Indiana News Update

House votes to rein in charity casinos
The Indiana House voted 89-8 Tuesday evening to pass legislation that includes a provision to put out of business a legal charitable casino in Fort Wayne.  There was no discussion on that provision of House Bill 1286, which now moves to the Senate.  The Parnell Poker Palace, 4608 Parnell Ave., is sponsored by White’s School of the Arts, a decades-old organization run by Ralph White that has 24-hour day care, with numerous educational programs, for about 90 children.

Township remake goes on to House

Indiana township government would slim down under a bill passed narrowly by the Indiana Senate on Tuesday.  The 28-22 vote keeps alive an effort by Gov. Mitch Daniels and supporters to eliminate township government all together. Several other government restructuring bills have also passed in various forms.  Daniels congratulated Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne , and the Senate, “for a strong and courageous performance in reforming local government and protecting taxpayers. We’ve seen breakthroughs on townships, county government, libraries and elections, all of which will reduce confusion, waste, nepotism and conflicts of interest all across our state.”

Senate passes immigration reform bill
Indiana businesses that repeatedly knowingly hire illegal immigrants would face one of the toughest penalties in the nation under legislation the Indiana Senate passed Tuesday night.  Senate Bill 580 would suspend state business licenses of employers who, on three separate occasions, knowingly hire undocumented workers. The legislation would require all Indiana employers to use E-Verify, a federal electronic system, to confirm their employees are, in fact, legal workers.   The Republican-controlled Senate voted 37-13 to pass the bill.  “This issue is not about the value of a human being. All human beings have value,” said Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, a co-author of the bill. “This is about national sovereignty and the rule of law.”

Students Prepare to Lobby Legislature
Several students from the University of Evansville will get firsthand experience with the Indiana legislature this week, as they travel to Indianapolis to lobby on behalf of private higher education. A total of 15 UE students will be among 250 students from private colleges and universities across the state visiting the legislature on Tuesday. All of the students will be on hand to show legislators how they are being affected by the weak economy – and to stress the need for continued support of funding from the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Major Moves constitutional amendment passes
The state Senate has advanced a proposed constitutional amendment whose supporters said would prevent the state from draining one of the Major Moves trust funds.  The proposed amendment to the state constitution, Senate Joint Resolution 2, passed the Republican-controlled state Senate this afternoon, on a largely party-line vote of 34-15.  The amendment by Senate Republicans is in response to the state-level stimulus bill that House Democrats advanced earlier this session. That bill, House Bill 1656, would tap $500 million of the $550 million Next

General Assembly faces full docket
Big decisions are ahead this week for the Indiana General Assembly as lawmakers plow through dozens of proposals dealing with health, business and taxes.  Indiana House members are facing deadlines to pass bills and send them to the state Senate, while senators are under a similar rush to finish bills and send them to the House. Last week the Democratic-controlled House passed a one-year, $14.5 billion state budget bill that restored many of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ proposed funding cuts; now it goes to the Republican-controlled Senate.

Area legislators push three bills moving through statehouse.

State lawmakers met with some 130 pro-life activists Saturday, pleading for a groundswell of support to push bills that place restrictions on abortion through state and local government.  With the Freedom of Choice Act running through the federal level, which would allow for a fundamental right to abortion, a more localized effort is paramount for the group’s cause.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Dems OK spending $200 million from Indiana reserves

Democrats who control the Indiana House moved forward Tuesday on their version of a one-year budget plan that includes some key differences from a proposal recommended by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels.  The plan was approved by the Ways and Means Committee on a 14-9 party-line vote and now moves to the full House, where passage is expected because Democrats control the chamber 52-48. Republicans who rule the Senate 33-17 will pass their own version of a budget, setting the stage for later compromise.

One voting change OK, the other isn’t
There are two pieces of legislation in the Indiana Senate that could fundamentally alter elections in the Hoosier state. One would allow online voter registration beginning in June 2010; the other urges the Legislative Council to form the Indiana Presidential Primary Study Committee, which would be established through July 1, 2014. Not your average summer study committee.  On the face of it, online voter registration is positive. The Secretary of State’s Office, county voter registration offices and the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles would be able to process registrations online.

