FEIGENBAUM: Statehouse looks to Pence and his mighty pen
Indianapolis government bill among those the governor must decide to accept or reject.
Ed Feigenbaum
Articles
FEIGENBAUM: Legislative session notable for minimal acrimony
When partisanship did rear its head—Indianapolis Democrats charged a GOP “power grab” in negotiations over changes in Marion County government structure—it was not disruptive.
FEIGENBAUM: Upbeat forecast paves way for final deals
Prodding by legislative leaders and an epidemic of Hoosier common have led to compromises on contentious issues.
FEIGENBAUM: GOP stranglehold hasn’t squelched debate
For a Legislature dominated by a Republican super-majority and with a Republican governor doing more now than just watching from the cheap seats, you should be surprised by the uncertainty over the shape—and even the fate—of several significant bills this late in the process.
FEIGENBAUM: Legislative deadline spawns flurry of activity
In one 48-hour stretch early in the first week of April, lawmakers provided a truer lay of the session land than in all the days leading up to it.
FEIGENBAUM: Gambling predicament worse than feared
Gambling revenue for 2012 was down more than $110 million from 2010, and year-over-year revenue has tumbled in three consecutive years.
FEIGENBAUM: All eyes looking to crucial mid-April revenue forecast
We’re just a few short weeks from the mid-April revenue forecast, the critical non-political, non-policy factor that will shape the fiscal 2014-2015 budget—and a handful of other big-buck key bills.
FEIGENBAUM: Geography, more than attitude, may shape fiscal debate
We learned just over a year ago that the veteran House fiscal leadership would be a vestige of the past when the 2013 session began.
FEIGENBAUM: General Assembly is Senate-centric this term
Cynics might suggest the General Assembly really hasn’t accomplished much since convening in January. While that’s a tad unfair, the session does seem unusual.
FEIGENBAUM: Battles yet to be fought over handful of divisive bills
We’ve made it halfway through the 2013 legislative session with much less in the way of figurative fisticuffs than in the last several sessions—for which the participants and observers seem grateful.
FEIGENBAUM: Pence, lawmakers of both parties have played nice so far
As the General Assembly passes its first major milestone in the 2013 session—the final round of committee hearings in a bill’s chamber of origin—we’re picking up a few insights into the dynamics that likely will guide the remaining two months.
FEIGENBAUM: Budget negotiations will center on education, health care
You’ve heard the talk that the bottom-line reason for the General Assembly to meet this year is to fashion a two-year budget that will carry the state through June 30, 2015.
FEIGENBAUM: Pence quietly departing from Daniels’ playbook
One month into the administration of Republican Gov. Mike Pence, you can hold one truth to be self-evident: He’s not the second coming of his predecessor, Mitch Daniels.
FEIGENBAUM: Key issues still taking shape in Legislature
Legislative events aren’t proceeding according to a recognizable formula so far, leaving the coming months difficult to predict.
FEIGENBAUM: Key issues not illuminated in Pence address
Many lawmakers and other observers had expected this year’s State of the State speech to add key details to Gov. Mike Pence’s roadmap—effectively serving as a GPS of sorts for lawmakers seeking to divine the route taken and the destinations visited on the journey promised on inauguration day.
FEIGENBAUM: Range of non-fiscal issues may take center stage
While taxes and spending (and related work-force and economic development matters) will consume the bulk of legislative attention in coming months, several other major issues will dot—or blot—the agenda, and should bear your attention.
FEIGENBAUM: Budget issues will drive almost every legislative debate
Now that you are no longer distracted by an Indianapolis Colts playoff drive (sigh), it’s time to get up to speed on the key issues the Indiana General Assembly will confront over the next four months.
FEIGENBAUM: What does the 2013 session have in store for you?
The 2012 elections brought us a new Republican governor, a GOP House and Senate super-majority for the first time in a generation, and the first Democrat elected to a state office other than governor since 2000.
FEIGENBAUM: Unusual circumstances could stir Indiana General Assembly
When lawmakers reconvene Jan. 7 for the 2013 legislative session, they will do so under a unique structure: a new Republican governor and Republican super-majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly.
FEIGENBAUM: Lawmakers did much more than pass right to work
While some editorial writers suggest legislators accomplished little of consequence this session, and House Democrats lament lost opportunities to restore education funding and fix child services programs, we actually experienced a remarkably productive final four weeks.