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Friday, April 29, 2011

Ind. Gov't. - "Indiana GOP lawmakers drop idea of 'Charlie White rule'"

Eric Bradner reports in the Evansville Courier & Press this morning:

House Republicans have scotched the idea of a "Charlie White rule" that would allow Gov. Mitch Daniels to appoint a replacement if a lawsuit seeking to eject Indiana's embattled secretary of state from office is successful. * * *

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said he is "not comfortable" intervening in an active lawsuit. He echoed Rep. Kathy Richardson, the Noblesville Republican who authored the bill that the Senate used to carry the White-related rule.

Bosma said the compromise the House and Senate are likely to strike would keep the Senate's idea of having the governor fill state-level offices that are vacated because the candidate is ruled ineligible, but apply that law only to elections that take place in 2012 and beyond.

ILB: Here is the conference committee report on HB 1242, as filed in the House at 4:39 PM yesterday. Note item # 27 in the Synopsis:
(27) Provides that whenever the state recount commission makes a final determination that a candidate for a state office (other than the office of governor or lieutenant governor, or a judicial office) who is subject to a contest proceeding is not eligible to serve in the office to which the candidate is elected: (A) the office is considered vacant and the governor fills the office by appointment of a person of the same political party as the candidate who is not eligible to serve; and (B) the commission's determination does not affect the votes cast for the candidate for purposes of determining the number or percentage of votes cast for the office under other statutes. Provides that the vacancy filling provision does not apply to the filling of a state office following a contest proceeding or court action that resulted from an election held before January 1, 2011.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 29, 2011 10:05 AM
Posted to Indiana Government