Roemer Visits Local Business
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer visited Kimble Glass in Warsaw Wednesday during a "business focus" day.
Roemer and his special assistant, Michelle Boxell, toured various businesses in Indiana to see how things are running and to give his input.
Roemer discussed with Kimble's management staff possible abuse of the Family Medical Leave Act and what can be done about it, his position on the Education and Intelligence committees and taxes.
Quality Systems Manager Rick Heckaman addressed the problem of employees taking advantage of FMLA. Employees can take off work and feign illness. It isn't just employees, either, he said. Doctors can be in violation of this law, too, when they excuse an employee from work with no reasonable cause.
Heckaman acknowledged that the law was made with good intentions. However, he said, he wants to find out what could be done legally to prevent this problem and whether abuse of FMLA is actually a crime.
Roemer said that it is difficult for an employer to say someone is completely breaking the law.
"I'm not sure that I recall exactly what you are allowed to do if a doctor violates the law or an employee violates the law - what you can issue as a penalty other than not accepting the leave," Roemer said.
Roemer said employers will need to review the policy and look into what more can be done about the abuse. He planned to ask other companies whether they had problems with abuse of FMLA, too.
Roemer said he serves on two committees: the Education Committee, which he has been on for 10 years, and the Intelligence Committee.
The Education Committee is to improve public education systems. Roemer said the chief concerns are no longer balancing the budget or welfare reform. There is a budget surplus and 50 percent of people in this state are off welfare and working and paying taxes.
"Now it's education," Roemer said of the chief concern. "How do we try to make public education systems better and more responsible and accountable so that Kimble Glass and other employers can have more employees to pick from?"
Roemer stressed the importance of improving education with ideas such as charter schools, alternative schools, boosting student performance, and bringing teachers in with experience in math and science and good teaching skills in technology.
"We're trying to find more ways to get people certified to teach those areas (math and science) and we're working on those skills," said Roemer.
Roemer proposed that report cards be made public for the parents so they can monitor their children's progress in comparison to students at other schools.
"I would even advocate testing the teachers," said Roemer. "We need the best people for teachers."
About Indiana's schools, he said, "They're good - they need to be great."
The Intelligence Committee works on national security issues to keep drugs, weapons and terrorism out of the United States, according to Roemer.
He said his other concerns are tax cuts, eliminating the marriage and death tax penalties and retiring the debt.
Roemer also expressed his views on the marriage tax penalty. He said he thinks it's "ridiculous" for married couples to pay $1,400 back to the state. "I think it should go back in your pocket for you to decide what to do with it," Roemer said.
After the meeting, Heckaman gave Roemer a tour of the factory. [[In-content Ad]]
U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer visited Kimble Glass in Warsaw Wednesday during a "business focus" day.
Roemer and his special assistant, Michelle Boxell, toured various businesses in Indiana to see how things are running and to give his input.
Roemer discussed with Kimble's management staff possible abuse of the Family Medical Leave Act and what can be done about it, his position on the Education and Intelligence committees and taxes.
Quality Systems Manager Rick Heckaman addressed the problem of employees taking advantage of FMLA. Employees can take off work and feign illness. It isn't just employees, either, he said. Doctors can be in violation of this law, too, when they excuse an employee from work with no reasonable cause.
Heckaman acknowledged that the law was made with good intentions. However, he said, he wants to find out what could be done legally to prevent this problem and whether abuse of FMLA is actually a crime.
Roemer said that it is difficult for an employer to say someone is completely breaking the law.
"I'm not sure that I recall exactly what you are allowed to do if a doctor violates the law or an employee violates the law - what you can issue as a penalty other than not accepting the leave," Roemer said.
Roemer said employers will need to review the policy and look into what more can be done about the abuse. He planned to ask other companies whether they had problems with abuse of FMLA, too.
Roemer said he serves on two committees: the Education Committee, which he has been on for 10 years, and the Intelligence Committee.
The Education Committee is to improve public education systems. Roemer said the chief concerns are no longer balancing the budget or welfare reform. There is a budget surplus and 50 percent of people in this state are off welfare and working and paying taxes.
"Now it's education," Roemer said of the chief concern. "How do we try to make public education systems better and more responsible and accountable so that Kimble Glass and other employers can have more employees to pick from?"
Roemer stressed the importance of improving education with ideas such as charter schools, alternative schools, boosting student performance, and bringing teachers in with experience in math and science and good teaching skills in technology.
"We're trying to find more ways to get people certified to teach those areas (math and science) and we're working on those skills," said Roemer.
Roemer proposed that report cards be made public for the parents so they can monitor their children's progress in comparison to students at other schools.
"I would even advocate testing the teachers," said Roemer. "We need the best people for teachers."
About Indiana's schools, he said, "They're good - they need to be great."
The Intelligence Committee works on national security issues to keep drugs, weapons and terrorism out of the United States, according to Roemer.
He said his other concerns are tax cuts, eliminating the marriage and death tax penalties and retiring the debt.
Roemer also expressed his views on the marriage tax penalty. He said he thinks it's "ridiculous" for married couples to pay $1,400 back to the state. "I think it should go back in your pocket for you to decide what to do with it," Roemer said.
After the meeting, Heckaman gave Roemer a tour of the factory. [[In-content Ad]]