The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana.

Advocates for a world class infrastructure, a competitive business climate, 21st century talent and rural investment.

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NEINAdvocates.com.

The Rogers Company has been conducting business in northeast Indiana since 1944 as Rogers Markets and now as The Rogers Company with commercial property and real estate development.

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is provided by the First Source Foundation and the Knight Foundation eight , seven, six, five, four ,three to one.

>> I'm making you happy.

Twenty twenty six everyone.

The Indiana General Assembly is back in session.

We'll bring you up to speed on the bills and issues being debated at the state house.

Everything from who's eligible for SNAP benefits to utility costs to declaring an official state of Indiana sandwich.

>> It's your chance to talk directly to your elected representatives right now on prime time.

Hello everyone.

Welcome to Prime Time.

I'm your host at Leon.

The Indiana legislature is back in session this week addressing the most pressing policy issues in our state in this short session, the Republican supermajority is focused on issues such as deregulation, property tax relief and housing affordability.

While Democrats unveiled what they're calling a working Hoosiers agenda to address the high cost of living here to give us their insights and to speak to you about their legislative priorities are from Senate District 19, the Republican majority caucus chair, Senator Travis Holdeman and from House District Eighty two representing Fort Wayne , Democrat Representative Kyle Miller.

Gentlemen, welcome to Prime.

>> Thanks for having us.

So you know the Senate Republicans have prioritized public safety, fiscal responsibility and government reform and among that is SB one traps.

>> Let's start with you.

Talk to me about SB one.

What does it do?

It seems to be tightening the reins on snap benefits.

>> Well, I think we're just trying to reset the clock.

It just seems like everything sort of ran away during covid and we had people that became eligible to if they were ineligible we couldn't remove them from the rolls or sit on Medicaid, a state on snap benefits and it's just time to get the house back in order we feel and we think with that comes a responsibility from the taxpayers standpoint, fiscal responsibility to make sure that we're not wasting dollars and we certainly feel for those folks who are in need and we want to make sure that the folks who are in need are getting the help that they do need and are able to sustain their daily life at the same time if they're able to work and they don't qualify otherwise because of income or resources, they need to be taken off of the rolls.

>> Right.

Kyle, you're nodding is that we found that there's a amount of fraud in the system.

>> You know, I don't know if we've found many, many instances of fraud.

I'm sure there are some.

But I think that what we do have is we have a contingent of people that are what we call working poor people that are trying to do the right thing, pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, working long hours, sometimes multiple jobs.

And as we look at things we should be looking at at wasteful spending where it is and and people that are on the system that shouldn't be we do need to be very careful about those people that are doing everything we're asking of them and still not able to to make ends meet on the democratic side.

Affordability is a big is a big buzz word and that gets you know, these are people who are having a hard time affording affording their lives.

>> What's what's being done or what's being proposed in the areas of affordability.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

So I think there are many, many areas in our state that we can look at.

One of the one of the biggest and sort of most immediate relief that we can give to Hoosiers is is eliminating the sales tax on utility bills a way to bring down costs immediately as we're continuing to look at at regulating utility and making sure that people are able to afford to heat and cool their home and get the electricity when they need.

I think child care is another way of affordability point that we can look at.

You know, it's it's I say it sounds kind of funny but with parents that it it is too expensive for them to work.

Right.

And so I think we need to continue looking the ways that we can bring down the cost of child care and also the accessibility of child care and and so we were disappointed over the summer to to hear that FCC had cut the the vouchers for child care.

So you know, as as our revenues start to look rosier and rosier and we start to see that you know, at the end of session last year, the end of the budget session we heard we were two point four billion dollars in the hole and I don't think we're quite that quite that far.

>> And so as we start to reevaluate our funds, I'm hoping we can look for to that I I read that the Republican majority has said that they do not want to really reopen the budget.

>> Is that correct, Senator?

That's right.

Last April 15th we had the revenue forecast and it showed that we would just see about point three percent growth in the second year of the biennium and that's the year coming up starting July of 26 would be the second year beginning.

So we're very cautious about opening the budget back up.

We've had a better than expected revenue report month by month.

>> Right.

They've just re reforecast that right now.

