INDIANAPOLIS - After unveiling its fix for Indiana's bankrupt unemployment insurance fund last week, the state Senate is poised to quickly move that plan forward this week.
The Republican-controlled Senate's unemployment insurance point man, Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Monticello, said last week that businesses should pay more and out-of-work Hoosiers should receive less in order to balance the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The state is currently borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to keep the fund afloat.
Gov. Mitch Daniels on Friday said the Senate Republican plan is the "first and only plan we've seen in which the arithmetic works" and called it a "very balanced, excellent effort."
But Democrats who control the state House have made clear they won't let unemployment benefits be reduced without a fight.
Southwestern Indiana lawmakers said it's not fair to take money away from those who need it badly now and who can't find work in a state with a jobless rate nearing 10 percent.
With battle lines drawn, the debate is expected to heat up today. Minority Democrats in the Senate have scheduled a news conference for this morning to put pressure on Republicans to listen to their suggestions.
Then, this afternoon, the unemployment insurance bill will get a second reading in the Senate. That's when lawmakers usually file amendments to make changes to bills.
Once the Senate passes its unemployment fund plan, it sets the stage for intense "conference committee" negotiations in the final two weeks of the session.
In other Statehouse news:
- A path to funding for the Spencer County coal-to-gas plant was cleared after lawmakers passed a bill that the plant's developer says puts it in line for federal loan guarantees.
When negotiations broke down between plant officials and utilities they hoped would buy the pipeline-quality substitute natural gas, it became clear the plant couldn't happen without someone willing to buy its product.
Legislation that passed last week will have the Indiana Finance Authority act as a middleman, buying and immediately re-selling the gas at the same price.
Some lawmakers said they're worried that if the deal wasn't good enough for utilities, it won't be good for taxpayers, either.
But supporters said utilities have to be pushed toward clean energy if they won't make the switch voluntarily.
- A bill to create a "Silver Alert," an Amber Alert-style notification system for endangered elderly and disabled Hoosiers who wander away from their caretakers is quickly headed for a final vote in the House.
Rep. Dennis Avery, D-Evansville, is backing the system supporters say will help keep safe the 110,000 Hoosiers diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
The bill advanced out of a House committee last week, and has already passed the Senate.
- Lawmakers are crafting the state's next spending plan, due before they're scheduled to adjourn April 29.
But with state revenues falling tens of millions of dollars below expectations each month, Daniels warned Friday that they'll have less money to spend than anticipated.
He said the Legislature "might as well look reality in the eye" rather than drifting into the middle of April and being blindsided by low tax revenues.
- One Southwestern Indiana lawmaker will serve on a National Conference of State Legislatures committee. Sen. Bob Deig, D-Mount Vernon, was named to the Standing Committee on Labor and Economic Development.
The national organization meets three times during the year and gives lawmakers across the country a chance to discuss ideas, legislation and how it has worked in other states.
Deig said he hopes to learn how other states are combating unemployment so he can bring some of those solutions to Indiana.