Hope for solution?

INDIANAPOLIS — A bill authored by State Rep. Bill Davis is at the heart of current efforts to get Indiana House Democrats to return from Illinois and resume the legislative process.
Davis (R-Portland) is the author of House Bill 1216, one of several which Democrats say prompted their decision in February to bolt from the General Assembly and caucus in Urbana, Ill.
House Speaker Brian Bosma said Tuesday a number of accommodations have been made to Democratic leaders in an attempt to end the stalemate.
Those include taking Right to Work legislation off the table for this session and a number of changes in a school voucher program under consideration.
But Bosma said his phone conversations with Democratic minority leader Pat Bauer Tuesday morning had focused on H.B. 1216 and the changes Davis has been willing to make in the bill.
“We made the final offer,” Bosma said.
He expressed optimism Tuesday morning that the standoff was coming to an end, but by the end of the day Bauer had reiterated the Democrats’ resolve to stay in Illinois.
“It’s not easy trying to talk with folks when they’re in Urbana, Illinois, and you’re here,” said Davis.
As originally drafted, H.B. 1216 would have made significant changes in Indiana’s prevailing wage law for public construction projects.
Current law requires that virtually all such projects involve wages at union scale.H.B. 1216 would have exempted all public school and higher education construction projects from the union scale requirement and would have boosted the threshold on all projects from $150,000 to $1 million.
It also would have ended the practice of negotiating “project labor agreements” with unions prior to seeking construction bids.
In an effort to end the stalemate, Davis first agreed to amend his own bill to eliminate the exemption for public schools and higher education. He then agreed to lower the threshold to $500,000, then later dropped the number to $350,000.
Instead of ending “project labor agreements,” the amended bill would make the question of union wage scales a matter for approval by taxpayers during the required construction referendum.
“I haven’t talked to the governor about this,” Davis said. “But this is good public policy, and the governor is all about good public policy.”
Bosma said that in his talks with Bauer, “It has been difficult to meet a moving target.” With each change suggested by Republicans, Bauer has countered with new demands, he said.
“We’ve lost four critical weeks,” the speaker said. “There’s a chance that they’ll decide enough is enough. … I’m an eternal optimist.”
For his part, Davis said he believes the real factors motivating the Democrats in their absence are the budget and legislative redistricting rather than specific items like H.B. 1216.[[In-content Ad]]