On Tuesday, the Legislative Council met to assign topics for study during the Interim. The Council is made of 16 Legislators, including the Senate President Pro Tem, the House Speaker, and leaders from each of the GOP and DEM caucus from both the House and the Senate.
In all, they considered 157 topics that had been submitted by Legislators for consideration over the Interim, and ultimately took action to “authorize and direct 19 different legislative interim committees to deal with 66 topics and responsibilities.” Each Committee or Task Force is authorized to meet over the next several months and submit reports back to the Council prior to November 1st.
The next step in the process will be for caucus leaders to name the legislators to each of the Interim Committees. We’ll update you when those appointments are complete.
These are the committees/topics of interest to E-REP:
- State and Local Tax Review Task Force
- State’s near term and long term financial outlook and overall fiscal position
- State’s appropriation backed debt obligations
- The funded status of pension funds managed by the state, including methods to reduce the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the pre-1996 account within the IN State Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRF)
- The individual income tax, including methods to reduce or eliminate the individual income tax
- The corporate income tax
- The state gross retail and use tax, including a review of the state gross retail tax base
- The property tax, including methods to reduce or eliminate the tax on homestead properties and reduce or eliminate the tax on business personal property (BPP)
- Local option taxes, including the local income tax, food and beverage taxes, and innkeeper’s taxes
- Changing the qualification requirements for a civil taxing unit to be eligible for a levy increase in excess of limitations under IC 6-1.1-18.5-13(a)(2)
- Requiring certain projects of a political subdivision to be subject to (a) the petition and remonstrance process under IC 6-1.1-20 if the political subdivision’s total debt service tax rate is more than forty cents but less than 80 cents per one hundred dollars of assessed value; or (b) the referendum process under IC 6-1.1-20 if the political subdivision’s total debt service tax rate is at least eighty cents per one hundred dollars of assessed value
- Capping the total amount of operating referendum tax that may be levied by a school corporation
- The Maximum Levy Growth Quotient Formula (MLGQ)
- The use of an influence factor or assessed value deduction for assessment of excess residential acreage
- The movement of parcels between allocation areas
- The agricultural land base rate formula
- The use of debt by school corporations
- Funding Indiana’s Roads for a Stronger, Safer Tomorrow (FIRSST) Task Force
- Review state highway and major bridge needs
- Verify road and bridge needs at the local level
- Develop a long term plan for state highway and major bridge needs that addresses the ten points described in SEA 256, Section 23 and
- Will achieve the recommended pavement and bridge conditions
- Will complete the current statewide priority projects by finishing projects that have been started
- Includes Tier 1, 2, and 3 projects
- Using the model developed by INDOT, includes sustainable funding mechanisms for the various components of the plan
- Review the long term impact of electric and hybrid vehicles
- Develop a long term plan for local road and bridge needs
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force
- Conduct a study of:
- AI used, developed, or considered for use by state agencies and
- Recommendations issued by other state, institutional or academic bodies re: AI technology in government
- Assess documented and potential
- Benefits and risks to state agencies of use of AI technology
- Effects of state agency use of AI on the rights & interests of IN residents, including
- Constitutional and legal rights
- Privacy interests
- Employment
- Economic welfare
- Develop recommendations, utilizing best practices outlined by the Data Quality Campaign to improve the inter-branch and inter-agency collection, delivery, integrity, privacy, security, and usability of government data to achieve greater operational performance and efficiency of government services.
- Interim Committee on Education: steps that can be taken to improve school attendance & educational outcomes for students and the impact of absenteeism on school funding distributions; steps needed to enhance school discipline related to creating a safe environment & improving educational success
- Interim Committee on Fiscal Policy: review tax expenditure report in preparation for the biennial budget; continue the multi-year reviews of tax incentives reports, workforce related programs;
- Health Care Cost Oversight Task Force
- Oversight of healthcare costs
- Review corporate practice of medicine
- Interim Committee on Government: determine whether a group (authority, board, commission, committee, council, delegate, foundation, panel or task force established by statute w/at least 1 legislator assigned to it and not staffed by Legislative Services Agency) has met in the immediately preceding 2 years; identify all interstate compacts that IN is part of and consider whether to remain or withdraw, if withdraw, identify necessary steps.
- Medicaid Oversight Committee
- Review, consider, and make recommendations concerning the Medicaid program
The Council also determined that no topics would be assigned to these Committees/Task Forces:
- Agriculture & Natural Resources
- Commerce & Economic Development
- Elections
- Employment & Labor
- Environmental Affairs
- Financial Institutions & Insurance
- Public Policy
- Public Safety & Military Affairs
- Government Reform Task Force
- Land Use Task Force
At this time, no meetings are set for any Committees. We’ll be in touch as action begins later this Summer
Important Dates
- Tuesday, May 21: E-REP River Vision Reveal – Community Celebration
- Thursday, June 20: E-REP Lunch with the Governor