With summer in full swing and people traveling to summer destinations, citizens are reminded to take extra caution as it relates to small children and hot cars.

Tragically each year, particularly during the summer months, there are reports of child deaths as a result of being left in hot cars. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures of 131 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit when outside temperatures are 80 to 100 degrees.

Even outside temperatures in the 60’s can cause internal car temperatures to rise well above 110. Even with the window rolled down two inches, the interior temperature of the car can rise to well over 100 degrees in as little as 15 minutes.

According to a report by Jan Null, CCM of the Department of Earth & Climate Sciences, San Francisco State University, as of June 25, 2014, 13 children in the U.S. have died this year as a result of heatstroke after being left in a hot car and a total of 44 children died in 2013. From 1998 to the present, 619 children have died as a result of heatstroke after being left in cars or an average of 38 per year. 

These unfortunate tragedies can be easily avoided by following these tips: 

•NEVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED IN A VEHICLE. NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE ! 

•IF YOU SEE A CHILD UNATTENDED IN A HOT VEHICLE CALL 9-1-1. 

•Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading. Don’t overlook sleeping babies. 

•Always lock your car and ensure children do not have access to keys or remote entry devices. IF A CHILD IS MISSING, ALWAYS CHECK THE POOL FIRST, AND THEN THE CAR, INCLUDING THE TRUNK. Teach your children that vehicles are never to be used as a play area. 

•Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat and when the child is put in the seat place the animal in the front with the driver. 

•Or place your purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car. 

•Make “look before you leave” a routine whenever you get out of the car. 

•Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up for school.

For full details, view this message on the web.

During the summer and fall, State Sen. Brent Steele (R-Bedford) will serve as vice-chair of the Interim Study Committee on Courts and the Judiciary.

“One important issue the committee will study this year is digital privacy,” Steele said. “Modern technology poses new threats to our privacy, which is why the General Assembly passed new protections for Hoosiers this year. The committee’s work over the next few months will further examine data collection methods by law enforcement and other organizations to make sure our privacy rights are upheld.”

Steele was also appointed to the following summer study committees, commissions and councils:

• Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code
• Military Base Planning Council
• Orange County Development Advisory Board
• Indiana Public Defender Commission

When Indiana’s part-time legislature is not in session, lawmakers are assigned to interim study committees that meet to review the state’s top issues, as identified by the General Assembly during the prior legislative session.

Study committee topics are assigned by the bipartisan Legislative Council, comprised of 16 voting members — eight from the House of Representatives and eight from the Senate. Steele is also a member of the Legislative Council.

To view interim committee agendas and stream hearings online, visit iga.in.gov and click on “Interim Committees.”

U.S. District Judge Richard Young is now one of 20 federal and state judges who have ruled state gay marriage bans unconstitutional and gay couples are lining up around the Hoosier state to tie the knot. The decision came after a judge ordered Indiana in April to respect the marriage of a terminally ill woman and her partner, who are parents to two daughters.

Indiana Senate President,  Pro Tempore David Long had this to say:

“Today’s ruling by  Southern Indiana Federal Judge Young reflects the recent national trend of same-sex marriage advocates seeking to use the federal courts to overturn state laws that recognize traditional marriage,” said Indiana Senator Long.  

“In a growing number of rulings in multiple states, federal judges have overturned either state constitutions or state laws similar to Indiana’s law that holds that marriage is only recognized as between a man and a woman.

“It is clear that the U.S. Supreme Court is going to have to rule on this issue, and the sooner the better. The current chaos over state marriage laws that is being created by these lower federal court rulings needs to stop, and only the Supreme Court can make that happen, and bring clarity to this issue once and for all. Either the U.S. Constitution protects traditional marriage or it doesn’t.  If it does, it is likely that the Court will leave the decision on traditional marriage to each state to decide for itself. Being a strong proponent of states’ rights, I believe this would be the proper ruling. Only time will tell if the Supreme Court agrees.

“In the meantime, I hope that state law in Indiana and elsewhere will be respected by the federal court system by granting a stay to Judge Young’s ruling until the Supreme Court takes up this case and all the others like it around the country.”