STRAIGHT FROM THE SENATE

INTERIM STUDY COMMITTEE PROCESS WILL BEGIN IN EARNEST AT STATEHOUSE NEXT WEEK

STATEHOUSE – Even though Indiana does not have a full-time legislature like some states, there is no “summer vacation” observed at the Statehouse.
Our work doesn’t end when the final gavel falls in March or April. In fact, some of the most important efforts can occur during the summer and fall months when interim study committee meetings are conducted, a process that swings into high gear next week.

When the legislature is not in session full-time, lawmakers utilize these bipartisan interim study committees and commissions to conduct in-depth research into complex issues facing Hoosiers.

These meetings don’t usually receive the fanfare or media coverage of a regular legislative session, but often result in solutions and legislation that might otherwise go unaccomplished during the fast pace of the winter- and springtime legislative session.

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Next week, interim study committee activity will rev up in earnest on a variety of topics important to Hoosiers. Here is a list of interim study committees I will be watching closely:

Interim Study Committee on Economic Development: Will examine issues related to improving Indiana’s economic climate and tax system as well as the use and effectiveness of tax credits and deductions. Committee members will also discuss specific sectors of the economy for which Indiana might have comparative advantages over other states and possible improvements to state tax law that might encourage business investment. Other topics include the extent to which Indiana’s education system supports economic development. Committee members will also review unfair practice laws and how the use of stolen information technology is affecting law-abiding Hoosier businesses.
Interim Study Committee on Redistricting: Will examine ways to improve the state’s redistricting process, ensuring it is fair and accurate for drawing the 2021 legislative and congressional boundaries and explore the best practices of other states – including the option of establishing an independent commission to draw district maps in the future.

Joint Study Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Assessment and Solutions:  Will administer an in-depth, bipartisan legislative review of Indiana’s roads, bridges and rails. Members will assess Indiana’s transportation infrastructure, plan for future needs, discuss how best to inform governmental bodies of lengthy road closures due to construction and determine how to best fund projects.

Interim Study Committee on Education Issues: Will study how to improve graduation rates by reviewing best practices of other states and measuring the impact school counselors, teachers, administrators and parents have on achievement. Members will also examine superintendent compensation throughout Indiana and evaluate whether a statewide salary cap based upon the number of students per school district would be beneficial.

These are just a few of as many as 100 active committees, some of which may meet as many as three or four times before the Indiana General Assembly’s “Organization Day” in November. Testimony will be taken from a number of experts on a variety of topics. Recommendations for legislation that will be considered in the 2012 legislative session are often voted on by the committee members.

Many of these meetings are available to view online at www.in.gov/legislative/pdf/INTERIMCAL.PDF as they happen. More information about committee topics, schedules and agendas is available at www.in.gov/legislative/interim via your computer.

It’s all part of what I view as a great legislative process in Indiana. We are indeed blessed as Hoosiers to have a “citizens’ legislature” which means the 100 representatives and 50 senators do not spend most of their time here at the Statehouse.

Unlike our neighbors in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, where serving in the legislature is practically a full-time job, we spend most of our time in our hometowns, working our regular jobs, living under the state laws that we help craft.

And you are an important part of this citizens’ legislature process. Please feel free to contact me about any of the issues discussed during these meetings. I am always just a phone call or mouse click away. You can share your views by emailing me at senator.long@iga.in.gov or by calling 1-800-382-9467.

Sen. David Long (R-Fort Wayne) is President Pro Tem of the Indiana Senate. He serves District 16, which includes portions of Fort Wayne.