INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mike Pence has issued the fourth and fifth vetoes of his administration, rejecting Legislature-approved plans to charge a fee for long public records searches and permitting Hoosiers to bet horse races online.
The Republican governor, who acted before leaving Saturday on a weeklong trip to China, said little about his reasons for turning down the proposals, which both easily passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Pence eventually must submit a veto message to the House and Senate detailing his objections. Lawmakers tentatively are scheduled to meet June 8 to consider enacting the measures without the governor's consent.
A veto override takes only a simple majority in both chambers — the same support needed to advance the measures to the governor in the first place. The Legislature also can act on the vetoes during its 2016 session.
Senate Enrolled Act 369, co-sponsored by state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, would have authorized state and local government agencies to charge a fee for public records searches that take more than two hours to complete.
The fee is the hourly wage of the person conducting the search, or $20 per hour, whichever is less. Only time spent actually searching records is chargeable and no minimum search fee is permitted.
Pence said in a brief statement posted on Twitter that he vetoed the proposal, because "the cost of public records should never be a barrier to the public's right to know."
Lawmakers believed the fee would deter abusive public records requests or nonspecific searches that gobble up public employee work hours.
The measure also contained new transparency requirements for local governments and school corporations mandating that updated records of spending, salaries, debt and fund balances be posted on a state website.
Pence's other veto prevented House Enrolled Act 1270, co-sponsored by state Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, from becoming law.
It would have authorized Hoosiers to deposit money with companies who'd then place horse race bets for them after receiving online instructions, eliminating the need for the bettor to personally wager at a horse track or off-track betting facility.
"This legislation is contrary to my longtime position against online gaming," Pence said. "Advance-deposit wagering, not currently permitted in Indiana, would also violate my position on expanding gaming here in Indiana."
Separately, Pence did allow a proposal for land-based casinos located adjacent to the state's riverboats to become law without his signature (House Enrolled Act 1540).
He also neither signed nor vetoed Senate Enrolled Act 460, a three-year moratorium on new nursing home construction; Senate Enrolled Act 252, improving promotion of the state's horse racing industry; and House Enrolled Act 1044, authorizing the town of Rockville and Orange County to adopt a food and beverage tax.
As a result, they become law due to the governor's inaction.
Since taking office in 2013, Pence has vetoed five measures and permitted six to become law without his signature.
The General Assembly only has overridden one veto: House Enrolled Act 1546 (2013) retroactively authorizing higher county income tax rates in Pulaski and Jackson counties after officials collected revenue at the new rate for several years without statutory authority.
Lawmakers let stand Pence's 2013 vetoes of plans to require state licensing of anesthesiologist assistants (Senate Enrolled Act 273) and diabetes educators (House Enrolled Act 1242).