By Bryan Corbin, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana House of Representatives has just passed a state-level economic stimulus bill that would pump $1 billion into road and street projects.
The bill, House Bill 1656, passed 88-11 with one abstention. All local legislators voted for it late this afternoon.
The bill includes a Republican provision that includes $500 million in funding for road construction, university building rehabilitation, engineering for local governments and job retraining. That portion would tap $250 million in federal highway funds Indiana is scheduled to receive anyway and $250 million in federal stimulus money not yet received but expected soon from Congress.
The bill also includes a separate $500 million that House Democrats provided by scooping out most of the $550 million Major Moves Next Generation Fund - using the principal from the toll-road lease proceeds, not just the interest which had been the case until now.
Lawmakers of both sides said the $1 billion total state stimulus was necessary to put jobless Hoosiers back to work on road and infrastructure projects, in light of state unemployment that has hit 8.1 percent and is expected to rise.
Before debating the bill, the Democratic-controlled House agreed by voice vote to a rare "third-reading" amendment to correct a printing error from last week that had listed the original total as $1.5 billion, not the intended $1 billion.
As the bill stands now, under the formulas distributing the stimulus funding, Evansville would receive $17.1 million, Vanderburgh County would receive $10.5 million, Warrick County would recieve $4.8 million, Newburgh $434,433, and Boonville $961,437.
House Bill 1656 moves next to the Republican-controlled state Senate, which is expected to change the bill dramatically.