Senate sets shuffle in motion
Indiana lawmakers acted on several high-profile bills Tuesday, voting to pass a workplace smoking ban and allow counties to reorganize their government offices.  House Democrats also pushed forward a plan to restore funding to programs cut under the governor’s proposed budget.  

Consolidation vote concerns superintendents

An Indiana Senate committee is prepared to vote today on a bill that would eventually require most state school districts with student populations of under 1,000 to consolidate administrations.  But local district superintendents first wish to summarize their justifications for disputing the legislation’s feasibility.  Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed Senate Bill 521, which must navigate through the committee, the Senate and the House of Representatives before its official passage.

House OKs limited workplace smoking ban

A watered-down version of a statewide smoking ban passed the Indiana House on Tuesday, but its proponents vowed to pressure lawmakers in the Senate to strengthen the bill.  As introduced, House Bill 1213 would have banned smoking in all workplaces across the state, but the version that passed the House includes exemptions for bars, casinos, horse tracks and off-track betting parlors.

Daniels, Kernan pitch government reform
The push to reform county government in Indiana started in Kokomo with a visit by Gov. Mitch Daniels and former Gov. Joe Kernan.  They argued the state system is antiquated and must be changed.  More than 200 people attended a meeting Tuesday at Pastariffic during which Daniels and Kernan answered questions on the proposal sponsored by MySmartGov.org.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Resistance stalls jobless insure vote
The first attempt to fix the state’s broken unemployment insurance system fell flat Monday when Republicans criticized the proposal as inadequate and the Democratic author withdrew the bill before a final House vote.  “I’m not sure how we can pass out an increase on employers that doesn’t make some sort of significant attempt to solve a problem,” said Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington. “This is like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teacup.”

Senate passes election provisions
The Indiana Senate on Monday approved the first of several local government restructuring bills being considered this session – this one affecting election provisions. Senate Bill 452 passed 32-18, with all of northeast Indiana’s senators in support.

Indiana Senate Approves Net Metering Requirement for Electric Utilities
The State Senate unanimously approved legislation today that will require private electric utilities to buy back surplus electricity from customers who produce energy through their own small-scale systems. Under Senate Bill 300, utilities would be required to offer net metering to certain customers that generate electricity from renewable energy resources. State Senator Sue Errington (D-Muncie), an author of the bill, says the measure will encourage consumers to become renewable energy producers and is a policy that will help Indiana move into the new economy.

Another season of bills
It remains to be seen whether bill proposals in the Indiana General Assembly that seek to give the state a role in immigration enforcement will become law this year.  The bills are not unlike past proposals and address only the enforcement side of the illegal immigration problem, ignoring the question of whether some undocumented immigrants already here should be allowed to apply for legal status. As in previous years, they are being criticized by some for their shortsightedness.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Legislators focus on more than just economy
Indiana lawmakers came into this legislative session knowing that trying to boost the state’s sagging economy and drafting a new state budget in tight fiscal times would be the dominant issues.  That’s mostly been the case so far, and an expected influx of billions of federal dollars should enhance efforts by Gov. Mitch Daniels and lawmakers to create jobs. Making decisions on spending the money will mean more work for legislators and the Daniels administration, but as Daniels has put it, that’s a good problem to have.

Smoking, stimulus measures keep Legislature busy
An antismoking bill got filtered but was not snuffed out. Township trustees fought for their turf, while Republicans and Democrats each took credit for offering a state-level economic stimulus.  Last week at the Indiana General Assembly was marked by serious public policy discussions as well as political theatrics, but it could be eclipsed by the week ahead, as state lawmakers face approaching deadlines to vote bills out of committees.

Making the bad worse
An Indiana Senate panel has done something really difficult: giving Hoosiers a chance to make their county government structure even worse. The legislature is considering several bills that would change local government in several ways. And the Senate Local Government Committee last week took up one of the most important proposals: replacing the county commissioners with a single county executive and transferring legislative duties from the commissioners to the County Council.

