We all know the Indiana General Assembly's to-do list this year. Its members want to pass a balanced budget without a tax increase, fix the broken unemployment insurance system and pass a few bills to create jobs. The Republican majority gets to decide how all this is done, but Democrats are proving they won't lie down without a fight.
Meanwhile, Northwest Indiana's mostly Democrat delegation has a to-do list of its own. As the short first week of session wound to a close, a few of its members listed their priorities for the region.
Eliminate levy freeze
State law freezes Lake County's tax levy because it hasn't adopted a local option income tax. That limits the ability of governments to raise revenue.
The County Council nearly passed an income tax in 2007, but it ultimately failed. A stalemate has continued ever since between county government and the Indiana General Assembly, which originally approved the levy freeze. County commissioners even threatened to sue the state last year, but they ultimately shelved the idea.
Now the Northwest Indiana delegation wants to revisit the issue. Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, filed bills to eliminate or phase out the levy freeze. They've been assigned to the appropriations committee, but neither has been set for a hearing.
Randolph said eliminating the freeze could create between $28 million and $34 million in new money to be distributed among Lake County governments. But Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, said estimates vary and numbers are being crunched.
"They've been hampered with that burden of it," Reardon said of local governments, "but how much money will that really generate? I think that's what they're really exploring."
Municipal bankruptcy
Officially, Republican Sen. Ed Charbonneau's bill to allow municipal bankruptcy isn't directed at any one city or town. Over time, it could be needed by multiple Hoosier cities. Charbonneau, of Valparaiso, wants the opposite, hoping it's never used.
But the bill arrives just as Gary's financial crisis is coming to a head. And even though municipal bankruptcy is governed by federal law, an authorizing state statute is needed.
"That's the common speculation, that it is directed at Gary," Rep. Charlie Brown, a Gary Democrat, said of the bill.
Most lawmakers said they haven't read the bill yet and wouldn't take a position. They agree Indiana must be prepared in case a city or town becomes insolvent, but there might be debate over the details. Charbonneau's bill, Senate Bill 105, would allow an emergency manager to assume the powers of a mayor and city council. Brown called that "frightening."
Still, the legislation has a Republican author, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels has been a vocal supporter of the concept since April, and it's been set for a hearing this week in a Senate where Republicans have a supermajority. It could move quickly.
Land-based casinos
Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, has again proposed a land-based casino bill for her hometown. This has also been mentioned as a priority for the Northwest Indiana delegation, but it could be a divisive one.
The House of Representatives rejected the idea last year, and much of the blame for its failure was directed toward local lawmakers representing cities with their own casinos. They could lose money to a land-based site in Gary. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. even made an appearance last year to oppose it.
Randolph called the land-based casino issue the biggest priority for Northwest Indiana in 2011 because it would create jobs and generate the new tax dollars sought by Gary and the state.
"The biggest one, that I think would be a big plus for the whole region, is land-based casino," Randolph said.
Still, a meeting of the minds might be necessary for this to pass. When asked if representatives of neighboring casino cities would support the idea this time around, Reardon said "that's a hard question."
"I represent Hammond, that has invested a large amount of money by the rules that they were given," Reardon said.
Others
While those might top the list, lawmakers said they have a handful of other items on their minds.
Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland, said he might file bills to help Griffith disannex from Calumet Township. One would be specific to Griffith, he said, but the other might apply to other communities.
"I don't know that they'll get heard," Stevenson said.
Reardon said the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance recently ruled land owned by the Hammond Port Commission is taxable. If enforced, she said that means Hammond would basically be forced to pay taxes to itself, so the issue needs to be addressed.
"I don't know if it'll be a legislative fix," Reardon said.
Finally, Randolph filed a resolution urging the Indiana Department of Transportation to rebuild the Cline Avenue bridge. He said he's hoping industrial businesses in Lake County will offer vocal support for the idea.
"I'd like to see their voices come out," Randolph said.