Are we going to end up with the biennium with like one point five billion over well in surplus?

I think it was closer to nine hundred million and those are not many days in the state budget for that amount.

But we just need to see things level off a little bit before we we take the take the step to refund programs that we've had.

I've been a big proponent of child care and I really hated to see what happened to the child care program with the funding coming in from the feds as well.

But the governor required five percent cut and everybody and all agencies budgets except Dossi and Department of Corrections in D.c.

's Department of Child Services and then there's a five percent hold back too.

So it's really a 10 percent hold back from all of the appropriations that were made this year and a half ago.

So we'll we'll see how things go and I think things will start to look better because things are looking up.

>> We're doing doing better.

>> But it seems like both sides of the aisle are bringing up child care.

For example, in this session.

>> What are some of the proposals coming from from each of your camps?

I mean I've got I've got a bill that I filed this year that would make child care free for every child.

I think it's time that we at least examine that, take a look at it, how much it's going to cost and and perhaps in the next budget we can look at putting money into the budget for that.

So you know, I think that ultimately ultimately it becomes an economic issue.

Child care does we have we have parents that are pulling themselves out of the workforce affecting our local small businesses, our large businesses because child care is unaffordable and unattainable.

And so those are those are ways that we can.

There is one proposal that intends to have the parents pay for some of it have the state pay for some of it and have the schools or the employers pay for some of it is that seem seem viable.

It seems like there's there's there's sort of agreement in both camps on this and I think I think we'll get to a spot where we can work things out between the employers, the government and the parents.

Parents just need help because it's very expensive.

Childcare is very expensive but we lost so many churches during covid due to the pandemic that we're doing daycare programs for folks and they just they came to a halt because of covid and they never picked that back up again and I think anything we can do to help are not for profits.

Right.

Utilize that model and then schools as well.

Most schools have ample room for daycare programs at schools but they're going to want to be paid for it, right?

>> Well, that's the problem.

I want to remind our viewers that we are live and this is your chance to connect with your legislators.

It's your direct connection and our phone line is open right now the number is two six zero (969) 27 two zero and we have a brand new way for you to connect tonight via text.

So just text your question or comment to two six oh (969) 27 three zero.

>> So phone 27 two zero Texas 27 three zero (969) 27 three zero to Texas.

Your questions or comments?

Let's talk a little bit about utilities.

That's another big kitchen kitchen table issue.

Seems like you mentioned getting rid of the tax.

>> That's one approach.

Is there another approach that's that's being considered I think just looking at trying to reform the system and how the rates are implemented and approved by the I.R.S.

on a regular basis.

I had an amendment to the Senate bill 212 which was one of the coupling bills on the Internal Revenue Code that Senator Ghidorah offered and it was would have suspended the sales tax on utilities for all customers that had about a billion dollar price tag to it.

And in this day and age with the budget and where we are with the budget right now, we just we can't afford a billion dollar hit to the state budget because we can't print money like the federal government does.

>> We have a tax on the line.

Let's say it's about carbon capture and I'd like to read it for you.

I would like to know where they stand on carbon capture and regulations to rein these companies in like Poyet in Wabash, Indiana.

Any comment on those on that question?

Carbon capture?

I have to be honest I I I represent downtown Fort Wayne so it's not an issue that's come up very, very often for me and I have to kind of feign ignorance on it.

I don't know too much about it.

And I have a colleague in the house down from Terre that that we've worked close with and and she's caught some flak for she's got people that are OK with it, other people that that that don't want it in their community.

So right.

There's also I've heard talk of trying to kind of regulate who can give carbon capture credits and maybe kind of restricting local municipalities from doing that and keeping keeping having the state keep a little bigger a little tighter hand on that.

>> The other the other issue that I hear, you know, coming from both sides of the aisle is housing affordability and that's that's that's another one that really hits close to home, you know, to our viewers and of all Hoosiers, what are what are some of the approaches being taken by the Republican caucus?

>> Well, there will be a bill here on Tuesday that's included in Senator Rogers legislation that talks about housing credits and trying to spur the housing industry on and also the first time homebuyer credit as well.

>> We're taking a look at doing something for first time homebuyers.

How would that work?

Well, I don't know all the details, but you had to be a first time homebuyer.

