One day down, 54 calendar days to go…
Today was the first day of the rest of my life. Well, not really. But it was the first day of the Indiana General Assembly. It was great to be back at the Capitol and I made a few observations. Here they are.
Observation #1 – Prayer is no longer a big deal. House Democrats drafted a generic prayer that took about 30 seconds to deliver. The Senate observed a moment of silence. I like the latter because it proves there is a God.
Observation #2 – I actually think there will be more bi-partisanship all around, because there aren’t enough votes to be otherwise. Both parties control one chamber each and in the House, there isn’t much room to mess around because of the 51 votes needed for anything to pass.
Observation #3 – Something just might happen with property taxes. All four legislative leaders want some kind of tax relief. And “Hometown Matters” just might give them the room to do it.
Observation #4 – Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson’s plan to get tax revenue raising authority out of the General Assembly may run into some stumbling blocks in the Senate from the more conservative branch. He’s going to make a big announcement Tuesday night.
Observation #5 – Governor Daniels may have a friend in State Rep. Charlie Brown who I’m told is willing sponsor a $1 increase in the cigarette tax.
Observation #6 – Watch for Sen. Luke Kenley to offer a proposal that would give the state control of the operation costs of school districts and alleviating that burden off the taxpapyers.
Observation #7- This is going to be fun.
