Lawmakers revival of daylight-time bill \nINDIANAPOLIS -- Lawmakers are considering a couple of bills as potential new homes for legislation that would mandate statewide observance of daylight-saving time.\nA daylight-time bill died nearly four weeks ago when it failed to receive a vote in the full House before a key procedural deadline.\nProponents, including Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, have since sought ways of reviving provisions of the bill. The latest strategy is to strip a live bill of its contents and insert the daylight-saving time language.\nThe original bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Jerry Torr of Carmel, said Monday that proponents are considering bills dealing with evidence of health care coverage and speed limits as new homes. He said the move could be made Wednesday in the House Public Policy Committee.\nTorr noted that if provisions are stripped out of one of those bills, they could potentially be revived in other legislation.\nEven if the move is successful and is endorsed by the committee, a vote on daylight-saving time by the full House could be close. Numerous efforts to impose the clock change twice a year in all of Indiana have failed at least 24 times in the past three decades.
House minority leader returns to floor\nINDIANAPOLIS -- House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, a fiery, South Bend Democrat who missed nearly four weeks in the Legislature because of illness and surgery, returned Monday to lead his caucus into the final weeks of what often has been a contentious session.\n"I'm ready to go," said Bauer, a 35-year veteran lawmaker known for his party loyalty, political dealmaking and domineering style.\nBauer became ill on March 3, the day after he kept minority Democrats off the House floor all day and night in protest of legislation and actions they felt were partisan power grabs by ruling Republicans. The move prevented action on 132 bills, many of which died because they did not pass by the deadline to clear their house of origin.\nRepublicans have since revived a number of other bills and agreed to some changes Democrats wanted in at least one piece of legislation. That bill would allow the governor's inspector general to prosecute government crimes, if a Court of Appeals judge agreed. Under a concession Democrats won, the appeals judge could opt to appoint a county prosecutor to pursue some of those cases.\nBauer's illness, a colon ailment called diverticulosis, led to internal bleeding and required two hospital stays and surgery. Members of both parties cheered as he walked onto the House floor Monday.\nBauer told reporters House Democrats were ready to work with Republicans as the session heads toward an April 29 deadline for adjournment.\nHe did not rule out future walkouts, however, saying only, "I do believe the minority has to assert itself." Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the House, but 67 members must be on the floor to conduct business.
