On Governor Daniels’ desk

Associated Press Update
INDIANAPOLIS — Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly closed some partisan divides on some major issues early Saturday morning and adjourned the 2010 legislative session two days before the deadline for leaving.

“All’s well that ends well,” Democratic House Speaker Patrick Bauer of South Bend said before gaveling out the House.

Negotiations on those issues between Democrats who control the House and Republicans who rule the Senate remained stalled for much of Friday, but deals were struck Friday night and were approved with bipartisan support by both chambers before 1 a.m. Saturday.

Now it’s up to Governor Mitch Daniels to decide which bills become laws.

Gay marriage

Like every year since 2004, the Senate approved measures to ban gay marriage in the state constitution and once again, the House did not take up the issue.

While same-sex marriage is illegal in Indiana under the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, supporters of the amendment said it doesn’t provide enough protection because it’s allowed to be challenged in court.

For the proposal to go into the constitution, it would have to pass both houses two consecutive years and then pass a statewide referendum. The only year it passed both houses was 2006.

Property taxes

A proposed property tax cap passed both houses and will now go to a statewide referendum in November for final approval by Hoosiers.

Under the proposal, homeowner’s tax will be capped at 1 percent of the property’s assessed value, 2 percent for farms and 3 percent for commercial businesses.

A study at Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research found that because of the cap, 97,000 jobs should be created and Indiana’s gross regional product should grow by 2.6 percent or $6.2 billion in three to five years.

Texting while driving

In early February the House voted 95-3 on a bill that imposed a possible $500 fine on anyone caught texting behind the wheel.

Despite that overwhelming support, the Senate never took a vote on the matter.
Now in the closing days of the session, an ad campaign by AT&T and support from Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller appears to have re-energized support for the proposal.

“Young drivers may already have a false sense of invulnerability,” Zoeller said in a statement. “Couple that with the fact that today’s young drivers are from a generation that has possessed cell phones longer than they have had driver’s licenses and you have a recipe for a multi-tasking disaster.”

Ethics reform

A truly bipartisan ethics reform bill that only received two nay votes across the entire assembly will certainly be one of the champion bills of this year’s session.

Under the bill, lawmakers must report any gift greater than $50 and are required to wait one year after leaving office to register as a lobbyist. This bill also prevents lobbyists from paying for out-of-state trips for legislators.

“It is my hope that this will help end the revolving door from the House and Senate chambers into the hallway,” said B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, Indiana House Speaker and bill author.

Townships

Reform on controversial township government will likely wait another year as both houses appear to be gridlocked over amendments on the bill.

The House approved a township-by-township referendum that would allow Hoosiers to vote to keep what is often their smallest form of government.

Republicans said the measure would make township government too jumbled across the state and offered to eliminate township boards statewide but keep township trustees.

“We need the general assembly to offset (disappointing revenue) by allowing us to take out completely redundant and unnecessary administrative costs,” Gov. Mitch Daniels said. “Taxpayers in Indiana deserve it and we’ll keep coming at it in hopes of making more progress.”

Alcohol reform

The granddaddy of Indiana alcohol reform, allowing carryout Sunday sales, saw no progress during this year’s session. The assembly did however pass a bundle of alcohol reform measures.

Last week the assembly managed to pass a bill allowing Sunday carry-out sales for microbreweries, sales on Election Day and bars to stay open on Sunday nights until 3 a.m.

They also tightened some laws, now forcing anyone who appears to be under 50 years old to show identification.

State Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville, said though his Sunday sales bill failed this year, he plans to pursue it again in 2011.