The Indiana General Assembly’s Legislative Council met today to assign topics for lawmakers to study during the 2023 legislative interim, said Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville).
The Legislative Council is comprised of eight members of the Indiana Senate and eight members of the Indiana House of Representatives. This year, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) is serving as chair and House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) is serving as vice-chair.
“The General Assembly’s study committees provide an important opportunity for lawmakers to take a deep dive on some of the more complicated issues we are working on at the Statehouse,” Bray said. “These bipartisan, bicameral committees will review a variety of topics from mental health issues among veterans, to crime trends, to traffic fatalities. I’m confident their work will provide a solid baseline for policymaking in the 2024 legislative session and beyond.”
Bray said of particular interest to all Hoosiers should be the State and Local Tax Review Task Force. The task force will undertake a holistic review of the state’s tax system and identify opportunities to improve it for Hoosiers.
“Fiscally conservative leadership at the Statehouse has continued to improve Indiana’s economic situation,” Bray added. “As we pay down our pension obligations and continue to see strong revenue performances, we need to prepare for our state’s financial future. That’s why I think it’s so important to conduct a full vetting of our tax system with the goal of identifying transformational opportunities to make it work better for all Hoosiers. This could mean significantly streamlining our state’s income tax, reducing property taxes on homes, or any number of other tax reforms, and I’m excited to get it underway.”
The task force is set to take place over the next two years, with recommendations due to the General Assembly ahead of the 2025 budget session.
Finally, Bray added that lawmakers will continue their work from the 2023 legislative session by studying Indiana’s high health care costs, reviewing Medicaid costs, services and possible changes in existing services, and continuing to plan for Indiana’s long-term major road and bridge needs.
House and Senate leaders will assign members to each study committee in the coming weeks. Committees will meet during the summer and fall months in preparation for the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
The resolution outlining the assigned topics can be found here.
