Everybody’s favorite economist, Larry DeBoer, in his news column Capital Comments, provides a nice overview of the state budget and how the projected revenue increase, $1.6 billion, might be used.

He lists the Big Four items that constitute about 80% of the budget: 1) K-12 education; 2) Higher education; 3) Medicaid; and 4) Property tax relief. K-12 wants a 4% increase, higher ed wants about a 3% increase, Medicaid is expected to rise at about 8% but the Governor thinks he can make due with 5%, and property tax relief is a work in progress but Prof. DeBoer is thinking probably $450 million. So, with the Big Four accounted for, we’re already at about $1.375 billion. If the other 20% of the budget just keeps up with inflation – about 3%, we get savings at about 10% (up from the current 9%) of the budget for the next recession, and throw in full day kindergarten, we’re looking at a need of about $2.4 billion in new money. So, from that standpoint, we’re about $800 million off.

Senate Bill 0170 – Legislative Compensation. Sen. Delph.

This creates a committee that would make a recommendation on how legislators should be compensated. It then places a non-binding referendum question on the 2008 ballot that states:

Vote for only one (1) of the following statements:
Members of the Indiana General Assembly should receive compensation and benefits that are provided under current law.

Members of the Indiana General Assembly should receive compensation and benefits as recommended by the Legislative Compensation and Benefits Advisory Commission.

How many voters do you figure will know what compensation has been recommended by the commission? Maybe 150?

[tags]SB170-2007, legislative compensation[/tags]

Senate Bill 0164 – Sen Boots:

Driver’s license suspension for minors who smoke. Permits a court to order a: (1) one year suspension of a driver’s license of; or (2) a six month delay in the issuance of a driver’s license to; a minor who violates tobacco laws.

This might be a good idea, but the day is going to come when any infraction by a minor of any type will result in a suspended license. Certainly smoking and driving don’t seem to be related to one another.

[tags]SB164-2007, BMV[/tags]

SB 173 – Nuisance actions. Sen Jackman

Requires a court to award reasonable costs and attorney’s fees to an agricultural or industrial operation that successfully defends a nuisance action.

This looks like a follow up to Sen Jackman’s bill a couple of years ago that immunized agricultural operations when they changed from smaller part-time affairs to bigger full-time affairs, defining that not to be a “significant change.”

Under the new law, I suppose, if a neighbor were to file a nuisance suit against an agricultural operation which had been in continuous operation for more than a year but then switched owners and switched to a major confined feeding operation and then the neighbor lost because of the immunity conferred by Sen. Jackman’s prior legislation, then the neighbor would have to pay the attorney’s fees of the confined feeding operation. Nice.

[tags]SB173-2007, CAFO[/tags]