Post Session Post Mortem – Part 1

Now that the 2022 Legislative Session has adjourned, Indy Politics is getting reaction from various sections across Indiana’s political and business landscape to get their reactions to how things went…

Kyle Hupfer, Indiana GOP Chairman

• “In short time, Gov. Holcomb and the Republican-led legislature have once again delivered results for Hoosiers.  Whether it’s expanding eligibility so that more Hoosier taxpayers can receive the automatic taxpayer refund, passing a tax cut plan that will let Hoosiers keep more of their hard-earned money, ensuring that our elections will be safer and more secure, or responsibly ending the public health emergency, Republicans demonstrated what solutions-centered leadership looks like.  And it’s this type of leadership that will continue to Build One Indiana for All.”

Lauren Ganapini, Executive Director Indiana Democratic Party

• “The Indiana Republican Party cemented themselves as the Culture War Party with the 2022 legislative session. Any policy they touched was more about fulfilling a national, partisan agenda than delivering for Hoosiers. Instead of focusing on kitchen-table issues like lowering gas prices, strengthening public schools, and ‘backing the blue’, the Indiana GOP put politics in our classrooms, attacked law enforcement, and handed big business another tax break. The 2022 elections will be about who can create a better future for Hoosier families, and the Democrats’ record of creating jobs, expanding broadband, and supporting law enforcement will top any divisive culture war the GOP will tout on the campaign trail this fall.” – 

Evan McMahon, Chairman Libertarian Party of Indiana

• “The Republican super majority failed to address real tax relief for working Hoosiers, failed to protect medical freedom, failed to reign in emergency powers, and struggled to the last minute to pass constitutional carry. While the Democrats were calling for the gas tax (one of the highest in the country) to be suspended… it’s a topsy-turvy world and should leave voters asking themselves what the Republicans in the Statehouse actually stand for.”

Chris Watts, Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute

• “In the near term, taxpayers get to keep a few extra dollars a year beyond this year’s automatic income tax refund. But we may not know the real impact of the last ten weeks for another ten years – will Indiana start the 2030s with budgets boxed in by an over-reliance on our sales tax? Will we keep up investments in education and workforce development to attract high-skill, high-paying jobs to Innovation Districts around the state, if they’re renewed after 2025? And we’ll see this year’s legislative commitment to paying down teacher pension debt pay off..how will future lawmakers capitalize on the extra billion dollars a year in savings?  This was certainly a consequential non-budget session, but we’ll have to wait for some of these answers.”

Andy Downs, Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics – Purdue University Ft. Wayne

• “This session appears to have been a return to what used to be considered normal. For example, there were over 800 bills introduced which is in line with previous non-pandemic short sessions and the statehouse was the center of legislative activity. There were two issues that deserve attention and analysis going forward.   The first is the passage of a bill that eliminated the requirement for a permit to carry a handgun in public. The issue is not surprising. It is an issue with quite a bit of national attention. What is surprising is the passage in spite of what appeared to be a lack of support from law enforcement and constituents in many districts. We will have to wait to see if there are any electoral ramifications and what it means for the issues the Indiana General Assembly passes in the future.  The other issue is the tax breaks. The General Assembly usually leaves fiscal issues for the long session when the budget is passed. We are living in interesting times and there certainly have been reasons for governments to respond to issues more immediately these days. An argument can be made there was a need for action now regarding taxes and the revenue surplus. An argument also can be made that this opens up a little bit more the possibility of discussing taxing and spending on an annual basis.  The short session doesn’t appear to be just for those things that popped up or dragged on from the long session.”

Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber President and CEO

• “The legislative session concluded overall in a good place for the rights of businesses, for the state’s economy and for talent attraction and growth. But the Senate’s failure to support a tax cut that would strengthen the state’s manufacturing sector is a head-scratcher given Indiana’s incredibly strong finances.” 

Brian Burton, President/CEO Indiana Manufacturers Association

• “The message from IMA members has been clear: While Indiana has a great business tax climate, making equipment and technology upgrades is expensive in Indiana compared to other states, and that has economic consequences for Indiana’s largest industry sector, manufacturing,.  Governor Holcomb, Speaker Huston and Ways and Means Chairman Brown listened to those concerns and supported a solution that gradually reduced the cost of those investments. Unfortunately, the Senate decided to listen to local government and opposed this provision. This was a missed opportunity to help businesses of all sizes. The Indiana Manufacturers Association will continue to support efforts to promote pro-growth policies that focus on private-sector investment and help all Indiana businesses.” 

Matt Greller, Accelerating Indiana Municipalities

• “As with any legislative session there are accomplishments and disappointments.  However, this session really stands out as one where we saw increased collaboration and a willingness to really dig into our concerns with various key pieces of legislation.  Actions such as halting a move to reduce Indiana’s business personal property tax, stopping a move to increase costs for the use of eminent domain, and increasing local participation in the new Innovation Development Districts, are just a few examples of the positive outcomes we saw as a result of this collaboration.  We are excited to continue our work in the off-session to advance the partnership between local units of government and state leaders.  Cities and towns are Indiana’s hubs of innovation and economic growth.  Continuing to work together will benefit all Hoosiers and give us the best leg up in the race for talent that is so critical to our success.”

