INDIANAPOLIS - With one week left to get legislation out of committee, many of the large bills of statewide importance will be open for changes and a committee vote this week.
The deadline for bills to be adopted by a committee is Thursday. Then there's one more week for a bill to pass either chamber. After that, conference committees form to hash out differences between House and Senate versions of bills. The short session must end by midnight on March 14.
But with these deadlines looming, many of the major topics under consideration are still in flux.
This includes a transportation bill pushed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, dubbed Major Moves. The bill allows the administration to lease the Indiana Toll Road and enter into future public-private agreements to build and lease roads and bridges.
The major point of debate around the bill in the Senate is whether to allow the bill to move as is - with permission to lease the Indiana Toll Road and enter into future public-private contracts - or whether to limit the administration's authority to just leasing the Indiana Toll Road.
Advocates of the latter argue that the governor should have to come back to the Legislature with the details of the next deal, set to be the extension of Interstate 69, for lawmaker review. They say the bid won't be ready until 2008, giving the administration plenty of time to bring the offer before the Legislature.
Opponents of this change argue that other states give their governors authority to enter into private contracts to build and operate roads and that the governor's office shouldn't be hampered in its negotiations by the threat of an extra hurdle - getting the deal past the Legislature.
Sen. Robert Meeks, R-LaGrange, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is set to amend and vote on House Bill 1008 on Thursday. Meeks has is leaning toward leaving in authority for the administration to enter into future public-private transportation contracts.
The Senate Governmental Affairs and Interstate Cooperation Committee also will amend and vote on two consolidation bills. A meeting date for the committee is not yet posted.
Under consideration are House Bill 1344, which sets up a framework for Vanderburgh County and the city of Evansville to merge with two referendums and House Bill 1362, which establishes a way for adjacent or overlapping local government units to merge.
The major debate in these bills is a provision to allow the votes in any referendum to be counted separately if a city and county want to merge - meaning the proposal must pass by a majority of voters both in the city and noncity areas.
Committee Chairman Marvin Riegsecker, R-Goshen, is considering an amendment to House Bill 1362 to make any referendum on a city-county merger just require a majority of county residents' approval to pass. But the Senate and House sponsors of the bill are opposed to the idea.
Also, there are rumors flying about that additional portions of Indianapolis' push to consolidate may be added into either bill or that one of the two bills will die in committee. Rep. Phil Hinkle, R-Indianapolis, said he's heard the rumors but he's not sure leadership has decided what to do yet.
"Everything is up in the air," he said. "Anything can happen."
The Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee also will consider the fate of House Bill 1001 on Tuesday. This omnibus property tax bill includes provisions to:
Give homeowners a one-time credit against child welfare levies in their 2006 bills that has a net impact of about a 7 percent reduction in those levies. The cost to the state is $147 million.
For less populous townships that have a combined office of trustee assessor, take away the assessing duties and give them to the county. The township official would still be a trustee and run poor relief.
Automatically require a referendum vote on any construction project that exceeds the lesser of two thresholds: 2 percent of a taxing unit's assessed value or $50 million.
Transfer all growth in costs in the child welfare levy from the property tax rolls to the state budget starting in 2007. Committee Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, is concerned about many portions of the bill and said it will be greatly amended. Others say the bill may not make it out of committee. Meanwhile, many smaller, locally sponsored bills are moving along.
House Bill 1107, which would allow neighborhood groups to use government-backed loans to buy storm sirens and pay off the loans through property taxes, passed the House and Senate. The two versions were identical, so the bill now goes to the governor for review.
House Bill 1006, a bill to ease the requirements for businesses and organizations wanting to post heart defibrillators in their buildings, will be up for a Senate vote this week. Both measures were introduced by Rep. Suzanne Crouch, R-Evansville.
A Senate committee will also decide the fate of a bill introduced by Rep. Dennis Avery, D-Evansville, to allow cities and towns to regulate teen night clubs. The committee has already heard testimony on the bill but delayed a vote because some committee members felt cities and towns already had the authority to regulate the clubs, making the proposed law redundant. Avery is investigating and hopes to have more information for the committee.
One locally sponsored bill appears to have stalled in the House. Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, introduced Senate Bill 111, which would mandate that half of all choices in school vending machines be health foods.
It would require elementary schools to provide students with some exercise opportunity, ranging from recess to jumping jacks next to their desks, every day.
The chairman of the House committee to which the bill was sent does not like the idea, so it may not get a hearing.