>> HERE'S WHAT'S MAKING NEWS AROUND INDIANA BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR INDIANA PACERS. ELKHART-BASED GREAT LAKES FOREST
PRODUCTS PLANS TO INVEST $7 MILLION AND LAUNCH A NEW SISTER COMPANY IN BRISTOL. GREAT LAKES LAMINATION COULD
EMPLOY 100 NEW WORKERS BY THE END OF 2022. THE NEW COMPANY IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN PRODUCING LAMINATED WOOD
PANELS FOR THE RV INDUSTRY THIS SUMMER. HOBART MAYOR BRIAN SNEDECOR THIS WEEK ANNOUNCED A $60 MILLION
EQUIPMENT ADDITION AND EXPANSION BY ICONIC CANDY COMPANY ALBANESE. OUR PARTNERS AT "THE TIMES OF
NORTHWEST INDIANA" REPORT THE CREATOR OF THE "WORLD'S BEST GUMMIES" IS LOOKING TO BUILD TWO NEW PRODUCTION LINES IN ITS
NORTHWEST INDIANA FACILITY AND HAVE ROOM FOR ADDITIONAL LINES. TWO-EE'S WINERY IN HUNTINGTON HAS BROKEN GROUND ON A
7,000-SQUARE-FOOT EXPANSION. THE NEW BUILDING IS SLATED TO BE COMPLETE BY THIS SUMMER AND WILL INCLUDE LARGER FACILITIES FOR
WINEMAKING AND A NEW PRIVATE EVENT SPACE. THE WINERY HOPES TO ADD WINE TOURS AND A NEW CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE. AS WELL. HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE
HOTTEST ISSUES OF THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THE INDIANA HOUSE THIS WEEK PASSED AN AMENDMENT INVOLVING
SPECIFIC HATE CRIMES PROTECTIONS, BUT SOME ARGUE IT'S NOT INCLUSIVE ENOUGH. A NEW TWO-YEAR STATE BUDGET IS
ALSO IN THE SPOTLIGHT...AND HERE WITH SOME PERSPECTIVE ON IT ALL IS INDIANA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT KEVIN BRINEGAR.
AS ALWAYS, KEVIN, WELCOME. >> GERRY, GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BIAS CRIMES, HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION.
THERE WERE -- THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT PUT IN THIS WEEK TO ADD PROTECTIONS BUT SOME SUGGEST IT DOESN'T GO FAR ENOUGH?
>> YEAH, AND IT'S NOT ALL THAT WE WOULD LIKE IN TERMS OF BEING SPECIFIC ON THE PROTECTED CATEGORIES, BUT IT DOES HAVE
SOME WHAT WE CALL GENERAL LANGUAGE THAT SAYS THE JUDGE CAN ENHANCE A SENTENCE FOR A HATE CRIME AGAINST ANYBODY BASED ON
THEIR CHARACTERISTIC, THEIR TRAIT, THEIR RELIGION, ET CETERA, AND IT'S BELIEVED THAT THAT WOULD -- BY THE AUTHORS AND
BY SPEAKER BOSMA THAT THAT WOULD COVER ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY. WE AND THE GOVERNOR WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LONGER ENUMERATED LIST
THAT WOULD INCLUDE AGE, GENDER AND GENDER IDENTITY, BUT IT APPEARS THAT WHAT WE HAVE IS AS FAR IN THAT DIRECTION AS THE
HOUSE COULD GO AND STILL PASS A BILL. IT NOW GOES TO THE SENATE, WHERE THE SENATE AUTHOR WILL HAVE TO
DECIDE DOES HE WANT TO TRY TO AMEND IT FURTHER AND TAKE TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE OR FILE A CONCURRENCE MOTION.
THE WORD IN THE HALLWAY IS THAT THEY'RE LIKELY TO FILE A CONCURRENCE MOTION AND PERHAPS VOTE ON THIS BILL AS EARLY AS
NEXT WEEK. >> KEEP AN EYE ON THAT. BIG NEWS IN THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT IN TERMS OF A NUMBER OF KIND OF
TAX-RELATED BILLS, DATA CENTER LEGISLATION, VC TAX KRED THAIT ARE MOVING ALONG. >> THERE'S A COUPLE REALLY GOOD
BILLS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEUR COMMUNITY. ONE IS A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW INCENTIVES FOR DATA CENTERS,
THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY SALES TAX ON THE EQUIPMENT AND THEY COULD GET A PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION WITH A CERTIFICATION
FROM IADC. THIS COULD BE A BIG BOONE FOR DATA CENTERS HERE IN INDIANA, AND THEN THE GOVERNOR'S ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT BILL MODERNIZES SEVERAL OF OUR EXISTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES AND WOULD MAKE THE VENTURE CAPITAL TAX
CREDIT TRANSFERABLE, WHICH MAKES IT MUCH MORE VALUABLE AND ALLOWS INDIANA STARTUPS TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT FROM OUT OF STATE
MUCH BETTER. >> A LOT OF INTEREST IN TEACHER PAY AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGET. WHERE DO THINGS STAND THERE?
>> WELL, THE SENATE IS NOW WORKING ON ITS AVERSION THE BUDGET, THE SENATE MAJORITY CAUCUS.
WE EXPECT TO SEE THAT REVEALED NEXT WEEK OR CERTAINLY THE WEEK AFTER, BECAUSE THAT WILL BE THE DEADLINE WEEK, AND THERE WILL BE
SOME CHANGES, THEY'LL PUT THEIR STAMP ON THAT. THE OTHER KEY VARIABLE IN THIS BUDGET EQUATION IS THE MID APRIL
REVENUE FORECAST UPDATE, WHETHER THAT GOES UP OR DOWN OR STAYS ABOUT THE SAME WILL IMPACT WHAT THEY PUT TOGETHER IN THE
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT. I DON'T EXPECT BIG CHANGES IN THE AREA OF TEACHER PAY BECAUSE FRANKLY THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE
MONEY TO PUT INTO THAT. I KNOW SENATOR MITCH NER IS TRYING TO FIND SOME SAVINGS IN DCS AND SOME OTHER PLACES THAT
COULD POSSIBLY PUT IN THERE, BUT I DON'T SEE BIG CHANGES RIGHT NOW. >> VERY QUICKLY, BACK ON THAT
DATA CENTER BILL, I HEARD SOME PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THE ABATEMENT AND HOW THE LENGTH OF ABATEMENTS THAT COULD HAPPEN,
BUT TO GET THOSE LENGTHY ABATEMENTS, COMPANIES COULD WOULD HAVE TO INVEST A PRETTY BIG NUMBER.
>> A MASSIVE NUMBER, I BELIEVE THE NUMBER IS $750 MILLION TO GET THAT VERY LENGTHY 50 YEAR ABATEMENT.
>> KEVIN BRINEGAR, AS ALWAYS GREAT PERSPECTIVE ON ACTIVITIES AT THE INDIANA STATEHOUSE, I'M