General Assembly Update
The General Assembly did not reach agreement on a biennial budget before the 2009 Regular Session ended April 29. Governor Daniels will call for a Special Session to begin on or about June 15. The General Assembly must act on a new budget before July 1; the current biennial budget ends June 30.
A Special Budget Sub-Committee began the process in mid-May by requesting an updated/revised revenue forecast and updated revenue receipts from the Indiana Department of Revenue. The information was delivered to the sub-committee and the Governor at the end of May. Governor Daniels will provide the sub-committee with his proposed budget in early June. The Special Budget Sub-Committee will meet to consider the Governor’s proposal and, hopefully, work out differences between his priorities and their priorities prior to the beginning of the Special Session.
Gaming issues likely will arise during the Special Session, particularly since legislators are dealing with the budget. Topping the list is a push by Lake County lawmakers to move one of two Gary casinos from Lake Michigan to the intersection of I-65 and the Borman Expressway and make it a land operation. The casinos at the Anderson and Shelbyville horse tracks want to add table games such as blackjack to their 2,000 slot machines. And, Fort Wayne is lobbying for a voter referendum that would let its residents decide whether they would like a casino in Allen County. Rising Sun and Ohio County oppose any change to the casinos at the Anderson and Shelbyville tracks; current operations at the Shelbyville casino have dramatically decreased Grand Victoria’s revenue and thus local governments’ revenue. Likewise, we are skeptical about any changes to the current gaming statute that would allow for land-based casinos in some areas and not others.
A major bill that dealt with several provisions for local government also failed to pass during the Regular Session. The proposal contained language regarding reassessment, referenda for capital projects, transfer of monies between funds and dates for local government budget adoption. These issues are expected to be acted upon during the Special Session, also.
Contact State Senator Johnny Nugent at 1-800-382-9467 and State Representative Bob Bischoff at 1-800-382-9842 for additional information about the Special Session or to express your opinion about legislation under consideration.
Ohio County Councilman Dill Dorrell meets with Rep Bob Bischoff (D-Lawrenceburg) at the Statehouse
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