Ryan Mears, Marion County Prosecutor

• “The requirement of a carry permit is a critical component in investigating and prosecuting violent crimes. And it is disheartening that the Indiana General Assembly has been determined to push this bill forward, despite the volumes of testimony against it.  This simply is bad policy, that represents a significant step backward in our fight against violent crime.”

Guy Relford – 2A Project

• “On behalf of the members of The 2A Project, we are thrilled that Constitutional Carry has finally passed in both the House and the Senate in the Indiana General Assembly.   We particularly appreciate the fact that so many legislators acknowledged the basic fact that Indiana residents should not have to beg permission from the government to exercise a right already guaranteed to them by both the U.S. and Indiana Constitutions — the right to bear arms.  We are also thankful that those legislators were able to see through the misinformation being spread about this bill and understand that Constitutional Carry in no way endangers members of law enforcement or the general public – a fact clearly established by the experience of the twenty-one other states that have already adopted Constitutional Carry.   We now call on Gov. Eric Holcomb to sign the bill into law without delay.”

Jason Straw – Indiana NORML

• “Another legislative session wasted— instead of helping Hoosiers, legislative leaders resisted cannabis legislation, poorly positioning Indiana as a cannabis ‘no-man’s land.   Overall Indiana saw little, if any, progress to update Indiana cannabis laws because leadership in the Indiana General Assembly is resistant to even hear legislation. Until the Speaker of the House, Todd Huston (R-Indianapolis), and Senate President Pro Tempore, Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville), allow cannabis bills a committee hearing, Indiana will lose out to the 37 other states which have already acted.  “We look forward to working with all parties to prepare and educate the legislature to reform Indiana’s cannabis laws.”

ISTA President Keith Gambill

• “We’re thankful for all of the work by educators, public education advocates, and the coalition of organizations this session to defeat legislation that would have been harmful to students, educators, and the state.  From the first day of session, ISTA members wanted lawmakers to address their working and student’s learning conditions. Instead of building on the good efforts to address teacher pay last session, legislative leaders chose to dedicate so much time and energy catering to a radical national political narrative and culture war. ISTA and our members want to work with policymakers over the summer and the days leading up to the next session to create policy that unites us and benefits all students.”

Betsy Wiley – Hoosiers for Quality Education

•  “Modest progress along with some missed opportunities is what occurred for K-12 education during this short, non-budget session. Progress is mostly made when lawmakers focus on students’ academic success versus other issues. This session saw the establishment of the Indiana enrichment program to provide some extra help to students who are not yet proficient in English or math. We also saw legislation pass to help with teacher shortages and expand diversity in the classroom through a new adjunct-teachers program. Those are some ‘wins’ for sure, but there is still much to do – we missed opportunities to bring more equitable funding to charter school students and expand options for more Hoosier families.  Overall, the session was a mixed bag, and my experience is that more progress on student academic achievement occurs in the long, budget-writing sessions of the Indiana General Assembly. That is when the most significant work gets done and that is what I expect as we look toward 2023.”

• “Let’s be honest about what happened here: a group of lawmakers exploited the public’s legitimate concerns about public safety to target a charity and protect the interests of the bail bond industry.  The end result will be more poor people sitting in jail at taxpayer expense without having been convicted of anything and not getting the services they need—services that can actually enhance public safety.  This legislation neither solves any meaningful problems nor does it make Indianapolis any safer.  It is hypocritical, ineffective, doesn’t embrace real bail reform, but represents only surface-level politics and personal political ambition.”

Bryan Hannon, Chair of Tobacco Free Indiana 

• “Yesterday, the legislature did a big favor for Big Tobacco by passing legislation that will lower tax rates and maintain loopholes for some of the very products that the tobacco industry has used to addict Hoosier kids.   The tobacco industry’s agenda – tucked inside a broader piece of tax legislation – is a significant setback for public health that will keep dangerous and addictive tobacco products like e-cigarettes and some other tobacco products easily accessible to our kids.  Lowering the tax, and therefore the price, of tobacco products is one major way for the tobacco industry to protect their bottom line, addict people with cheap products, and keep them addicted. This unfortunate legislation places the interests of Big Tobacco ahead of the health of Hoosiers.  That is why we urge Governor Holcomb to veto this legislation.”  

Hannah Carlock, ARC of Indiana

• “The Arc of Indiana walked away from the 2022 legislative session realizing we have a lot of education to do, specifically in the Senate, on the issues important to the over 100,000 Hoosiers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Certainly, we were deeply disappointed in how the special education issues were impacted by the process, but even issues like the ABLE account legislation showed that we need to do a better job of making sure people with disabilities and their families connect and share their stories with legislators.”

Randy Kron, Indiana Farm Bureau  President

• “One of the more contested issues at the Statehouse for members this year was carbon sequestration legislation. With help from INFB members, stopping SB 265 and HB 1249 protected property rights for landowners’ future use of their property below the surface. INFB worked with BP, National Petroleum Council, Purdue University, CountryMark and Indiana Department of Natural Resources on language in a third bill, HEA 1209, that sufficiently addresses the property rights concerns from the other two bills.  Advocating for agriculture has always been Farm Bureau’s priority. “We are only as successful as our grassroots, and INFB members made sure their voices were heard by staying connected with legislators and engaged in the legislative process this session.”