Week in Review at the Indiana General Assembly
from State Senator Sue Errington, D-Muncie
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - This week marked the deadline for standing committees to consider bills still moving through the legislative process. Lawmakers face additional major deadlines next week when they must conclude floor hearings on bills that have already been approved by one chamber. Following next week's action, the legislature will move into the conference committee phase. Members from both houses and both political parties will be appointed to joint House-Senate conference committees to negotiate compromises on bills that have passed both chambers, but with different provisions. The General Assembly has until March 14 to conclude business. The following brief summary highlights action taken by the State Senate this week.
Update on property tax relief bill
Legislators have now considered three different versions of the comprehensive property tax reform legislation, House Bill 1001. As first introduced, the bill included the governor's tax relief package. The House of Representatives approved a modified version of the bill and it proceeded to the Senate for its consideration. After several weeks of study, the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee heavily amended the legislation this week. As reported in committee, the bill includes property tax relief for homeowners statewide on their 2007 property tax bills of about 27 percent by 2010.
Provisions of the bill which have not changed include:
- Caps on homeowner’s property tax bills at one percent of a home’s assessed value, a two percent cap for rental properties, and a three percent cap for businesses.
- Voter referendums on major local government and school building projects.
- An increase in the state sales tax from 6 to 7 percent.
Although the bill passed 9-0, Senate Democrat members expressed serious concerns that they intend to work on as the bill continues to move through the process. A few of these include:
· The sales tax increases coupled with counties being forced to impose increases in local option income taxes would hit low to moderate-income families harder than those with higher incomes.
· Stripped from the bill was an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 9%, and a $2,500 increase in the renter's deduction was reduced to only $500. Senate Democrats believe that these increases, as passed by the House, are necessary to help mitigate the negative impact of the sales tax increase on lower-income households.
· Earlier this session, Senate Democrats raised concerns about the impact on school corporations statewide from the proposed circuit breakers. Although the most recent version now includes $50 million each year for schools, concerns continue that it will not be enough to cover shortfalls estimated to be as much as $138 million statewide in 2010.
The bill now proceeds to the full Senate for action next week. Upon Senate passage, the bill will head to a joint House-Senate conference committee for further action.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation which includes rent-to-own protective measures. House Bill 1061 would expand existing landlord-tenant laws to cover special arrangements known as "contract sales" or rent-to-own agreements. Committee testimony indicated that families can be at risk in rent-to-own agreements when the property owner fails to maintain the safety and health standards in the home during the rental period. This bill would provide protections under landlord-tenant laws from landlord neglect in rental homes regardless of an intent to purchase the home.
Senate floor action
The Senate approved House Bill 1112 this week which calls for the creation of an interim committee to study the state's specific requirements for learner's permits and graduated driver's licenses, such as the minimum age at which these licenses can be issued and the requirements for practice driving before they can be issued. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the leading cause of death among teenagers is car accidents. Inexperienced driving is the reason for most teenage crashes with nearly half of teenage deaths occurring when there is another teen in the car.
Another approved measure, House Bill 1193, would establish an interim committee to examine adult education programs and explore ways to develop permanent funding sources for these programs.
House Bill 1067 gained unanimous approval and would require the governor to issue a proclamation, not more than 24 hours after receiving notice that an Indiana resident who is a member of the armed forces or the Indiana National Guard has died in action or as a result of wounds received in action, ordering that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff on state property on the day of the funeral or memorial.
The Senate made no changes to these House initiatives, so the bills now head to the governor for final consideration.
Governor signs bill into law
Governor Daniels signed this session's first bill into law this week. The Great Lakes Compact, contained in Senate Enrolled Act 45, will bring Indiana into the forefront of a movement to protect the Great Lakes, particularly against water diversions from the lakes. The Great Lakes Compact is an interstate agreement with all states that border the Great Lakes including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Upcoming deadlines
February 26 - 2nd Reading deadline
February 27 - 3rd Reading deadline
February 28 - Conference committees begin
March 14 - Session must conclude by this date
To stay informed about legislation moving through the Indiana General Assembly, log on to www.in.gov/legislative/. From this site, you can research bills, review committee calendars and legislative floor calendars, view full bill texts and watch Senate and House sessions as well as some committee hearings which are broadcast live.
In addition, citizens can stay informed on bills scheduled for action in the House and Senate chambers through a free on line program available at www.BillWatch.in.gov/. This program allows you to track up to ten bills. Email notifications are sent once per day if action is taken on tracked bills and/or resolutions. If no action is taken, e-mail notifications will not be sent.
Feel free to contact me with your comments and concerns regarding pending legislation or other matters pertaining to state government. To reach me:
- send correspondence to: Statehouse, 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
- call toll-free 1-800-382-9467
- send emails to www.S26@iga.in.gov or visit my web site at www.in.gov/S26
Source: Senate Democrats Press Release
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