The chaotic conclusion of the 2018 session of the Indiana General Assembly was extremely unusual, according to a retiring Columbus lawmaker.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that in my 12 years,” said State Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus.
Smith was referring to House and Senate leaders pointing fingers at each other Wednesday for allowing a handful of tax, gun, technology and school bills to die.
State Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, said his experiences left him exhausted and emotionally drained.
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“It seems like every year we’re seeing higher emotions, and having less patience with each other,” Walker said. “There was unprofessional behavior displayed by only a few people, but it created a ripple effect where it made it very hard to get our work done.”
Walker followed the lead of Republican Senate leader David Long by specifically singling out the bad behavior of State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.
But the Columbus senator disagreed with allegations made by House Speaker Brian Bosma that an emerging power struggle surrounding the pending retirement of Senate leader David Long added to the chaotic atmosphere.
“I just think the speaker was looking for an excuse for why his chamber was behind the ball,” Walker said.
Walker summarized the final day of the General Assembly this way: “The Senate had its things it wanted to pass, and the House didn’t agree. There was a standoff and we ran out of time.”
Lawmakers also were plagued by computer problems caused by attempting to push through too much legislation in a short period of time, the senator said.
Walker said he was most happy to see an increase in public school funding approved in the 11th hour.
However, his biggest regret is that there were only limited improvements approved for workforce development, due largely to concern that proposed changes could possibly threaten federal funds.
Both Smith and Walker say they expect many concerns that weren’t handled by lawmakers will be competently handled by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
“Nothing died at the end of the session that we can’t wait a year on,” Smith said.
However, Walker said he would support Holcomb if the governor called back lawmakers to provide additional funding to improve school security.
Smith’s frustrating moments included seeing lawmakers attempt to attach 25 new liquor licenses to an unrelated bill earlier this week. Those licenses were removed after the Columbus lawmaker refused to support the measure, he said.
But when a bill on CBD oil was stripped, and replaced with two gun proposals — including a measure earlier proposed by Smith — he said that “happens all the time in conference committee.”
In contrast, Walker was far more critical about House Bill 1214 being replaced with language to eliminate handgun license fees and allowing churchgoers to carry guns to worship services on school grounds.
“These were stand-alone issues, but the House neglected to debate them,” Walker said. “That’s because they were sensitive issues where House members didn’t want to go through the public process and have them challenged.”
The last-minute attempt to ease up on Indiana’s gun regulations created “unnecessary anxiety, confusion and showed a lack of respect for the process,” Walker said.
When Smith was told that House Minority Leader Terry Goodin, D-Austin, accused Republicans of total mismanagement, he wasn’t surprised.
“If I were Terry Goodin, I would probably say the same thing,” Smith said. “But the fact is that every single one of the legislators played a part in lawmakers running out of time.”
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The following are major bills initially authored by the two lawmakers representing Columbus introduced during the 2018 Indiana General Assembly. Bills approved by both chambers are in bold.
State Sen. Greg Walker
» SB 68: Creates an Internet crimes investigation fund – Passes Senate unanimously, but dies in a House committee.
» SB 155: Allows early ballot cast by deceased Hoosier to be counted – Passes Senate 45-2, but dies in a House committee.
» SB 166: Requires reporting on erroneous worker classifications – Passes Senate unanimously, but dies in a House committee.
SB 257: Allows sales tax on downloaded software sales – Approved by both chambers.
» SB 325: Changes incremental finance charge limits on a small loan to a maximum annual rate – Dies in committee.
» SB 326: Calls for establishing redistricting criteria – Dies in committee.
SB 327: Ensures counties follow new election security measures – Approved by both chambers.
» SB 328: Lowers restrictions on candidates to have names placed on ballots – Defeated 17-31 in the Senate.
SB 369: Limits reimbursement for certain drugs by worker compensation and occupational disease compensation groups – Approved by both chambers.
» SB 396: Provides property tax exemption for certain disabled veterans – Dies in committee.
State Rep. Milo Smith
» HB 1011: Refunds for sports fans offended by kneeling players – Dies in committee.
» HB 1241: Provides a tax credit to those who relocate to Indiana to accept high demand, unfilled jobs – Dies in committee.
» HB 1254: Allows cities to annex non-contiguous property – Dies in committee.
» HB 1422: Allows carrying of handguns by worshipers in church/school settings – Dies in committee.
This list does not include bills where the lawmakers’ names were either added as co-authors at a later date, or listed as sponsors.
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