Sam Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Putting federal funds to work
Road projects in Lawrence, Jackson and Monroe counties are among 30 that have been identified for possible funding through a federal stimulus package. The Indiana Department of Transportation reports the projects on the list would create jobs in 24 Hoosier counties. “Funding for these jobs,” an INDOT news release reads, “depends on approval of the Economic Recovery Act by Congress. One of the requirements of the proposed legislation is that projects to be shovel ready within at least 90 to 180 days, depending on which version of the act might be approved by Congress.”
 

Illegal Immigration
Should the Indiana Legislature adopt a three-strikes illegal immigration law this session, a business would still have to be a flagrant violator to suffer significant consequences.  Under Senate Bill 580, slated for a hearing Wednesday, the state would punish a company that hires illegal immigrants by taking its license to operate in Indiana, but only after three violations within seven years. And the first violation would draw little more than a slap on the wrist. As the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, said, his legislation is not designed to punish law-abiding businesses. “You would have to be a pretty bad actor and very stupid to be punished by this bill.”

Arena funding receives backing
The House Local Government Committee voted 12-0 for Rep. Dennis Avery’s proposal, House Bill 1588, that would generate some funding for the arena. The bill moves to the full House for consideration. The arena, estimated to cost between $117 million and $127 million, would rely on various funding sources – a few of which require the Legislature’s approval.  Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, who as an ex-legislator was addressing his former colleagues, told the committee that the 52-year-old Roberts Stadium lacks the structural capacity to host large concerts and shows. Rather than sink tens of millions of dollars into renovating the stadium, the community has decided instead to build a larger arena Downtown, Weinzapfel told legislators from other parts of the state.

Abortion measures clear Senate
The Indiana Senate advanced two bills Tuesday that would increase regulations and requirements for doctors who perform abortions.  Senate Bill 89 would require a physician performing an abortion in Indiana to have admitting privileges at a hospital in the county where the abortion is performed or in an adjacent county.  Vanderburgh County Commissioners passed a similar ordinance regarding hospital admitting privileges last year, and Senate Bill 89 would extend such requirements statewide.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Governor named defendant in children’s home case
Officials fighting to keep the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home open want state officials to stop archiving items from the facility before its doors are closed.  A petition was filed in Rush County, where the home is located, for a preliminary injunction against the governor and state health department to keep them from removing property from the home.  In a news release issued by the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home Alumni Association, the group claimed that the Indiana State Museum recently visited the home and said it was planning to remove various historical artifacts including photographs and paintings.

Indiana Senate Democrats detail stimulus plan
Indiana Senate Democrats have announced a plan to spend $2 billion in state money and expected federal funds in hopes of stimulating the state’s economy.  Senate Democrats say their proposed spending would put jobless residents to work.  The money would include about $90 million from Indiana’s main checking account, with the rest coming from an economic recovery package moving through Congress. The federal money is based on a U.S. House version of a stimulus bill that would steer about $5 billion to Indiana.
 

Kernan-Shepard proposal approved for full Senate vote
A Senate committee on Monday advanced one of a series of local-government reform steps that Gov. Mitch Daniels is advocating.  Senate Bill 452 would bar police and firefighters from serving on the elected councils of the cities or towns that employ them, a move supporters say would eliminate conflicts of interest.  It’s one of the initiatives that sprang from the Kernan-Shepard Commission, which last year studied ways to restructure local government at the county, municipal and township levels.

Election reform bill advances to Senate vote
A broad election reform bill is headed for a vote in the state Senate.  The Senate Elections Committee voted 8-3 to pass the proposal, which includes several election recommendations from the 2007 Kernan-Shepard blue ribbon report on government reform.  Gov. Mitch Daniels supports the package, which would allow counties to install regional vote centers to replace the traditional precinct voting system.  It also moves the election of municipal officials to even-numbered years, and prohibits public employees such as police officers from holding elected office in the communities where they work.

