Click here to live chat with one of our writers between 9am-5pm CST.
Indiana House of Representatives
From Ballotpedia
| Indiana House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2012 session start: | January 4, 2012 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Brian Bosma, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | William Friend, (R) |
| Minority leader: | B. Patrick Bauer, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 100 |
| Democratic Party (40) Republican Party (60) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art 4, Indiana Constitution |
| Salary: | $22,616.46/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 (100 seats) |
| Next election: | November 6, 2012 (100 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Indiana Legislature has control |
Contents |
Sessions
Article 4 of the Indiana Constitution establishes when the Indiana General Assembly, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 9 of Article 4 states that the General Assembly will begin its regular session on the Tuesday following the second Monday in January of each year. However, Section 9 allows the starting state for the session to be changed by law. This has happened in Indiana in 2010, as the General Assembly's session convened on January 5th instead of the constitutionally designated date, which was January 12th.
Section 9 also gives the Governor of Indiana the power to call special sessions of the General Assembly.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House will be in session from January 4 through March 14.
Major issues
Main issues include "Right-to-work" legislation, a statewide smoking ban, a tax raise to finance a mass transit system, and eliminating the state's inheritance tax.[4] The issue at the heart of the matter is "right-to-work" legislation that Republicans have long said would be their top priority in 2012. The legislation seeks to ban companies and unions from negotiating a contract that requires non-union members to pay union dues. Republicans argue the move would bring jobs to the state while Democrats say it will lead to lower wages.[5]
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the House was in session from January 5 through April 29.
Session highlights
In the 2011 session, the Indiana legislature reduced the corporate income tax from 8.5 to 6.5 percent, spread over four years. [6]
Budget surplus
At the end of the 2011 fiscal year in July 2011, the Daniels administration revealed a $1.2 billion surplus.
The state's unexpected extra income came from the administration's ability to make deep budget cuts, along with higher than anticipated tax revenues. The budget cuts raked in nearly $460 million more than the $597 million the state had originally aimed for last July. Tax collections also contributed to the surplus, bringing in $204 million more than it had projected, with $195 million coming from income taxes.[7]
Despite the optimism, not everyone in Indiana viewed the surplus positively. House Minority Leader Pat Bauer claimed that the administration's report was "gimmicky," referring to cuts that were made to health care and education. The state school system reportedly bore much of the budget cutting burden since July 2010, returning $325 million from the $6.9 billion that it was allotted in the previous budget.[7]
David Patterson, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 62, said that "demonized" state employees should receive some of the surplus, in part because they had to work harder to account for the many eliminated positions.[7]
After the surplus was revealed, Daniels stated that the extra money would be put into savings, rather than trying to fix the past and reverse previous cuts.[7]
Hoosiers nearly made off with their own piece of the surplus, but the numbers fell just shy. The amount necessary to trigger automatic tax refunds is 10 percent or more of general spending. The $1.2 billion landed just short of that, at 9.1 percent.[7]
Governmental streamlining
On June 30, the state's largest agency, the Family and Social Services Administration, was accidentally eliminated, due to a major clerical error during the drafting of legislation related to the Family and Social Services Administration. The Administration helps more than a million people access Medicaid and food stamps in Indiana.[8]
According to the AP, "Senate Bill 331 was intended to repeal a provision already in law that would have automatically eliminated (the Family and Social Services Administration) - called a sunset. The sunset language was set for June 30. The bill that repealed the sunset provision went into effect July 1, so technically, FSSA was eliminated minutes before the bill intended to save it went into effect."[8]
The mistake was noticed days after the new law went into effect, and caught many welfare recipients and legislative leaders off guard. On July 7, Governor Mitch Daniels signed an executive order on Thursday, July 7, to correct the mistake.[8]
Legislative walkout
36 Democratic representatives participated in a legislative walkout on Tuesday, February 22, in opposition to proposed legislation limiting union powers in Indiana. The Democratic departure left the House void of a quorum, leaving only 58 of the 67 Representatives needed to establish a quorum. [9] Terri Austin, Steven Stemler, and Vanessa Summers stayed behind to provide, if necessary, a motion and a seconding motion, which would enable them to stop any official business from proceeding should the Republicans try to do so. [9]
On Monday, March 7, House minority leader B. Patrick Bauer revealed the Democratic caucus' hideout to be the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Illinois.[10] According to the Indiana Constitution, Article 4, sections 11 and 14, the House may enforce fines and other methods to compel absent members to return. Beginning on March 7, the Democrats are subject to a fine of $250, to be withheld from future expense or salary payments, for each day they are not present in the statehouse. [11] Regarding their actual pay, House Speaker Brian Bosma has announced that the 37 lawmakers are required to be physically present in the chambers to receive their per diem payment, which is $152/day. [10] This move came as a result of the approximated $40,000 in per diem payments automatically made to the legislators during their seven days of absence. According to reports, the representatives have promised to either return the money, or donate it to charity. [10]
Tuesday, March 22 marked the start of the fourth consecutive week of Democratic absenteeism, complete with an increased incentive to return. Governor Daniels and House Republicans upped the ante with daily fines increasing from $250/day to $350/day, effective Monday, March 21. Despite the increased penalties, Democratic resolve remained intact. House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer stated that Democrats "will remain steadfast" in their opposition to bills hurting wages and education in Indiana. [12] Rep. Winfield Moses, Jr. (D) called the increase "a poke in the eye," and promised that it would do nothing to break the impasse. [13]
The Democrats ended the standoff after 36 days, returning on March 28. The two sides agreed to compromise on a number of issues, including shelving the controversial "right-to-work" bill.[11] Although the Democrats returned with some of their wishes granted, their actions were not without consequence. Each absent member has accrued a total of $3500 in fines, given by Republicans. [11]
The absence of the Democrats did not only hold up changes to worker's rights, but also the passage of a new state budget. The legislature has until April 29 to pass the new budget, however, if no budget passes, Gov. Daniels will be forced to call a for a special session. The current budget is set to expire June 30, 2011.
