Lawmakers think ‘gloomy’ in spite of rosy forecast
Sometimes the news is just so good you can’t believe it, and that is just what happened with the state revenue forecast this
month.
State Government
Articles
Complex bond schemes haunt Indy, other cities
The city is just beginning to digest the news that came out of left field regarding Indianapolis Water Co.’s bond transaction gone wild.
Competing interests to collide in final days of session
The two principal matters that all agree must be resolved are the biennial budget and a plan to return the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to solvency.
General Assembly is shame of Indiana
When we read that all the Democrats in the House voted against all the Republicans in the House on a given issue, we know independence has been cruelly killed by the leadership of each party. The same applies to the Senate.
CIB’s deficit is a state problem, not a local one
Casting the CIB’s deficit as an Indianapolis problem is simplistic and inaccurate because it overlooks the millions of dollars in state tax revenue generated by those venues and an endless list of vendors that do business with them.
CIB rescue plan counts on new hotel being big success
The Marion County Capital Improvement Board’s bailout depends on the success of Indianapolis’ new downtown JW Marriott convention hotel.
Colts, Pacers or Indians ticket stumbles would trip up Kenley plan
Sen. Luke Kenley’s CIB bailout plan counts on the Indianapolis Colts to keep up their sellout streak, and assumes the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Indians will maintain at least their current popularity.
Youth program may promote sense of purpose
Though I’m an economist, and not much skilled at matters of the heart, it seems to me there’s something amiss in today’s national psyche. There’s no real sense of purpose or unity. For those of us old enough to have had very close relatives who lived through the Great Depression, today just feels different from […]
General Assembly pushes statewide trauma system
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to create a network that would coordinate hospital trauma programs and bring
the centers to underserved cities and rural areas.
Gambling habit puts state at risk
The state’s overreliance on gambling, what once seemed like easy money, is becoming a major concern to taxpayers.
April 17 revenue forecast to drive final days of General Assembly session
Most of the critical work of this state legislative session will occur after April 20, because only then will the General
Assembly have a revenue projection for the next biennium.
Clawback provisions won’t hurt biz attraction
House Bill 1338 introduces a change to many (but not all) of our state’s tax incentives, adding what is known as a “clawback” provision, offering a reasonable and fair adjustment to our current tax incentives.
Education, health still key issues
The people of Indiana need to work to improve education, the overall health of our work force, and productivity and innovation.
Horse trading key to solving unemployment deficit
In the past, lawmakers ignored the need to fix financing for the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, and now they must come
up with solutions that will be difficult for both Democrats and Republicans to accept.
Worsening economy exacerbating legislature’s challenges
Brace yourself, because things in this legislative session are destined to get messy: the politics, the process, the personalities,
the context, and the issues and their substance, all at once.
A few key Senators will mold most-crucial legislation
The key legislative item at this point remains House Bill 1001, the budget bill.
Struggling contractors hope for sale of factory
Contractors struggling under the weight of an unfinished factory in Tipton are hoping for a quick sale to recover at least
some of the $44 million they say they’re owed by Getrag Transmission Manufacturing.
State offices could use some fixing, too
Although the Kernan-Shepard report focused on local government efficiencies, it is also clear that the management of Indiana’s
public resources and assets at the regional and state level has not kept pace with the technological and socioeconomic advances
of the last century.
These are leaders?
Whether it’s structuring local government to fit the 21st century, financing sports stadiums, achieving property tax reform or putting the state’s unemployment fund on sound footing, our leaders consistently show their failure to lead.
Pension merger raises questions
We’re generally supportive of a plan to merge the state’s two largest public pensions in an effort to save money, but it’s
hard to know exactly what to think considering the lack of detailed information available about the performance of the funds.