Tax relief provides quickest way out

The recent news that Indiana’s unemployment rate had risen to 8.2 percent confirmed what Hoosiers already knew: Our economy is in recession and we are hurting. Working families, small businesses and family farms across Indiana have felt the devastating effects of these difficult times. Thousands have lost their jobs and thousands more worry that they’ll be next.  Congress and President Barack Obama must put politics aside and work together to stimulate our economy quickly and effectively.  President Obama has called for bipartisan compromise on the stimulus bill, and I take him at his word and commend him for his willingness to listen to all ideas.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

State stimulus vote looms

The Indiana House could vote as early as today on an economic stimulus plan that would pump $1 billion into road construction and university renovation to create work for jobless Hoosiers.  House Bill 1656 is eligible for a third-reading vote in the Indiana House today – the same day that President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Elkhart, Ind., to promote passage of his separate, federal economic-stimulus plan. Hard-hit by layoffs in the recreational-vehicle-manufacturing industry, Elkhart County had a December unemployment rate of 15.3 percent, well above the statewide average of 8.1 percent.

Local government
The initiative to reform local government in Indiana nudged forward last week with the Senate Local Government Committee voting 6-5 in favor of replacing the three county commissioners with a single county executive. The measure now goes to the full Indiana Senate.  Should it pass the legislature – a long-shot bet – each county would have to choose whether to have a single elected county executive and a more powerful county council, or have a seven-member county board of supervisors that would hire a county manager.

Smoking ban no simple issue
State Rep. Charlie Brown has a simple goal: ban smoking in enclosed public places in Indiana.  But Brown, a Democrat from Gary, knows getting his legislation through the General Assembly won’t be easy.  The bill has been characterized as one that pits life or death against dollars and cents. But it’s not nearly so black and white, and raises many questions and issues, from the factual to the philosophical.  Bills that lend themselves to multiple arguments are often the most difficult to navigate successfully into law.

Prison chief: Safety requires additional cells
After serving 12 years of a 20-year sentence for a slew of crimes, including robbery and kidnapping, Kelvin Fuller was moved in 2007 from his maximum-security cell to medium-security confines.  A couple of weeks later, Fuller escaped. He went on a five-day crime spree that included robbing a Fishers bank and attacking and robbing a female bus driver in Merrillville before he was captured in Montana.

Put teeth into open access laws
If there’s one thing government employees must understand, it’s the concept of “public servant.”  They are the public’s employees, because the government belongs to the people. It’s a simple concept, but it’s too often forgotten.  That became apparent recently during an Indiana Senate Local Government Committee hearing on Senate Bill 232.  SB 232, introduced by state Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield, would allow a judge to impose fines of up to $1,000 against officials or government agencies that blatantly refuse to comply with requests for public records or ignore the rules on making meetings open to the public.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Reforms not easy, but must be done
It was distressing to hear that Indiana will take in vastly less tax revenue this fiscal year than anticipated, the result of an economic downturn that is devastating businesses, individuals and governments’ ability to address citizens’ needs.  Gov. Mitch Daniels responded by ordering spending cuts through the rest of the fiscal year. Now the General Assembly must craft a budget that avoids serious harm to individuals and institutions.

A novel budget plan
As with the antiquated tradition of township government, Indiana lawmakers have clung to a two-year budget cycle with unquestioning confidence. This year, however, House Democratic leaders are rightly asking why – in the midst of tumultuous economic conditions – it’s necessary to lock in school spending through 2011.  That is a good question. The one-year education budget the House Ways and Means Committee approved Tuesday is a novel approach that gives lawmakers some flexibility in an economic climate that is changing daily. If ever there was a time to reject the “we’ve always done it this way” approach, this is it.

‘Buy American’ angle hits nerve
Indiana’s economy stands to get an extra jolt from the stimulus package because of a provision in the legislation that favors U.S. iron, steel and manufacturing.  Steel plants dot northern Indiana, and the state is a major source of manufactured goods.  The Obama administration estimates that the projects paid for through the stimulus package would add 79,000 jobs in Indiana over two years. But if those projects have to use U.S.-made products, a Gary-area congressman said, even more Hoosiers would be put to work.

