March 17, 2018 at 3:39 a.m.
Session stumbled on final night
Session stumbled on final night
With no budget to deal with an no obvious hot-button issue on the agenda, Rep. Greg Beumer and Sen. Travis Holdman expected a quiet session of the Indiana General Assembly.
For three-plus months, they were right.
And then Wednesday night happened.
The state legislature was left scrambling on the final day of its 2018 legislative session, running out of time to complete votes on bills regarding taxes, gun licenses, technology, school administration and school safety.
It was a scene that was referred to that evening as “chaotic” and “complicated.”
Holdman (R-Markle), who represents Jay County, explained that negotiations became difficult on a handful of bills that the legislature was working on during the final day. Among them was Gov. Eric Holcomb’s request for an additional $5 million in funding for school safety initiatives. The discussion there, Holdman said, revolved around where the money was going to come from.
Details of several of the bills were worked out, but the agreements came too late. (Holdman said that once a deal has been reached it takes about 90 minutes for the Senate to go through the procedure necessary to pass the bill.) Several of the bills passed in the Senate, but did not make it to the House floor for a vote prior to the midnight deadline.
Holdman said he has never seen anything like it in his decade in the legislature, adding that he feels Republicans need to take the blame given their supermajorities in both houses.
The wild final day led to Holcomb saying he would consider calling the legislature back into session. Holdman said he believes that will happen, probably in May when there is already a “technical corrections day” scheduled.
For three-plus months, they were right.
And then Wednesday night happened.
The state legislature was left scrambling on the final day of its 2018 legislative session, running out of time to complete votes on bills regarding taxes, gun licenses, technology, school administration and school safety.
It was a scene that was referred to that evening as “chaotic” and “complicated.”
Holdman (R-Markle), who represents Jay County, explained that negotiations became difficult on a handful of bills that the legislature was working on during the final day. Among them was Gov. Eric Holcomb’s request for an additional $5 million in funding for school safety initiatives. The discussion there, Holdman said, revolved around where the money was going to come from.
Details of several of the bills were worked out, but the agreements came too late. (Holdman said that once a deal has been reached it takes about 90 minutes for the Senate to go through the procedure necessary to pass the bill.) Several of the bills passed in the Senate, but did not make it to the House floor for a vote prior to the midnight deadline.
Holdman said he has never seen anything like it in his decade in the legislature, adding that he feels Republicans need to take the blame given their supermajorities in both houses.
The wild final day led to Holcomb saying he would consider calling the legislature back into session. Holdman said he believes that will happen, probably in May when there is already a “technical corrections day” scheduled.
Beumer (R-Modoc), who represents Jay and Randolph counties and part of Delaware County, said its likely the school safety bill would drive such a decision.
“If we are called into a special session … that bill will probably one of the main forces that brings about the special session,” he said. “When it was so unanimous in both the house and the senate that it was something we wanted, the optics of not doing that is almost too glaring to let it go.”
The bill that got the most publicity prior to this week was the change to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays. It’s a move the legislature had rejected for several years in a row. But it passed easily this year and already went into effect March 4.
Beumer pointed toward changing opinions, noting that respondents to his legislative survey question on the issue were against Sunday sales five years by a 55-45 margin. By this year, those numbers had flipped, a trend he said other legislators had seen as well.
“Over a five-year period of time, the thinking of my constituency base really did change,” said Beumer. “It’s not just that legislators had a change of heart. I think they really heard from their constituents.”
Holdman added that it became clear in a summer study committee this year that it was time to take action. That study committee will remain in place this year, and Holdman said he expects that more legislation to simply laws regarding alcohol sales will come up in 2019.
Beumer, who decided not to seek re-election this year, authored one bill that passed and was signed by the governor. It made adjustments to rules for chiropractors, including requiring at least 90 semester hours of education and earning a license.
Holdman authored a series of legislation that was signed by the governor, including bills that:
•Specify civil penalties for violations by child care providers of safe sleep related requirements.
•Make changes to regulations for notarial acts.
•Allow the director of the department of financial institutions to take certain actions concerning the use of technology for oversight and enforcement of compliance with the law concerning small loans.
•Call for study of taxes on short term rentals.
Beumer said he hopes to serve on study committees tasked with studying broadband and water quality this summer before he officially leaves the legislature in November. He was first sent to Indianapolis by a Republican caucus to serve the remainder of a term after Bill Davis resigned to lead the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs in 2013.
Holdman, who is facing a primary challenge from Eric Orr of Adams County, will serve on a study committee regarding tax issues, among others.
He is also one of two remaining candidates, along with Sen. Rod Bray (R-Martinsville) to take over for Sen. David Long as president pro tem of the senate. While no official action on that front can be taken until Long steps down — that is expected to happen in November — Holdman said he expects a designee to be selected during a May meeting.
“We need to know who’s going to be in place for fundraising and everything else that comes up,” he said. “We start hitting the road hard with fundraising across the state in July.”
“If we are called into a special session … that bill will probably one of the main forces that brings about the special session,” he said. “When it was so unanimous in both the house and the senate that it was something we wanted, the optics of not doing that is almost too glaring to let it go.”
The bill that got the most publicity prior to this week was the change to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays. It’s a move the legislature had rejected for several years in a row. But it passed easily this year and already went into effect March 4.
Beumer pointed toward changing opinions, noting that respondents to his legislative survey question on the issue were against Sunday sales five years by a 55-45 margin. By this year, those numbers had flipped, a trend he said other legislators had seen as well.
“Over a five-year period of time, the thinking of my constituency base really did change,” said Beumer. “It’s not just that legislators had a change of heart. I think they really heard from their constituents.”
Holdman added that it became clear in a summer study committee this year that it was time to take action. That study committee will remain in place this year, and Holdman said he expects that more legislation to simply laws regarding alcohol sales will come up in 2019.
Beumer, who decided not to seek re-election this year, authored one bill that passed and was signed by the governor. It made adjustments to rules for chiropractors, including requiring at least 90 semester hours of education and earning a license.
Holdman authored a series of legislation that was signed by the governor, including bills that:
•Specify civil penalties for violations by child care providers of safe sleep related requirements.
•Make changes to regulations for notarial acts.
•Allow the director of the department of financial institutions to take certain actions concerning the use of technology for oversight and enforcement of compliance with the law concerning small loans.
•Call for study of taxes on short term rentals.
Beumer said he hopes to serve on study committees tasked with studying broadband and water quality this summer before he officially leaves the legislature in November. He was first sent to Indianapolis by a Republican caucus to serve the remainder of a term after Bill Davis resigned to lead the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs in 2013.
Holdman, who is facing a primary challenge from Eric Orr of Adams County, will serve on a study committee regarding tax issues, among others.
He is also one of two remaining candidates, along with Sen. Rod Bray (R-Martinsville) to take over for Sen. David Long as president pro tem of the senate. While no official action on that front can be taken until Long steps down — that is expected to happen in November — Holdman said he expects a designee to be selected during a May meeting.
“We need to know who’s going to be in place for fundraising and everything else that comes up,” he said. “We start hitting the road hard with fundraising across the state in July.”
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