of curriculum," he said. 

The state offers 12 different computer science courses, currently, but most students don't take them. Of the more than 70,000 students who graduated in 2016, fewer than 3,000 students took a computer science course in their academic career. 

The chamber previously pushed for a computer science requirement during efforts to remake the state’s high school diploma standards.

Graduation standards are likely to be a hot topic again this year, as the state works to align itself with new federal rule that would sink the state’s graduation rate. Lawmakers are likely to adjust the state's diploma offerings, condensing its four diplomas down to just one with additional certificates. 

Caryl Auslander, the chamber’s vice president for education and workforce development, said the chamber will work to make its members heard during those discussions. 

"We’re hearing from employers there's an increased skills need in computer science," Auslander said. 

During Monday's luncheon, the chamber also called for reducing the number of townships, clarifying software is a service for tax purposes and creating a statewide water policy.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at (317) 432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.

Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.