Niki Kelly has an article on the unusual action taken with respect to HB 1010 on Organization Day where the General Assembly suspended their rules to rush through a bill to legalize retroactively the actions taken by Governor Daniels with respect to property tax matters.
The bill legalized three major actions taken by the governor during the summer to help abate the property tax crisis in some areas. This includes extending the deadline for the homestead credit, extending the deadline for local governments to adopt a new local option income tax and clarifying that property appraisals are not needed to appeal a home’s assessed value.
The legislation also contains a provision that eliminates the requirement that rebate amounts first be applied to tax amounts owed by delinquent tax debtors. Apparently the process of checking tax delinquencies was going to hold up the rebate process. Local government is permitted, however, to adopt an ordinance requiring payment of delinquent taxes before the rebate check goes out.
I can’t get too riled up about the substantive changes made by this legislation, but generally I disapprove of this kind of slap-dash, after the fact legislating. The law loses its value if it’s unstable and subject to rapid change, even retroactive change.
Reading your headline, I thought this was going to be about people from Mexico…
HB 1010 contains county-specific legislation with regards to Lake County and the COIT, and is therefore unconstitutional. Check out my blog for details.