FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR DAVID LONG
Now that the 2004 Legislative Session is over, there are some critics who are dismissing the Session as a waste of time, where nothing important was accomplished. Of course, those critics, such as the Indianapolis Star, have an agenda they want passed, and obviously, that agenda didn’t. The agenda would include Full Day Kindergarten and Daylight Savings. Full Day Kindergarten failed because the State is broke, and a compelling argument could be made that passing the measure was virtually guaranteeing a tax increase. The concept has broad support, but not until there is money in the Treasury to pay for it.
As for Daylight Savings Time, the idea went nowhere because the bill came out in mid-Session, and without a groundswell of support. Also, it would have caused the State to go to Central time. I happen to be someone who believes Daylight Savings has much to offer, but not in Central Time. Consider this: Summer would remain the same as it is now, while in Winter, the sun would come up an hour earlier, and set an hour earlier. That means it would get dark around 4PM in late December! No, if we ever get to Daylight Savings time, it should be Eastern time. That way, in Summer, we’d have an extra hour of daylight in the evening, allowing for major energy savings, less crime, more family time, more dollars spent recreationally, etc. Winter would remain the same as it is now, which is fine with me. But don’t get too worked up over the issue, because until the proponents of Daylight Savings time come up with a major advertising campaign that sells the concept to the people, there will still be too many skeptics to get the law changed. And that type of advertising effort doesn’t seem to be on the horizon!
But aside from these two issue that didn’t pass, many did that will help our area. For instance, a bill that I authored which gave new economic incentives for Community Revitalization and Enhancement Districts (CRED) passed decisively. It should provide a strong shot in the arm to our CRED districts at Southtown Mall and Downtown. In fact, the changes my bill made for the Southtown CRED district have a good chance to accelerate the groundbreaking for a Menard’s store by this Summer, which could in turn lead to the development of another large box store such as a Meijer. That would certainly be a major upgrade for the area, and a huge boost for commerce on the south side of town.
Additionally, our area delegation was able to get Senate Bill 19 passed, which should prove to be a big help to Steel Dynamics in overcoming some expensive transportation problems. The new law, authored by Senator Bud Meeks, will allow the company to access a new, more economical truck route that will in turn reduce the cost of transporting finished products to their various markets. By doing this, we are helping one of the best new companies in our region to succeed, which in turn will help create a better opportunity for additional expansion and job creation.
Senate Bill 223, my bill that will allow the State to study the potential consolidation of local government, passed as well. This will create a two year study of the financing of local government in Indiana, analyzing how local government operates today, and what options are out there to change. It will also allow our state to study how other states and communities have tackled this thorny issue, including Louisville and Lexington Kentucky; Jacksonville, Florida; and Kansas City, Missouri. Whether we ultimately change things dramatically in the operation and makeup of our local government, or just make some important tweaks, is uncertain. Regardless, I believe we can and must run our local government better, and less expensively, than we do today. This comprehensive study should help determine whether or not that premise is true.
Finally, we passed a pilot tax abatement program for logistical equipment (software, racking, sorting, conveyors, forklifts, etc) for businesses involved in distribution that impacts the following counties: Allen, Huntington, Wells, Grant, Delaware, and Madison. This should provide a genuine boost to the continuing effort to develop our region into a powerhouse transportation hub for this part of the Midwest. Slowly, with laws like this and the elimination of the inventory tax, we are modernizing our tax code and economic development arsenal that will allow us to not only compete with states like Michigan and Ohio, but actually make our region a more favorable place to do business. That means a growing economy, and new, good paying jobs, something we must continually strive for each and every day.
There were other economic development initiatives that also passed, including making the research and development tax credit permanent, and creating a new Emerging Technology and Grant Fund program which will match federal grants to businesses engaged in the life sciences, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and logistics. These are the types of businesses that northeast Indiana must nurture and develop in order to revitalize the local economy.
So pay no attention to those who would suggest the 2004 Session was a waste of time. Far from it, at least from the perspective of Allen County and northeast Indiana!
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