« Ind. Gov't. - Nondisclosure agreement reportedly bars public from seeing settlement | Main | Ind. Decisions - Supreme Court issues two more decisions today »

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Ind. Gov't. - House Republicans vow to end health care perk, permanently

Mary Beth Schneider reports for the Indianapolis Star this afternoon:

Republicans trying to keep the majority in the Indiana House today pledged to seek to permanently eliminate the controversial lifetime health insurance package for state representatives.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, along with incumbent state representatives and GOP candidates, signed a pledge on the Statehouse steps -- the first of a five-month series of campaign pledges -- promising to introduce legislation that would get rid of the perk for the House, though not for the Senate.

Public anger over that issue helped lead to the defeat of Senate President Pro Tempore Robert D. Garton, R-Columbus, in the May 2 primary election.
Bosma said the Senate leadership is "in flux" and will need to make their own decisions about the issue. But House Republicans, he said, are committed to support the permanent elimination of the generous insurance package.

Bosma had revoked the lifetime insurance plan for representatives and their families, in effect since 2002, during this year's legislative session, but unless a law is passed making that change permanent a future speaker could reinstate the plan.

That last paragraph is a little misleading. Bosma revoked the lifetime plan, effective for legislators retiring after the Nov. 2005 election. He did not revoke it retroactively -- i.e. for those already receiving the health care perk. Presumably, repealing the underlying authorization statute would do that, but nothing is certain here.

[More] Mike Smith of the AP has a longer story, giving the history of the plan and reporting:

House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, also promised not to bring back the benefit if his party wins a majority and he becomes speaker again. He also said the possibility of any future speaker restoring it should be prohibited by law.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 23, 2006 02:51 PM
Posted to Indiana Government | Indiana Law | Legislative Benefits