For a short session, the Indiana Legislature had a lot to address from its opening gavel on Jan. 5 to the final bid of "sine die" on March 10.
As usual, there were spirited discussions, including debates on the future of education in Indiana, funding plans for infrastructure, and the government's role vs. individual rights. As usual, there were winners and losers in each, along with a fair amount of what only can be described as "wait 'til next year." Republicans said the session was marked by accomplishment. "From funding our roads to fighting illegal drugs and helping our schools, Senate Republicans have supported a variety of policies that will make a positive difference for Indiana," said David Long of Fort Wayne.
Democrats differed, with Tim Lanane of Anderson saying, "We had an opportunity to face challenges head-on ... and the Legislature largely whiffed."
EDUCATION
ISTEP, agreed all, has been a disaster, on practical and philosophical levels. The Legislature removed negative effects on teacher pay and school grades by the 2015 tests, and sent a bill that would repeal ISTEP in 2017 and seek an alternative test to Gov. Mike Pence's desk.
They're seeking $10 million for a scholarship program for college students who commit to teaching, stronger background checks for teaching applicants, and more time for parents to apply for vouchers to send children to private schools. With lobbying from the Indiana State Teachers Association, a bill to allow superintendents to offer extra pay to teachers outside bargaining agreements was killed.
Our thoughts: We need a new standardized test that fairly tracks students' progress and teachers' effectiveness without causing undue stress. Encouraging college students to go into teaching, where shortages are expected because of negativity surrounding the system, is good. While we'd prefer to improve public schools so parents don't feel a need to find an alternative, vouchers are a fair system. We'd like to see incentive pay for teachers to take the toughest jobs - at schools in poverty zones, for instance - whether within or without system contracts.
ROADS
Lawmakers came up with more than $800 million in new road spending, less than originally proposed.
Local governments will get $576 million over two years and $100 million a year after that, while state roads and bridges account will go up by $228 million over two years.
The Legislature also moved to reduce the number of fees for the troubled Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and caps how much third-party vendors can charge for license and registration services.
The bill, strangely enough, also included $126 million for the Regional Cities Initiative, which was a good thing for Evansville as $42 million will help fund projects throughout Southwest Indiana, as well as the teacher scholarship funds and an additional pension payment for retired public employees.
Our thoughts: What the legislators failed to do was pinpoint sustainable funding to repair and improve our roads. House members pushed several options, from an increase in the cigarette tax to an increase in the gasoline tax, but the Senate would have none of it, instead choosing to endorse a study. That's just delaying the inevitable, though. Residents of Vanderburgh and other Hoosier counties are now paying dearly to fix combined sewer problems, and will be for decades, so we believe it's best to address the problem rather than leave it to future generations.
SOCIAL ISSUES
The Legislature passed on a major issue facing Indiana - expansion of rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals - while pushing ahead on abortion restrictions and choosing to not further relax gun laws.
An LGBT bill that would have provided protection for gay but not transgender did not even get a debate or a vote by the full Senate. Another, which took into account both gender identity and sexual orientation, also died, as did a proposal for a state "hate crime" law, leaving Indiana as one of five states without one.
But a bill that makes Indiana the second state in the nation to ban abortions sought because a fetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome or another disability was passed and is awaiting action by Pence. The bill also prohibits abortions based on the gender or race of a fetus.
An amendment sought by State Sen. Vaneta Becker of Evansville that would have made the state liable for medical expenses for severely disabled children whose parents were not allowed to seek an abortion was, in effect, shouted down.
Sen. Jim Tomes of Wadesville pushed a bill to allow legislative workers to carry handguns in the State House. It passed the Senate, but did not make it through a full vote.
Our thoughts: The 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) harmed Indiana's reputation and its economy, and dragging out the discussion will only continue that trend. While Gov. Pence has had trouble acknowledging this, the majority of Hoosiers understand that it is wrong to discriminate against anyone for any reason - and Evansville has joined the cities enacting local ordinances.
As for abortion, as Becker said on the Senate floor, "Right now, the Supreme Court has clearly said that a woman has the right to choose up until the third trimester. So this bill is de.nitely unconstitutional. It will be challenged and it will probably in all likelihood be shot down."