Karen Francisco, The Journal Gazette
kfrancisco@jg.net
A biennial budget should have been the toughest task Indiana lawmakers faced in this most challenging of legislative sessions. A structural deficit in the state's unemployment trust fund changed that. As layoffs increased and jobless Hoosiers filed for benefits, the fund quickly went bust.
As of last week, Indiana had borrowed $725 million from the federal government to meet unemployment-benefit obligations. Yet there's still no consensus on the vexing questions of who should pay, how much to pay, who can collect, how much they should receive and more. A conference committee was assigned to work out differences in House Bill 1379 after it was extensively amended by the GOP-controlled Senate.
As for who should bear the burden, Gov. Mitch Daniels took early aim at worker benefits.
"We cannot afford Rolls-Royce benefits and eligibility in Indiana unless we want absolutely, job-killing taxation," he said.
But the governor's view is just one of many. Here's a rundown, from several perspectives:
Taxpayers
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