Some of the after effects of Indiana’s time in the national spotlight are financial: The Indiana Economic Development Corp. last week hired Porter Novelli, an international public relations firm, to prop up the state’s image. The Indiana Senate included $1 million in additional money for tourism in its budget, in part, because of the “religious freedom” law.
State Sen. Luke Kenley, the chamber’s lead budget writer, said he thought the money was important in making sure the state doesn’t lose its “good, strong and aggressive” image of being the right place to be.
“We thought that money would be helpful in making sure we address that issue,” said Kenley, a Noblesville Republican, as he unveiled the Senate’s budget plan.
While the price tag for mending the state’s reputation following passage of the law is mounting, the political fallout is still a relative unknown for members of the Indiana General Assembly. However, a new poll released last week by Howey Politics Indiana begins to outline the impact for Gov. Mike Pence.
The poll by Howey Politics Indiana found 46 percent of respondents disapprove of the job Pence is doing as governor. The poll surveyed 607 registered voters in Indiana last week, following lawmakers clarifying that the law couldn’t be used to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Comparatively, a poll released in the fall had Pence at a 62 percent approval rating.
But the long-term impact of the law may be too early to gauge, and could ride on lawmakers considering statewide protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers during the next General Assembly session.
House Speaker Brian Bosma, an Indianapolis Republican, said he hasn’t assessed the political fallout, saying his focus remains on the remaining days of the legislative session.
“We are also quite a ways away from any election in the near future,” Bosma said. “So the next crisis will occur. The next solution will be presented.”
Senate President Pro Tem David Long, a Fort Wayne Republican, noted Senate Republicans have dealt with tough issues in the past and actually grew their numbers. But Long admitted he’s never seen anything quite like what occurred over the “religious freedom” law.
“It’s just an unfortunate circumstance that occurred,” Long said. “We’ll rebound from that, no problem. The whole state will. We certainly don’t want to see anything like that happen again.”