Yeah, In Indiana and you had to sign that this was the first home that you had ever owned in the state and I think that's a 10 year run up that you basically are exempt from property tax for 10 years if if that's the case.

>> That's that's that's a that's a considerable that would benefit that would be a huge help for folks.

Fantastic benefit.

>> How about on the democratic side housing affordability?

Yeah, I think we we obviously recognize it as a as a huge issue and and and would agree with the Senate to that we should be doing more to incentivize First-Time Homebuyers to to uh to be able to buy homes some ideas that have been floated or are obviously a tax credit for first time homebuyers allowing homebuyers to to save in special savings accounts for their first homes.

And so I think that we've heard loud and clear that not only is is is first time homeownership becoming more and more unattainable but the supply of it to is a major issue.

>> So I hear I hear affordability issues are incredibly important.

>> Those are budget related.

Right.

But we're not opening the budget.

So what's the is or constriction there?

Is there is there a natural rebound for failure in this in the session to not get anything accomplished?

>> Because I don't think so.

I think it just provides the soil for new ideas come forward and even in some cases to implement new programs.

But have those implementation dates be passed the next budget cycle so we can see if we can actually afford them.

But if we can get some programs on the books and and obligate ourselves to do that, I think it's we would speak well to us and to the taxpayer as well and to the citizens of the state of Indiana.

>> Terrific.

Here's another tax.

This one's related to insurance and the rising cost of insurance adds another one my husband's health insurance went up by two hundred dollars a month this year just for himself.

What are some of the ways that our state legislators can help with the rising health care costs that are pricing Hoosiers out of keeping themselves healthy?

>> Yeah, we've tried to do we've tried to do quite a bit over the last couple of years on on health care affordability, bringing down costs, some transparency issues with with hospital billing.

You know, I think it's I I personally think it's high time that we look at insurance companies and and what they are providing they aren't providing and kind of dig into whether we're getting a good deal out of that insurance model.

But I think again this is this is a huge issue especially now with the federal government, you know, eliminating the subsidies, possibly eliminating the subsidies, voting to bring them back but not passing the Senate so it's definitely something we need to continue taking a look at as a as a state.

>> We passed legislation last session suitable to which basically said to our big six not for profit hospitals as you get your prices down within the next three years to a new standard based upon so on Medicare standard and if you don't you run the risk of losing your not for profit status.

And so I think we've applied enough pressure on the hospitals in what happens to the hospitals will happen to the doctors and the nurses and everybody else in the stream of medical care.

So does that that that trickle down savings I guess is a way to to to phrase it is working because people seem to be sensing that those costs keep going up and they're not they're not coming down.

We just passed the legislation just went into effect July 1st of this year.

So let's a little more than six months ago but I think Representative Miller has a point that we've not really got into the insurance industry side of things and I think that's that's next on the list of things that we've got to take a look to make sure they're fair and equitable to people.

I think as an as an example and I won't name names but we've heard of a hospital, an insurer coming to an agreement and saving saving the insurer quite a bit of money, almost a billion dollars and yet we didn't see those insurers premiums decrease.

And so, you know, somebody got those savings right and and I think we're all in agreement.

That's something that we need to take a look at and and make sure that those cost savings that are being negotiated between the hospitals have to flow back to the to the absolute to the the people sumer right.

>> Senator, any any legislative priorities that you're really trying to move forward in this session?

Well, I've been tasked with the coupling and decoupling with the federal revenue code and some things we can afford to do and some things we cannot afford to do because the federal government can print money.

>> As I mentioned earlier, if we do everything that the feds have done to fall in line with them, it'll it'll impact the budget in a huge way.

We're looking at a number of things two bills and two department of revenue bills that I'm authoring.

One that we just passed out of committee yesterday had to do with the bonus depreciation on business real state had we not decoupled with the federal revenue code on that particular item it would have cost us about 200 million dollars over the next three years and we just can't afford to take that kind of a hit because the federal government does that.

We just can't do it.

And there's such a difference between the rate the tax rate at the federal level and the state level as well.

We just moved down to what three three percent we're going to be at two point nine percent next year in the individual income tax rate.

