ISAE Bill Tracking

The Session Has Come to a Close

No two legislative sessions are ever the same and the 2010 session of the Indiana General Assembly proved that once again. This was the short session of the legislature requiring adjournment prior to March 14th and even though lawmakers began meeting last December, they worked right up to the early hours of March 13th to complete their business. Going into the session, the legislative leaders indicated this session would be about creating and protecting jobs, education, and property tax caps. Whether they met those goals is a matter of controversy - between Democrats and Republicans and between the House and the Senate. More than usual, politics was a driving force on issues this session. The coming Fall election will be very important as the majority caucuses will have the ability to draw the political district maps that will be used for the next 10 years. While the Republicans have a firm hold on the Senate, the House is very much in play with the Democrats holding the current narrow majority 52-48.

 This was also a different session for ISAE. The Board of Directors tasked the Legislative Committee with a much more pro-active monitoring of proposed legislation. Our committee did that and focused on bills that we believed would have an impact on the entire association community. Some of the issues we monitored included:

Property Tax Caps – 1-2-3 has been the rallying cry concerning property taxes and now voters will now have the opportunity to decide whether or not the property tax caps should be placed in Indiana's constitution.  The resolution passed by both the House and the Senate requires that voters decide if property taxes caps at one percent for their homes’ assessed value, two percent for farm property, and three percent for businesses should be permanently amended into the state’s constitution. 

Ethics Reform – Passed with bipartisan support, the new ethics reforms will have minimal change for Indiana associations. The changes for associations will focus on your governmental affairs staff or contractors. Lobbyists will be required to report gifts worth $50 or more instead of the current $100 limit. Lobbyist conflicts of interest will also be more closely monitored. Other reforms include a longer “cooling off” period for legislators before becoming lobbyists and changes to the fundraising ability of office holders during the time the legislature is in session.

Firearms – One of the most controversial issues of the session (it seemed as if everyone in the hallway had a position on the issue) was the bill that prohibits an individual, corporation, or other business entity, as well as a government entity, from enforcing a policy or rule that has the effect of prohibiting a person from bringing a gun on another's property if the gun is locked in the person's vehicle. While there are a number of exemptions written into the bill, many more were sought but unsuccessful. Some exemptions include: schools and school buses, universities, child care centers, domestic violence shelters, group homes, private residences, correctional facilities, public utilities, and businesses subject to the United States Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards and licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This bill was passed in the Senate by a vote of 41-9 and the House by 75-20 and signed by Governor Daniels.  

Smoking Ban in Public Places -  Rep. Charlie Brown once again attempted to pass a smoking ban in public places bill. Even though the issue was discussed and debated throughout the session and did pass the House with a vote of 73-26, it ultimately died in the Senate.

Thank you to the ISAE Legislative Committee for their dedication in reading bills and monitoring issues for the association community.

 

Tracking List:

  • HB1001 Lobbyists; campaign contributions. (Bauer, Miller, Broden)
  • HB1029 Lobbyists; campaign contributions. (Day)
  • HB1322 State and local government ethics. (VanDenburgh)
  • HB1340 Government ethics. (Koch)
  • HB1346 Legislative ethics. (Bosma)
  • HB1351 Limited partnerships and liability companies. (Foley)
  • SB0100 Election of certain coporate directors. (Taylor)
  • SB0114 Government ethics. (Miller, Sipes)
  • SB0213 Unathorized aliens. (Kruse, Delph, Boots)
  • SB0359 Lobbying by former legislators and office holders. (Schneider)
  • SB0398 Homestead property taxes and sales and use taxes. (Hume, M.Young)