Daniels: Lawmakers will decide on more state fair money
Gov. Mitch Daniels will push for more money for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse, but lawmakers will have to decide how much.
Gov. Mitch Daniels will push for more money for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse, but lawmakers will have to decide how much.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wednesday announced pay raises of up to 6 percent depending on state employees' performance. About 75 percent will see a 2 percent increase under the plan.
A state tax processing error resulting in $320 million more in the bank for the state and improved tax collections could put a nominal amount back in Hoosiers' purses and wallets next year. But a bi-partisan thirst to restore education funding and pay down state debts could just as easily take that refund away.
Democrat Erik Gonzalez of the state's budget-forecasting committee said his panel warned the Indiana Department of Revenue something was wrong with corporate tax collections two years before the state discovered it misplaced $320 million.
Republican members of the State Budget Committee have rejected Democrats' request for an independent audit of the Indiana Department of Revenue for misplacing $320 million.
Indiana House and Senate Democrats say they want an investigation into how the money went missing for so long. They submitted a letter to the state's budget forecasting committee requesting an independent audit of the state's finances.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says the state budget will see a one-time cash infusion of $300 million from tax collections that weren't properly transferred into the general fund.
Indiana's budget picture continued improving last month as the state collected $31 million more in taxes than planned.
The state said Tuesday it took in $12.3 million more in taxes than expected last month and that income and sales tax collections continued to improve through the end of August. However, gambling taxes from riverboat casinos came in $5.2 million less than expected.
Indiana property taxpayers saw their savings grow by 32 percent this year compared to a year ago thanks to statewide tax caps on their 2011 bills, according to a state report.
The federal deal targets "discretionary funding," which is where a good chunk of the roughly $9 billion the state collects from the federal government each year falls.
Republican Mike Pence is looking at ways to cut Indiana income tax rates across the board if elected governor next year.
The new budget year is off to a good start for Indiana’s state government with about $23 million more in tax revenue coming in than expected.
The state would be able to draw down its $1.2 billion cash reserves and lean on money from the $3.8 billion Indiana Toll Road lease to carry it for a few months until the federal government came up with a plan, according to Budget Director Adam Horst.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is dipping into the state's $1.2 billion surplus to give bonuses to most state workers.
After a year of spending cuts to state agencies and school districts, during which state workers were asked to do more than ever, Indiana released its final budget numbers for the fiscal year that showed it sitting on a $1.2 billion surplus.
Indiana senators and representatives debated a wide range of bills with significant business implications during the 2011 session of the General Assembly, which wrapped up April 29.
Indiana's state government collected $87 million less than expected in tax revenue during April.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' plan to allocate $47 million for full-day kindergarten in districts that don't offer it isn't likely to be enough to make that vision a reality, some districts say.
The Indiana General Assembly adjourned for the year late Friday, bringing an end to a roller-coaster legislative session that produced politically-charged legislation that will help shape elections next year and for the next decade.