Local legislators look back on session

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Local legislators said this year's session was a productive one overall, but they're already looking ahead to what they want to accomplish next year.

Some legislation passed in the General Assembly could mean good news for Indiana businesses, said state Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-7th district).

"I think Indiana is potentially positioned as the most attractive place in the nation for a business to relocate or grow," he said.

Hershman and other local legislators attribute the climate mainly to two bills. The first, championed by state Rep. Randy Truitt (R-26th district), pushes back an increase in unemployment taxes for another year.

"What the unemployment bill did do is delay a tax on 80,000-plus businesses in the state of Indiana that would have been hit by a really large tax increase at a time that just did not make sense and would have turned into a job killer," Truitt said.

"We established a new employer tax credit that gives newly created companies a credit of 10 percent for each person that they hire in a new job," said state Rep. Sheila Klinker (D-27th district).

Another bill that passed this session would allow voters to decide whether they want to make a property tax cap part of the Indiana constitution.

"We passed property tax cap language that Ball State says could create 100,000 jobs," Hershman said.

For state Sen. Ron Alting (R-22nd district), the biggest things to come out of the 2010 session were two bills that would give schools increased flexibility in funding. He authored a bill in the Senate and co-sponsored one in the House that would allow schools to use capital funds from operating expenses.

But he said there's still more to be done.

"There was no mistake about it. This year the education bill was a band-aid," Alting said. "It wasn't a permanent fix. We have all the statistics that show that probably it's even going to get worse."

Sen. Alting said he plans to spend the year ahead drafting another education bill to present to the General Assembly on the first day back next January.

"I have that in mind. It's being drafted," he said. "I'm not going to say at this point. I can tell you it's not going to be a property tax or a sales tax."

In the meantime, legislators say they continue to try to find ways to cut costs. Rep. Klinker said the General Assembly has already taken some cost-saving measures in this session.

"Several commissions and boards were alleviated and eliminated, that maybe have not met or are duplicating services in the state," she said. "And so, we do feel that that will be a savings too."

Rep. Klinker also said legislators passed an ethics reform measure this session.

It would require retired legislators to wait a year before being able to become a lobbyist and make lobbyists report anytime they spend more than $50 on a legislator.