INDIANAPOLIS - Now that the Indiana House has passed one version of the governor's property tax relief plan and the state Senate is in the process of passing a different version, the Indiana General Assembly is up against a deadline.
Wednesday is the last day for the House to pass its own bills and send them to the Senate and for the Senate to pass its own bills and send them to the House. Bills not approved in at least one chamber usually are dead for the session. Lawmakers likely will work late Wednesday to beat the deadline.
Last week, the Democratic-controlled House made numerous changes to Gov. Mitch Daniels' property tax package, House Bill 1001. A massive bill 935 pages long, it passed Thursday by a vote of 93-1, with all Southwestern Indiana members voting "yes." Now the bill moves to the Senate.
The Republican-controlled Senate, meanwhile, has taken a more deliberate approach, dividing the Daniels plan into 14 proposals to give each individual attention.
"It was important to draw scrutiny on some of these issues and work on them separately, because I think we've been able to go a little farther down the road than the House was, with the one large piece of legislation," said Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne.
Having already voted on portions of the Daniels plan, senators on Monday are scheduled to vote on another part - permanently capping homestead property taxes at 1 percent of assessed value.
After Wednesday, the House and Senate will trade bills.
"We'll examine those (Senate) bills and see if any of them are better than what we sent over," said House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend.
Differences between House and Senate versions must be hammered out before the March 14 adjournment deadline. While taxes have dominated the Legislature's 2008 short session, lawmakers have heard other issues as well:
A Senate vote Thursday on the so-called "pharmacist's conscience" bill deadlocked in a nonconclusive tie vote, 24-24. That means it is not defeated, and could be voted on again. The legislation, Senate Bill 3, says that pharmacists would have the option of refusing to fill prescriptions if they believed the drugs would be used to induce abortion, assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Pharmacies would have to have a backup plan for filling prescriptions if a pharmacist objected, however. Several senators complained the bill could be interpreted to deny customers access to contraceptive drugs.
All five of Southwestern Indiana's state senators - Republicans Vaneta Becker and John Waterman and Democrats Bob Deig, Lindel Hume and Richard Young - voted "no" on Senate Bill 3.
Gambling in bars with pull tabs, punch boards and tip boards would be legalized under House Bill 1153, now before the full House. Excise taxes and fees from gambling in a bar would be distributed to the local county.
Proposals to ban smoking in almost all public places in Indiana (House Bill 1057) and to ban use of cell phones while driving (House Bill 1167) both died in committee, without receiving a vote.
Businesses that are caught employing illegal immigrants and accrue three violations in 10 years could lose their business licenses to operate, under Senate Bill 335, now before the full Senate.
Prospective teachers seeking teaching licenses would have to undergo more stringent background checks, including a search of out-of-state criminal records and sex-offender registries, under House Bill 1232. Authored by state Rep. Phil Hoy, D-Evansville, the bill passed the House on Thursday, 86-0. Now it goes to the Senate.
Courier & Press correspondent Eric Bradner contributed to this report.