Awhile back, I posted a Hoosier Legislative Watch which a few people seemed to like, so I thought I'd post a bit more of what's going on in Indiana state government, mostly clippings from
my own blog I'll post the details in the extended entry section.
But, the big picture, as far as Mitch Daniels goes, seems to be that he is getting rid of protections for state employees so that he can fire them as easily as possible, and his first priorities seem to be cutting services for people on Medicaid and cutting payments to Medicaid providers as well as weakening the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management.
1/2/05 - South Bend Tribune story on the issues Mitch Daniels' has to deal with and his legislative priorities. He has to deal with a starting deficit of $600 million, $717 million in delayed payments owed to schools and an additional $150 million for school enrollment growth. On top of that, he wants to spend tax money on tax incentives for business and investment in research and capital. This means either spending cuts or tax increases. No indication has yet been given of what sorts of cuts or tax increases are contemplated. School funding formulas will pit school against school. On the one hand, fast growing suburban school would probably like a flat, per-student formula; whereas rural and urban populations with stagnant or declining population and tasked with educating more expensive students would like a different formula. Also, Medicaid costs are going up; Indy wants further government consolidation and gambling to finance the Colts; and Mitch wants Daylight Saving Time but has neglected to tell us which time zone he has in mind.
1/5/05 - SB 166 as introduced Requires high school health to include fetal development in the curriculum, including "photographic images portraying each state of uterine fetal development" and "health consequences of early termination of pregnancy" (but no requirement that health consequences of the pregnancy itself be taught.) This is obviously an effort to skew the message teen receive about the effects and consequences of pregnancy. They should be given lots of information about pregnancy, not just this specific set of facts and pictures.
1/7/04 - Discussion of HB 1004 - Tax Amnesty (or as some Dems call it, the "cheaters rights" bill.) Gives tax debtors an 8 week period to pay overdue taxes without paying interest or penalties. There was an Indy Star Write-Up on the bill. With a couple of amendments, the bill passed the House on January 11, 2005 by a vote of 61 to 36.
1/8/05 - Daniels wants to sell off Government assets - An Indianapolis Star article about Gov. Daniels' proposal to sell off government assets and allow naming rights. I certainly have no problem with selling assets that the state doesn't need. But there is also talk of selling the toll road (I-80/90) to private interests. I'm against selling critical infrastructure to non-government entities. (I'm generally against toll-roads themselves, for what it's worth. Roads are a common good and should be paid for as such and accessed by the public as such.) But don't get into the business of turning capital costs into operating costs by selling stuff you need to private interests and then leasing from them.
1/10/05 - An An Indianapolis Star Article on the Daniels' Administration's use of outrageous, and false claims, such as "under the Kernan administration, Public Employee Pension records were kept in a shoebox" and "An Administrative Law Judge had a $100,000 contract and never heard a case." This reminded me a lot of outrageous claims, which turned out to be false, by the Bush administration that Clinton staffers had trashed the White House and removed the "W" keys.
1/11/05 - HB 1003 - Economic Development Commission This is Gov. Daniels pet project which passed the House by a vote of 79-19. It "streamlines" the economic development process. Unfortunately, the bill is so herniated that I can't bring myself to read it. My fear is that it puts Daniels in a better position to funnel pork into business he favors with not much in the way of public transparency.
1/11/05 - City of Indianapolis rather than state, but here is an Indy Star report that compliant Democrats vote to oust the Democratic City-County council chair and replace him with a Republican. This despite the Democrats having a majority on the council for the first time in more than 30 years.
1/11/05 - One of Daniels' first acts of office is to write a letter encouraging state employees to be a Snitch for Mitch. He essentially accuses state employees of slothfulness and wastefulness and encourages snitches to call the Governor's office directly. Tattlers will be "celebrated and rewarded." He phrased it a bit differently, but that was the general message.
1/11/05 - In related news, Daniels' rescinded collective bargaining (another story here.) for State Employees, ending a practice that began approximately 16 years ago under Evan Bayh's administration. He claimed that the rules, which gave the union power to negotiate pay and benefits, would slow the changes he intends to make in state government. Daniels says it will now be easier to fire state employees.
1/12/05 - The Howey Political Report named his Top 50 most influential Hoosier Politicians with explanations for each. His Top 10: 1. Gov. Mitch Daniels; 2. Indy Mayor Bart Peterson; 3. Sen. Lugar; 4. Sen. Bayh; 5. Senate President Robert Garton; 6. House Speaker Brian Bosma; 7. Ways & Means Chair Jeff Espich; 8. U.S. Rep. Mike Pence; 9. Daniels Budget Director Charles Schalliol; 10. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.
1/12/05 - Daniels makes the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management his first target. Six top Indiana Department of Environmental Management administrators resigned and one was fired this week in a shake-up by Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has criticized the agency for impeding economic development. . . . He said environmental protection and public health are important, but "a poor Indiana will not be a green Indiana." Guess what. A polluted Indiana will not be a rich Indiana. I hope Daniels isn't comfortable with companies in other states treating Indiana like a third-world nation, dumping toxins in our water and our air; paying our citizens subsistence wages, then leaving. Because early signs don't suggest Daniels thinks much of protecting our workers or our environment.
1/13/05 - Daniels seeks cuts in Medicaid. Daniels' top human services aide, Mitch Roob, said Indiana Medicaid, which will care for an estimated 847,126 people this year, is front and center on the chopping block. Roob said state officials need to dramatically restructure the $4.65 billion state-federal program to avoid spending a total of $715.8 million more during the next two years. . . . Roob said, state officials will look into the $380 million cost of caring for 5,267 people with developmental disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation in their own homes. Nearly 13,000 people are waiting for these services. Roob indicated the Daniels administration also will seek changes in the law to help them narrow eligibility for Medicaid and, possibly, cut services the state offers but is not legally required to provide.
1/13/05 - More cuts to Medicaid. Mitch Roob says that to manage the budget shortfall, the state government might withhold 2% of Medicaid payments owed to medical providers.
1/13/05 - SB 279 would eliminate (1) the good character requirements for applications for permits for solid waste and hazardous waste facilities; and (2) the local or regional need demonstration requirement for applications for permits for solid waste facilities.