FEIGENBAUM: Surprise issue could still derail legislative session
Just because nothing has yet emerged as a candidate to create chaos for lawmakers in the 2017 session doesn’t mean things will stay sedate.
Statehouse Dispatch
Articles
FEIGENBAUM: Indiana Supreme Court awaiting key appointment
For the first time since Indiana adopted merit selection for the court, the Supreme Court will consist of justices appointed by governors of one party.
FEIGENBAUM: Over-the-top tactics hit even those open to the cause
While opportunities for meaningful political antics Back Home in Indiana are stunted by the absence of political balance in the General Assembly, our state lawmakers may appear more reasonable, rational and representative than those we send to Congress.
FEIGENBAUM: Deadlines, rules dictate how policy is debated, settled
Pay attention to process as action in the General Assembly approaches the midway point of the session, where legislation approved by one chamber moves across the rotunda for consideration by the other.
FEIGENBAUM: The highway-funding math is getting fuzzier
You’ll still see a substantial highway-funding program enacted in April, but what’s inside the outlines is far murkier today than anyone anticipated.
FEIGENBAUM: Lawmakers should look past status quo to future needs
We seem to be approaching another series of game-changers, and lawmakers seem largely devoid of institutional memory about how related changes evolved—or failed to do so, to our detriment.
FEIGENBAUM: Pay attention: Curtis Hill is in the Statehouse
Hill, who won more votes than any other candidate on the November ballot, is assuming a law-and-order stance on one of the most pervasive problems plaguing Hoosier communities from rich or poor, rural or urban, from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River: opioid abuse.
FEIGENBAUM: Will Lake County finally get its due from lawmakers?
Residents of the key economic and industrial hub associate more with Chicago for news, economic welfare, entertainment and sports than with anywhere in Indiana and feel ignored by state government in Indianapolis.
FEIGENBAUM: Lawmakers likely to craft next budget conservatively
Much of the budget in terms of subject areas appears to have largely been carved out given past legislative and current gubernatorial druthers, leaving just a small chunk of cash for discretionary purposes.
FEIGENBAUM: Even among GOP, compromises are a must
While some governors prefer to hold their legislative-agenda cards close to the vest before bully-pulpit time, Holcomb appears to want to get the legislative train rolling and doesn’t appear to be harboring any major programs announcement for the State of the State speech.
FEIGENBAUM: Expect Holcomb to take long-term view of policy
While Eric Holcomb was largely a cipher during his campaign to those trying to pin down precise points, you can infer some things.
FEIGENBAUM: The ‘mix for the fix’ and other legislative predictions
After (in)arguably the most tumultuous year in the 200-year history of the state of Indiana (and that Cubs championship), you can rest assured the 2017 legislative session promises none of that degree of drama.
FEIGENBAUM: Lawmakers found compromises on big decisions
Even with the surreal week following gubernatorial signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and enactment of its antidote, legislators managed to plow through their agenda—while even managing to quietly consider new language arising from the ether in the final days.
FEIGENBAUM: Non-education items destined for budget haircut at Legislature
As lawmakers look to return home by April 29, truly partisan measures are not in evidence among the more intriguing unresolved issues, having been worked through, avoided or simply ignored during the first three months of the session.
FEIGENBAUM: Chastened Indiana lawmakers will stick to their knitting
Once burned, twice shy. You should know that Hoosier legislators—particularly their leaders—are paying close attention to polls, proprietary and public, as the session winds down.
FEIGENBAUM: RFRA could influence Indiana politics for several years
Tired of all-RFRA, all the time? Well, get over it, because between now and Election Day 2016, that’s all that matters in Indiana.
FEIGENBAUM: RFRA drains Pence clout in session’s final weeks
In case you took your spring break on Mars, Indiana became the center of the political and policy universe over the real or perceived issues with the new Religious Freedom Restoration Act (we warned you about Indiana laws named for anything but a child).
FEIGENBAUM: Harris quietly got things done in the Legislature
Despite having served in the House since 1982, Earl Harris wasn’t familiar to most Hoosiers, not having served in posts from which lawmakers are elevated to the statewide public spotlight. Nor was Harris well-known outside Lake County for having authored signature legislation that galvanized or polarized Hoosiers.
FEIGENBAUM: Will the remarkably quiet legislative session stay that way?
Legislation continues to move through the process, with several measures heading to the governor for signature even as the larger issues remain unresolved, and fretting continues over just how flush state finances will look in April’s revenue-forecast update.
FEIGENBAUM: Hard realities impose basic design of next Indiana budget
Now that the budget bill has crossed the rotunda, we suggested last week that the Senate Committee on Appropriations chairman, Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, was likely to pare back some spending proposed by the typically less-frugal House. That will certainly be true, a circumstance made more likely—if not yet exigent—by recently released February state revenue numbers. […]