State revenue $142M below projections last month
Revenue collections in January fell $142 million below projections, and Indiana could face an additional budget shortfall of $300 million to $400 million if things don’t improve by the end of the fiscal year.  State budget director Chris Ruhl said Gov. Mitch Daniels has directed the budget office to come up with more contingency measures to handle potential shortfalls. That could mean further reductions in state spending or renegotiating state contracts to find savings before the fiscal year ends in June.  But the Daniels administration doesn’t want to tap into the state’s reserves of about $1.3 billion. Daniels says the money could be needed later if the economy gets even worse.  “Despite the persistent downward pressure on state revenue collections, the goal remains the same – to finish state fiscal year 2009 with the state’s combined balances (rainy day funds and reserves) intact,” Ruhl wrote in a memo about the revenue report today.

State eases rules, giving Indiana school districts more latitude to set policy
The State Board of Education unanimously adopted a sweeping agenda of deregulation Wednesday that could change school for thousands of Indiana children.  By easing a host of state rules, the board gives school districts much greater freedom in the way they award high school credits, in the classes they offer and in how they set up curriculum.   New Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, who campaigned for the reforms while running for office, said they will “uncuff the hands of our very talented administrators and our very caring school boards.”

Cheatham champions replacement of bridge over to Milton, Kentucky
State Rep. Dave Cheatham (D-North Vernon) is co-authoring a legislative effort to expedite progress on replacing the outdated Madison-Milton Bridge.  Last week, the Indiana House Roads and Transportation Committee unanimously passed House Bill 1226, legislation that would establish a 14-member legislative commission to accelerate the construction of bridges that link Indiana with Kentucky over the Ohio River.  The Madison-Milton bridge project, Cheatham said, is in desperate need of swift and decisive action from the legislature. The existing bridge was built in 1929, and has a very limited time before becoming unsafe for motorists.

Indiana highway chief resigns
Just weeks after clashing with lawmakers over a local road funding proposal, state transportation Commissioner Karl Browning plans to resign.  Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels issued a statement Wednesday that Browning will exit for the private sector at the end of the month. Daniels has named Michael Reed, executive director of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, as the next Indiana Department of Transportation commissioner.  Browning displayed what House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, described as a “chip on his shoulder” during a Jan. 15 meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee.  Democrats irked the Republican administration by debuting legislation that, among other things, would have funded local road projects by gutting INDOT’s budget. Browning complained that the partisan ploy delayed him from attending the visitation for a highway worker killed in a fall.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy

Indiana News Update

Bill gives schools $180 million more in ‘10
Indiana schools would see a 2 percent increase in operating dollars under a one-year education spending bill passed 14-9 by the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday morning.  The panel amended the funding plan in House Bill 1723 and then passed the bill along party lines – with Democrats in support and Republicans against.  The legislation is an unusual approach to funding education in difficult economic times. Lawmakers traditionally pass one budget bill that covers a two-year period.

House backs plan to merge state auditor, treasurer offices
The Indiana House voted 69-27 Tuesday to combine the offices of state auditor and treasurer. House Joint Resolution 6 is a constitutional amendment and must be passed by separately elected legislatures. Then Hoosiers would vote on the matter in the 2011 election at the earliest.  The state auditor is charged with paying the state’s bills while the state treasurer invests public dollars.

Townships: as outdated as the horse and buggy
Our township form of government was born in 1852, when horses and wagons made their way down Washington Street.  Washington Street no longer has covered wagons traveling on it, but we still have the same form of local government.   We have more local government than 41 other states. You might think government closer to the people is good, but you and I pay for the 1,008 townships with more than 3,000 elected township officials to reach out and touch us. We pay taxes to nearly 2,600 units of government; the average household alone pays for four to five different units. By the way, ever met your township constable?

Statehouse news briefs
House passes body armor requirement bill . Local police departments would be required to equip all active duty officers with body armor under a measure that cleared the Indiana House 83-11 Tuesday.  House Bill 1331, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Linda Lawson, a retired Hammond cop, stipulates that officers cannot be forced to tap their $200 annual uniform allowances to help pay for the body armor. The measure also requires police departments to adhere to manufacturers’ recommended schedules for replacing the life-saving equipment.  “The cost of a vest is minimal compared to the life of an officer,” Lawson said.

Samuel R. Turpin – Indiana Public Policy