Some Indiana liquor store owners worry that a push to allow Sunday alcohol sales in the state could hurt their businesses
if lawmakers were also to permit grocery stores to sell cold beer.
Officials with casinos at Indiana’s two pari-mutuel horse racing tracks told lawmakers today that taxes imposed on them are
too high and are threatening their viability.
Indiana’s struggling gambling industry didn’t get the relief it sought during the special session of the Indiana General Assembly. But embedded within the budget bill approved June 30 is a provision creating a gambling summer study committee. Its recommendations, due by Dec. 1, may make or break several of Indiana’s casinos.
As both House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, and House Republican Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, see it, this is definitely a "Republican-flavored" budget. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels laid the framework, and legislators from both sides of the aisle largely abided by his bottom lines of spending, state agency cuts and surplus.
The legislative session that concluded June 30 with passage of a two-year budget left a bad taste in our mouths. For starters,
legislators lacked the courage to tackle local government reform—even though cash-strapped units of government
desperately need the millions of dollars in savings they would generate. In short, they put political cronyism ahead of the
interests of the state.
If we are lucky, by the time you read these words the Indiana General Assembly will have passed a new budget. Democrats use
tarot cards and Republicans chicken innards to determine how much to spend. There are alternatives.
The sniping over the state budget follows the time-honored script of partisan politics. Fear not: A timely climax and resolution
are all but guaranteed.
To use a gardening metaphor, have the courage to prune back in a tough economy, and plant new seeds before the weather improves.
Casual observers of the legislative process might be confused by the political posturing, lack of a sense of imperative, and seeming non sequiturs in this General Assembly special session. Rest assured that even many veteran legislative observers also share the sense of puzzlement about June’s events. However, there is some method to the madness, and […]
With the help of outside economists, Indiana government undergoes an economic forecast every other yearâ??a process that’s taken on increased importance this spring, as Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Legislature attempt to craft a two-year budget amid the deepest recession since the early 1980s.
The process of assessment could be simplified and performed uniformly and inexpensively.
Indiana environmental advocates had lots of disappointments this year regarding government reform efforts.
A panel of five veterans of real estate and construction provided industry insights at IBJ‘s Power Breakfast May
1 at the Westin Indianapolis.
Put some progressivity into Indiana tax rates when passing the Indiana state budget.
The Indiana Recycling Coalition scored big in the just-concluded session of the Indiana General Assembly with the passage
of House Bill 1589, which requires that electronics manufacturers help pay for recycling of their old televisions and computer
monitors.
Which group should make the spending decisions? Consumers or elected officials?
Interior designers in Indiana, who have been pushing for the chance to become certified, finally got their wish.
Ind. Gov. Mitch Daniels will call the Legislature into special session to pass an acceptable budget, but some legislators think a budget that would satisfy the governor cannot be crafted by the contentious partisans in this developing fiasco.
No doubt the transition to a low-carbon economy will bring great challenges for Hoosier businesses, given how carbon-intensive
our society is. However, if we take proactive steps, Indiana can emerge as a standout success story.
Indianapolis still looks like a city with momentum, despite the dismal economy. But appearances can be deceiving.
