E-mail from Aaron Smith, Watchdog Indiana, sent February 4, 2010:
Hello Watchdogs,
The General Assembly has reached the midpoint of the 2010 session. Watchdog Indiana has identified 17 House and Senate bills that have the potential to significantly impact the state and local tax burden of Hoosier working families. Sixteen of these significant bills are Taxpayer Friendly!
The big “win” for Watchdog Indiana is the early passage of HJR 1, which gives voters statewide the opportunity on November 2 to amend the Indiana Constitution to (1) make the 1% – 2% – 3% property tax caps permanent and (2) protect homestead property tax deductions from legal challenge.
Fourteen bills included in the Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agenda are still moving through the legislative process. Some of these bills are likely to be combined in conference about a month from now at the end of the General Assembly session. Watchdog Indiana conveys its opinions on every Legislative Agenda bill through numerous committee testimonies and timely E-mails sent to every General Assembly member.
The Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agenda is summarized as follows:
Property Taxes: Taxpayer Friendly
HJR 1 Constitutional Amendment (passed and ready for enrollment)
SJR 1 Constitutional Amendment (further action not needed because HJR 1 passed)
HB 1004 Property Taxes
HB 1086 Tax and Expenditure Administration
HB 1149 Property Tax Replacement Plan (died in committee)
SB 239 Property Tax Matters
SB 253 Constitutional Amendment Ballot Language
SB 396 Agricultural Land AssessmentEthics Reform: Taxpayer Friendly
HB 1001 Lobbyists and Campaign Contributions
HB 1075 Public Access Improvements
SB 114 Government EthicsLocal Government Reform: Taxpayer Friendly
HB 1181 Township Trustee and Board Referendum
SB 240 Local Government
SB 241 Local Government IssuesK-12 Education: Taxpayer Friendly
SB 258 Reading Skills
SB 309 School Corporation Fund TransfersSB 324 Constitutional Amendment Explanation Summaries: Taxpayer UNfriendly
Complete information on these Legislative Agenda bills, including the reasons for their Taxpayer Friendly designation, and can be found here.
Please respond to this E-mail and share your opinions regarding the Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agenda.
More importantly, please contact your State Representative and State Senator and let them know what you think of the bills included in the Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agenda. Information on how to contact your General Assembly public servants can be found here.
The final votes taken by our State Representatives and State Senators on the bills in Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agenda will be used to update their Legislator Rating on their individual Watchdog Indiana Legislator Rating web page.
Watchdog Indiana is a non-profit, non-connected, and non-party advocate for good government that focuses on the state and local tax burden of Hoosier working families. An online community is established where Hoosiers come together voluntarily to help encourage our state and local governments better respond to the needs of working families. Watchdog Indiana was established November 14, 2001.
This is Watchdog Indiana E-mail Update #138-020410, and it was sent to 26,733 Hoosiers in 74 counties.
If you received this E-mail indirectly from someone else, you can get E-mail Updates sent directly to you from Watchdog Indiana by putting SUBSCRIBE in the subject line of an E-mail to taxless3@comcast.net.
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