By Eric Bradner, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - High-ranking Democratic lawmakers are advocating a bill that would require 80 percent of those employed on state public works projects to be Hoosiers.
The proposal, House Bill 1002, is up for consideration before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday morning.
Under the bill authored by state Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute, for a contractor to be awarded state-funded work, at least four out of every five of those working on the project for the contractor and any involved subcontractors must live in Indiana.
It's not clear if the committee will vote on the bill Wednesday.
Lawmakers are getting an unusually early start on the 2010 legislative session. On Monday, Ways and Means, the Democratic-led House fiscal panel, heard testimony on legislation to amend Indiana's constitution to include property tax caps.
The committee's chairman, Rep. Bill Crawford of Indianapolis, said members will vote on the amendment next week.
Tuesday, the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee voted to advance that constitutional amendment, as well as a bill that would delay a business tax hike intended to bolster Indiana's unemployment insurance fund, to the full Senate.