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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Ind. Gov't. - "House GOP just says 'no' to Democrats' amendments"
Good story in the Indianapolis Star this morning, by Mary Beth Schneider and Heather Gillers, describing the House action, now that the errant Democratic members have returned. Some quotes from the lengthy report:
Over and over, the answer was no.For hours Tuesday night, the Indiana House weighed how to divide up about $28 billion to fund schools, health care and government services for Hoosiers over the next two years.
The decisions were tough. Indiana, like most states, still faces hard economic times as the recession and continued high unemployment has shrunk sales, income and other taxes.
Democrats, back for their first full day after a five-week walkout that had paralyzed the House, had filed dozens of amendments to the budget bill, House Bill 1001, pushing the state to spend more on education, health care and mass transit.
But Republicans who control the House struck most of those down. * * *
The fight wasn't only about how to divvy up funds, but about who ultimately controls the state's purse strings.
Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, tried to strip from the budget long-standing language that lets Indiana's governor choose not to spend money in order to stop the state from going into the red in tough times.
But, Pelath said, Daniels has abused that by treating the legislature's priorities more like suggestions than appropriations.
"The budget bill has lost meaning," he said. "No matter what budget priorities you put in this bill, they will not be adhered to by the administration."
Republicans rejected that, saying Daniels has made the tough, necessary choices.
But Espich reminded Democrats about their desire to shift those choices back to the legislature minutes later, when Democrats tried to increase funding for mass transit.
"You said you wanted to bite the bullet," he told them. "Well, you start biting right now."
The tough choice, but the right one, he said, was to once again say no.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 30, 2011 09:35 AM
Posted to Indiana Government