On a 52 – 47 vote, the House passed HB 1472 which eliminates the Indiana Office of Management and Budget and transfers its duties to the budget agency.
The fiscal impact statement gives at least a little background to this bill. The OMB was created by the 2005 budget bill when the Republicans controlled both houses of the legislature and the Governor’s office. The OMB reviews executive department budgets and functions and reports directly to the Governor. The State Budget Agency gives some information about itself at its website, then directs the reader that “more information about the State Budget Agency can be found in Article 12, Chapter 1 of the Indiana Code;” cleverly neglecting to disclose the proper Title of the Indiana Code. (It’s IC 4-12-1).
The short version seems to be that the budget agency has more direct ties to the legislature and has at least one deputy directory who is of a different political party than the budget director. A turf war between the House and the Governor that probably won’t survive the Senate. In any case, I’d welcome corrections if I’m missing the real dynamic of this bill.
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