By Eric Bradner, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - State lawmakers all say they must finish work on a new budget by the end of this month to avert a government shutdown.
However, with only nine days left on the clock before Indiana's current spending plan expires, pressure to finish a new budget is building, and legislators are stalling.
Stuck in the same debate for months - Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and the GOP-led Senate want to rein in spending; Democrats who control the House want to protect education - solid ground for negotiations has eroded and given way to heightened partisan bickering.
All sides say they want a budget, but none are willing to budge on the key terms they prefer. Instead, both Democrats and Republicans are laying the groundwork to blame the other side if no accord is reached.
The divide was underscored last week when a resolution that would give the Daniels administration broad authority to continue spending at current levels in absence of a new budget was introduced in the Senate.
Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said the continuing resolution is a worst-case scenario failsafe, and that the Legislature would be irresponsible if some backup plan isn't in place.
But the resolution was met with a barrage of criticism from across the aisle.
Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Elletsville, compared a continuing resolution to Washington-style tactics that won't fly in Indiana. She said it would relieve pressure and give lawmakers an out if they can't reach a compromise in time.
House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, ripped into Republican leaders. He accused the governor of hoping for a government shutdown.
"We are in a very serious situation now because he's threatening a hostile takeover of this government," Bauer said Saturday night at a Democratic fundraising dinner.
The House, Bauer said, will absolutely not consider a continuing resolution. He said if Daniels is not willing to budge on education spending, then a shutdown would be the governor's fault.
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman played the role of attack dog for the Daniels administration last week. She didn't directly accuse the speaker of trying to force a shutdown, but she signaled she believes Bauer might consider it a desirable outcome.
One possible avenue for a budget to win passage is for the Senate Republican plan, which advanced through the Appropriations Committee on Friday and is expected to clear the full chamber on Tuesday, to come up for a vote in the House.
Bauer could allow the Senate Republican budget to come up for a vote in his chamber, which is narrowly divided with 52 Democrats and 48 Republicans. It would then be up to the House GOP members to provide most of the votes.
"We're confident if Speaker Bauer allows his members to vote for a pro-taxpayer budget, they will help in that regard and we'll have the numbers to do that," Skillman said.
Skillman's statements offered a glimpse into the administration's playbook: If a budget fails to pass, it's because Bauer, the gruff House leader who is reminiscent of an old-style political machine boss and who Daniels often points out has complete authority in his chamber, stood in the way.
All sides say they want to get a budget done by June 30, and with plenty of blame to go around, none stand to benefit much if they fail.
But as the deadline grows near, it remains to be seen if the finger-pointing is a hint that the impasse is too large to overcome, or if negotiators can break the stalemate and hash out a compromise.