Post by Logan on Feb 8, 2016 4:26:50 GMT -6
While the most contentious issue is effectively dead, plenty of others remain unresolved at the midpoint of the 2016 legislative session.
The effort to protect gay Hoosiers from discrimination failed, but lawmakers are still working on proposals to boost road funding, ditch the state’s ISTEP student assessment test and crack down on meth labs before finishing their work in mid-March.
Here are where some key issues stand:
Highway funding
The Senate and House have passed competing proposals to fund Indiana’s roads and bridges. Taking its cue from Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican-led Senate plan would add about $1 billion over four years through a combination of dipping into state reserves, borrowing money and setting aside additional money in future budgets. It’s a short-term solution, but it avoids tax increases in a year when Pence and many senators are facing potentially tough re-election bids.
Across the hallway, the Republican-controlled House wants to increase gas and cigarette taxes to add about $500 million a year, while also gradually cutting personal income taxes. Anti-tax groups have slammed the plan, and Pence has said taxes don’t need to be raised, but House Speaker Brian Bosma has argued it would provide a sustainable, long-term funding solution. Expect the rhetoric to heat up as each chamber takes up the other’s proposal in the coming weeks.
Read more: www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/07/halftime-legislature-where-key-bills-stand/79875334/
The effort to protect gay Hoosiers from discrimination failed, but lawmakers are still working on proposals to boost road funding, ditch the state’s ISTEP student assessment test and crack down on meth labs before finishing their work in mid-March.
Here are where some key issues stand:
Highway funding
The Senate and House have passed competing proposals to fund Indiana’s roads and bridges. Taking its cue from Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican-led Senate plan would add about $1 billion over four years through a combination of dipping into state reserves, borrowing money and setting aside additional money in future budgets. It’s a short-term solution, but it avoids tax increases in a year when Pence and many senators are facing potentially tough re-election bids.
Across the hallway, the Republican-controlled House wants to increase gas and cigarette taxes to add about $500 million a year, while also gradually cutting personal income taxes. Anti-tax groups have slammed the plan, and Pence has said taxes don’t need to be raised, but House Speaker Brian Bosma has argued it would provide a sustainable, long-term funding solution. Expect the rhetoric to heat up as each chamber takes up the other’s proposal in the coming weeks.
Read more: www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/07/halftime-legislature-where-key-bills-stand/79875334/