State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, is pressing ahead with his plan to deny local elected officials, and the citizens they represent, control over a major portion of the annual tax revenue collected by Indiana counties, cities and towns.
Senate Bill 42 would prohibit local governments from ever cutting spending on police, fire or other public safety agencies absent a reduction or shortfall in tax revenue.
Bohacek told the Senate Local Government Committee Thursday he hopes his legislation will keep the "defund the police" movement out of the state by making it impossible for Indiana local governments to reduce public safety spending.
"We just want to take that off the table," Bohacek said. "To just say, arbitrarily, we're just going to cut funding — that's not the way to do that."
Bohacek admitted under questioning by Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, that no Indiana locality has defunded the police, or even is seriously considering defunding the police.
He also acknowledged law enforcement comprises a majority of the total spending of most local governments, and if his proposal is enacted, local leaders would lose considerable control over their budgets.
Nevertheless, the two-term senator said he worries some city or county council somewhere in Indiana will "go rogue" and "use public safety as a bargaining chip," undermining the confidence and security of the residents of that community.
Representatives from Accelerate Indiana Municipalities and the Association of Indiana Counties did not immediately deem Bohacek's proposal entirely unworkable.
They pointed out, however, it lacks a clear way to calculate public safety budgets, and fails to account for spending reductions due to paid off debt for capital projects, expiring federal grants, eliminating waste, cost savings, or reallocation to other community priorities.
Bohacek conceded his legislation is "still in rough form."
He said he hopes to work with local government stakeholders and bring it back to the committee for possible amendment and approval later this month or early February.
A representative for the Professional Fire Fighters' Union of Indiana and Fraternal Order of Police said the organizations support the proposal as is.
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