10 DAYS AND COUNTING
I spent a good chunk of time last night with Indiana lawmakers at an end of session gathering downtown. I asked a number of them, both Republicans and Democrats, about what they thought about getting out on time on providing Hoosiers with permanent property tax relief.
Everyone seemed confident lawmakers would get out on time, but a number of them also said they would not be surprised if they didn’t have to spend the next 3-5 years fixing whatever plan comes out of the Statehouse in two weeks.
I also asked House Speaker Pat Bauer about staying late and the threat of a special session hanging over his head like a sword of Damocles. Bauer told me the state is trying to take on too much and should just focus on residential homeowners and he won’t work with “a gun to his head,” referring to a promise by Governor Mitch Daniels to call a special session if lawmakers don’t finish by March 14. Bauer says he’s been through special sessions before and is willing to stay until August to get the job done.