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House of Representatives was in session from January 5th to March 12th.
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives will be held in Indiana on November 6, 2012. All 100 seats will be up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections is February 24, 2012. The primary election day was May 8, 2012.
2010
Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives were held on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was February 19, 2010 for Republicans and Democrats, and was June 30 for Independents and other candidates. The primary election day was on May 4, 2010.
Out of the 100 districts, the incumbent ran for re-election in 93 of them.
The partisan breakdown of the House before and after the election was as follows:
| Indiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 52 | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 48 | 60 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
An April 2010 analysis in the Wall Street Journal said that what's at stake in the Indiana House elections of November 2010 is the U.S. Congressional redistricting that will take place after the 2010 census:
- "In Indiana, for example, Democrats controlled redistricting after the 2000 elections and picked up three additional congressional seats over the past decade. Now, Republicans are trying to reverse those gains. If the GOP picks up just three seats in the state House, the party will control both chambers of the legislature and strengthen its hand in the redistricting process."[14]
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in state house elections was $19,009,965. The top 10 donors were: [15]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Indiana House Democratic Caucus | $2,186,252 |
| Aiming Higher PAC | $1,354,920 |
| House Republican Campaign Cmte of Indiana | $1,254,335 |
| Indiana Democratic Party | $1,053,030 |
| Hoosiers for Economic Growth | $861,491 |
| Indiana State Teachers Association | $700,500 |
| Indiana Republican Party | $606,611 |
| Indiana Chamber of Commerce | $596,880 |
| White, Dean V | $300,000 |
| Indiana Trial Lawyers Association | $203,050 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[16]
- A United States citizen at the time of the election
- Have resided in the state for at least two years and in the house district for at least one year before the election
- Be at least twenty-one years old upon taking office
- Registered to vote in the election district the person seeks to represent not later than the deadline for filing the declaration or petition of candidacy or certificate of nomination.
Vacancies
Whenever there is a vacancy in the House, the state committee of the party that last held the seat must appoint a replacement. This is contingent upon the approval of the respective state chairperson of the party. Any vacant seat held by an independent must be filled by a special election[17].
Representatives
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2010, members of the Indiana House of Representatives are paid $22,616.46/year. Additionally, legislators receive $138/day per diem tied to the federal rate.[18]
The $22,660.46/year that Indiana Representatives are paid as of 2010 is an increase over the $11,600/year they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $137/day in 2007 to $138/day in 2010.[19]
When sworn in
Indiana legislators assume office on the second Tuesday after the general election.
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 60 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.[20][21]
Current leadership
2010 Leadership
Current members
Standing committees
Indiana house has 24 standing committees:
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development
- Courts and Criminal Code
- Education
- Elections and Apportionment
- Employment, Labor and Pensions
- Environmental Affairs
- Family, Children and Human Affairs
- Financial Institutions
- Government and Regulatory Reform
- Insurance
- Judiciary
- Local Government
- Natural Resources
- Public Health
- Public Policy
- Roads and Transportation
- Rules and Legislative Procedures
- Select Committee on Government Reduction
- Statutory Committee on Ethics
- Statutory Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation
- Utilities and Energy
- Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
- Ways and Means
External links
- Official website of the Indiana House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Indiana House of Representatives
- Project Vote Smart on the Indiana House of Representatives
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ "Indiana General Assembly" About The Indiana General Assembly, March 12, 2009
- ↑ Indianapolis Star, "Lawmakers face rematch with 'thousand-pound gorilla'," January 3, 2012
- ↑ Indianapolis Star, "Rare joint hearing accelerates 'right to work' bill," January 6, 2012
- ↑ Stateline.org, States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes, June 15, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Nwi.com, Indiana ends budget year with $1.2B surplus, July 14, 2011
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Stateline, Clerical error eliminates Indiana's largest state agency, July 11, 2011
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 IndyStar.com, Indiana Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown over anti-union legislation, 22 Feb. 2011
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Fox 59, Fines begin for absent House Democrats, 7 March 2011
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 The Wall Street Journal, Pressure Mounts on Absent Democrats in Wisconsin, Indiana, 3 March 2011
- ↑ IndyStar.com, Dems' walkout drags on, among nation's longest, 23 March 2011
- ↑ WFIE.com, Indiana Republicans say they're done negotiating, 17 March 2011
- ↑ "How state legislative campaigns can change the country", April 7, 2010
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Indiana House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ 2010 Candidate Guide - Qualifications for House of Representatives
- ↑ FindLaw "Indiana Code"(Referenced Statute Indiana Code §3-13-5-0.1)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ Indiana House Democratic Leadership
- ↑ Indiana House Republican Leadership
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
State of Indiana Indianapolis (capital) |
|---|---|
| Ballot Measures |
List of Indiana ballot measures | Local measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | History of direct democracy | Campaign Finance Requirements | Ballot access court challenges | |
| Government |
Indiana State Constitution | House of Representatives | Senate | Election Commission | Legislative Services Agency | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Treasurer | Auditor of State | State Examiner | Superintendent of Public Instruction | Commissioner of Insurance | Director of Agriculture | Director of Natural Resources | Commissioner of Labor | Chairman of Utility Regulatory Commission | |
| Judiciary |
Indiana Supreme Court | Judicial Nominating Commission | Circuit Court of Appeals | District Courts | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | Judicial activist organizations | |
| Transparency Topics |
Access to Public Records Act | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of School Districts | |
