Farm Bureau Hosts Legislative Update
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Three state representatives, Dave Wolkins, Bill Ruppel and Bill Friend, and one state senator, Kent Adams, attended the legislative meeting at Kosciusko County Farm Bureau building Saturday, along with about 50 citizens.
The elected officials admitted promises had been broken, that certain accounts are being systematically plundered and funds earmarked to support certain programs are going to other causes under the current budget proposal.
Adams came up out of his seat when one voter suggested the general assembly is involved in deliberate theft and they ought to go home and allow the mob to run business.
He also offered an alternate scenario:
"Bring in four housewives with four children and a $30,000 per year income. They'll show you how to run the state," he said.
"We're only four of 150 people at the Capitol," Adams said, "and we're preaching to the choir."
The man asked how different the answers would be if there were four Democrats in the room instead of Republicans.
Prior to this exchange, the state representatives described a deficit budget coming out of the House Ways and Means Committee, one showing spending of $1.2 billion over revenues.
"They're stealing, ah, taking money out of your pockets," Wolkins said of his fellow politicians. "We'll take $200 million from the tobacco settlement and another $380 million from the Teacher's Retirement Fund."
The tobacco settlement money, expected for the next 25 years, has been earmarked to alleviate health care and prescription costs.
Wolkins said Gov. Frank O'Bannon plans to "securitize" the $150- to $160-million in tobacco money the state receives each year, getting 40 cents on the dollar.
Wolkins also commented he has yet to see any figures proving a 17-year, $280 million mistake in tax replacement credit balances, "overpaying" citizens the last two decades.
"I guarantee, if we weren't low on money no one would have found the 'mistake,'" Wolkins said.
Friend said there have been attempts to codify the supposed error, allowing it to remain on the books.
Ruppel, who serves on the House Alcohol, Gaming and Tobacco Committee, said if the current bills before the committee are approved Indiana will challenge Nevada as the number one gaming state in the U.S.
He said there are proposals to allow up to four slot machines in any establishment selling single drinks and another to make pull tabs available at off-track betting places as well as at the race tracks.
Friend commented that the proposed budget was not geared toward economic and job gain.
"There are lots of questions about it," he said. "What's the end purpose? We shouldn't live on credit from month-to-month."
He also spoke of broken promises, saying one third of the 3-cent gas tax increase, $35 million, was supposed to go to capital improvements, highway and local road funds, and is now going toward state police operations.
But the good news, they all agreed, is the budget will visit the Republican-dominated Senate in a couple of weeks and return to the House in a completely new form.
Senator Adams referred to a recent Warsaw Community School Corp. article in the Times-Union. In it WCSC proposed a plan to ask for more money; discussed a curriculum change from block scheduling to seven periods day; and firing eight teachers.
Adams said all education budgets will be limited.
He also said legislation allowing schools to transfer funds from debit service and transportation to the general fund would most likely be approved in the next couple of weeks. (See Adam's Letter to the Editor, page 5A.)
He said the local school corporation had until May 1 to make any changes in personnel and/or curriculum.
"Education has always been our highest priority," he said. "Sixty-seven percent of the general fund goes toward education. for K-12th grade students."
Indiana spends an average of $5,734 per student currently, a 49 percent increase in the last 10 years from the $3,861 spent per child in 1983.
"You folks need to get out and let your voice be heard," Adams said. "No one here has voted to raise taxes. We've stayed that course over the years." [[In-content Ad]]
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Three state representatives, Dave Wolkins, Bill Ruppel and Bill Friend, and one state senator, Kent Adams, attended the legislative meeting at Kosciusko County Farm Bureau building Saturday, along with about 50 citizens.
The elected officials admitted promises had been broken, that certain accounts are being systematically plundered and funds earmarked to support certain programs are going to other causes under the current budget proposal.
Adams came up out of his seat when one voter suggested the general assembly is involved in deliberate theft and they ought to go home and allow the mob to run business.
He also offered an alternate scenario:
"Bring in four housewives with four children and a $30,000 per year income. They'll show you how to run the state," he said.
"We're only four of 150 people at the Capitol," Adams said, "and we're preaching to the choir."
The man asked how different the answers would be if there were four Democrats in the room instead of Republicans.
Prior to this exchange, the state representatives described a deficit budget coming out of the House Ways and Means Committee, one showing spending of $1.2 billion over revenues.
"They're stealing, ah, taking money out of your pockets," Wolkins said of his fellow politicians. "We'll take $200 million from the tobacco settlement and another $380 million from the Teacher's Retirement Fund."
The tobacco settlement money, expected for the next 25 years, has been earmarked to alleviate health care and prescription costs.
Wolkins said Gov. Frank O'Bannon plans to "securitize" the $150- to $160-million in tobacco money the state receives each year, getting 40 cents on the dollar.
Wolkins also commented he has yet to see any figures proving a 17-year, $280 million mistake in tax replacement credit balances, "overpaying" citizens the last two decades.
"I guarantee, if we weren't low on money no one would have found the 'mistake,'" Wolkins said.
Friend said there have been attempts to codify the supposed error, allowing it to remain on the books.
Ruppel, who serves on the House Alcohol, Gaming and Tobacco Committee, said if the current bills before the committee are approved Indiana will challenge Nevada as the number one gaming state in the U.S.
He said there are proposals to allow up to four slot machines in any establishment selling single drinks and another to make pull tabs available at off-track betting places as well as at the race tracks.
Friend commented that the proposed budget was not geared toward economic and job gain.
"There are lots of questions about it," he said. "What's the end purpose? We shouldn't live on credit from month-to-month."
He also spoke of broken promises, saying one third of the 3-cent gas tax increase, $35 million, was supposed to go to capital improvements, highway and local road funds, and is now going toward state police operations.
But the good news, they all agreed, is the budget will visit the Republican-dominated Senate in a couple of weeks and return to the House in a completely new form.
Senator Adams referred to a recent Warsaw Community School Corp. article in the Times-Union. In it WCSC proposed a plan to ask for more money; discussed a curriculum change from block scheduling to seven periods day; and firing eight teachers.
Adams said all education budgets will be limited.
He also said legislation allowing schools to transfer funds from debit service and transportation to the general fund would most likely be approved in the next couple of weeks. (See Adam's Letter to the Editor, page 5A.)
He said the local school corporation had until May 1 to make any changes in personnel and/or curriculum.
"Education has always been our highest priority," he said. "Sixty-seven percent of the general fund goes toward education. for K-12th grade students."
Indiana spends an average of $5,734 per student currently, a 49 percent increase in the last 10 years from the $3,861 spent per child in 1983.
"You folks need to get out and let your voice be heard," Adams said. "No one here has voted to raise taxes. We've stayed that course over the years." [[In-content Ad]]