Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is pointing the finger of blame on House Democrats for government shutdowns that could occur if a state budget isn’t approved by midnight June 30th. But some of those Democrats are saying the only thing worse than a government shutdown would be passing the budget Daniels’ endorses. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.
Over the last 30 years the city of Gary has been hit hard with unemployment and crime. But even through the tough times, the city’s residents could always hang on to the one thing that made them proud: being Michael Jackson’s hometown. That’s not likely to change even after Jackson’s unexpected death yesterday. But it does end a long desire to see the city’s favorite son return again one day. We get more now from reporter Michael Puente in Chesterton.
Indiana’s special session budget bill is now headed to the state senate. Today the House of Representatives voted along party lines to approve a one year budget that Democrats say puts public education first, while Republicans claim spends too much in a bad economy. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.
During a meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, a Gary legislator withdrew his proposal to relocate a casino in his area and use the revenue for a medical teaching hospital. The removed gambling provision was part of a bill to bail out the capital improvement board that oversees Indianapolis’ downtown sports venues and convention center. Representative Charlie Brown says he decided to withdraw the amendment, saying he did not want controversy over its inclusion to stand in the way of a budget being passed during the special session.
“The primary issues facing state lawmakers in this special session should be passing a state school that protects schools and create jobs. I do not wish to see that focus changed by republicans complaining about back door deals, attempts to bring more gaming to the state of Indiana.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman William Crawford of Indianapolis. Later withdrew the C-I-B bill. He says bipartisan support, is required to move the legislation forward. The full House is scheduled to begin budget deliberation today.
Members of the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee today worked through a list of thirty two amendments to the one year budget being proposed by House Democrats. There were no amendments filed in the committee hearing that drastically altered the House Democrats budget proposal. But there were a number of changes made regarding spending priorities within the budget. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland has the highlights.
The special session called by Governor Mitch Daniels to pass a budget that failed during the regular legislative session is now underway. Those in attendance as the Indiana Legislature gaveled in the special session today got an early taste of how just how tense the upcoming debates may be. And, as Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports, it’s likely to be a time when lawmakers tackle more issues than just the state budget.
Indiana lawmakers return to the Statehouse today to begin the special session and ultimately, produce a budget before the new fiscal year begins July first. Education funding represents 55 to 60 percent of the new budget that will be debated. Politicians and lobbyists are already staking out positions on how much money schools will ultimately get. Yesterday, Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland spoke with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett about what he thinks are the chief education funding challenges facing Indiana. Today, we hear from Indiana State Teachers Association President Nate Schnellenberger.
Indiana lawmakers will return to the Statehouse tomorrow to begin the special session and ultimately, produce a budget before the new fiscal year begins on July first. What’s become clear is that one of the chief issues of contention will be funding for public education. Republicans and Democrats are drawing lines on how much money schools should get, which schools should get that money and where the money should come from. In this first of two interviews, Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland sits down with State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett, for a look at what he wants the ultimate results of the special session budget debate to be for Indiana schools.
With the special session beginning Thursday, Indiana House Democrats today shared their list of preferences for how money should be spent in the state’s next two year budget. They say the special session must result in a budget that avoids funding cuts for all of Indiana’s public schools while spending more on higher education. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels today shared the details of his state budget proposal with the bipartisan State Budget Committee that is preparing for the upcoming special session. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.
