From the Shelbyville News:
...
Republican State Sens. Michael Crider of Greenfield and Jean Leising of Oldenburg, who split representing the northern and southern parts of Shelby County in the Senate, and State Rep. Sean Eberhart of Shelbyville all expressed pleasure over the passage of the biennial budget but regrets over exclusions in the gaming bill that will cost the state 600 new jobs and thousands of dollars in revenue from its two racinos.
Budget
Combined with the elimination of the state inheritance tax retroactive to Jan. 1, the three believed the 5 percent income tax rate (3 percent beginning in 2015 and another 2 percent cut beginning in 2017) won't adversely impact the state's ability to pay for the significant increases included for education and transportation and in fact included a comfortable $2 billion cushion in reserves at the end of the biennium.
"I think that tells you that we funded every program we thought was at the top of our list," Eberhart said of the reserve, which included reaching an all-time high for education spending and money for local and state road and bridges.
"Plus, the biggest tax cut that we've ever had," he said, adding that it is the best budget he's seen since his involvement with the Indiana legislature.
"I was pretty pleased with that the final product was," Crider said. "I think it's like most of the bills that we work with. Nobody got everything they wanted exactly, but there were some compromises reached."
Crider didn't have to compromise, however, with his sportsman's benevolence bill, which passed the General Assembly and was signed into law by the governor Tuesday.
The new law encourages hunters to donate the game they kill to feed the hungry of Indiana.
"We ended up with $150,000 per year in the budget for that project," Crider said.
Gaming
Under the threat of veto, a Senate gaming bill designed to help the state's casinos compete with out-of-state gaming facilities was altered by House committees eliminating the inclusion of live gaming tables at the state's two racinos and allowing racinos to move inland on their properties. A subsequent conference committee failed to reinstall them moving forward the bill that kept free play and tax incentives.
Pence had objected to the two incentives calling them an expansion of gaming in Indiana, something he would not support.
Eberhart said the governor's veto threat eliminated any support he had for the live dealers aspect of the bill.
"I think its wrong for us to bow to a threat like that," he said, adding that a foundation was created nonetheless proving the two items were not an expansion of the industry.
Leising, who was a co-author of the bill, called the eliminations "the biggest disappointment of the session."
Crider said he and some other legislators were confused over the governor's position.
"I think that's the part that those of us that have casinos in our districts were the most confused about," he said. "That it would be an expansion of gaming."
http://www.shelbynews.com/articles/2013/05/04/news/doc518406f886abb246486003.txt