And so and we're taking measures to try to push that even further lower on the scale if we can center our representative Miller.

How about you think that you're pushing?

I I will be honest.

This is a this is such a short short session because being in in December which is unusual for us leadership wants us to to shorten the session.

So we really will only be in for about eight weeks and so it's hard to it's hard to really get a read on you things that we can focus on especially this early in such a short session like I said on the public policy committee in the House which deals with things like gaming and alcohol and and so these first couple of weeks we've talked a lot about gaming not only about the potential casino coming to Fort Wayne but also I gaming and whether it's good public policy to to legalize slots on your phone or on your phone and things like that.

We've got companies that are already here doing that and doing it in a legal gray area .

Right.

And so having to sort of deal with that and and have an iGaming talk at the same time has been kind of interesting.

OK, well let's talk about that a little bit because there's also a proposal that we make the lottery available on your phone Internet thoughts on that on whether that's a good thing or a bad thing?

>> Well, typically and historically I have voted against every expansion of gaming the bill that's ever been on the board of for the last 17 years.

I just think there's better ways for us to honestly raise revenue in the state of Indiana through economic development and lowering taxes rather than try to resort to other ways what we call sin taxes through gaming and casinos and everything of that nature.

>> All right.

I want to talk to you about a bill that's getting a lot of attention.

But we have Gregg who called in and wants us to relay this question does the Department of Motor Vehicles share or sell our information?

>> Are you aware of that?

Not I'm aware of not that you're aware I'm not aware of that either.

I think we I think we discussed that maybe last session and they were found that they were not doing that or we put language in place that that make sure that we're not doing right.

>> If there's any if there's any evidence of that happening, you need to call Representative Miller myself so we can check into it.

>> Sure.

Sure.

All right.

I hope we hope you got your answer there, Gary.

All right.

Let's talk about SB 11, which is the this bill that is authorizing death by firing squad for four inmates on death row.

Is that what are your thoughts on that?

It seems it seems to come out of left field that that this is such a something that we've left behind in our past but all of a sudden this comes back.

>> Why not go ahead?

I I you know, I do think we need to look at the way that that we are doing lethal injections and executions in Indiana.

The cost has risen and kept keeps going up and up and up.

I tend to be against any form of the death penalty and with my kids, you know, it's a it's a controversial issue but we don't spank our kids.

We've never spanked our kids because there was something inherently wrong to my wife and I about, you know, spanking the kids to tell them not to hit.

And so I I feel very much the same and respect that there are many ways of thinking about it but feel very much the same way about the death penalty is where, you know, we're we're we're essentially killing somebody to tell it as a deterrent for other people not to kill somebody.

>> So I think this is about the methodology though, right?

Senator?

That's right.

And it's really come about because the federal government has really been pushing us for alternative forms to to lethal injection because the dosage for the lethal injection the one dosage is nine hundred thousand dollars and most of that has one dosage is one is nine hundred thousand.

How is that possible liability and the concern for folks who think that the death penalty is wrong and so they just try that just drives the cost the cost of liability if something goes wrong when the lethal injection is administered and all the things that can happen with that and the liability that the company will stand to lose.

>> But is it possible that things might go wrong with with with shooting?

>> Well, absolutely.

Absolutely.

I'm not I'm not a big proponent of death by firing squad either that the federal government is really pushing us because of the cost of lethal injection and the they're trying to find a way for us to to resolve the issue because death penalty cases and the death penalty itself is carried out at Terre Haute at the federal prison typically and they like to say the federal government likes to say that they complied and did it with methods allowed by Indiana law and federal law.

And so they want a method that is approved by us if they want to use firing squads.

Right.

That doesn't mean that we have to do it and right now I'm thinking I don't want us to do that right now it just seems inhumane and and to many other risk involved and you can't tell me that it's not painful at some point.

No.

Seems like a part of our past that we've left behind SB 21 making the breaded pork tenderloin the official sandwich of Indiana that's well our northeast Indiana delegation colleague former colleague now Senator a.D.A has offered the last couple of years you know, while the Tenderloin is great in Huntington and and and I I appreciate that I think there are other legislators around the state that may have different ideas on what our officials what should be.

>> And I think that some folks will say do we have anything better to do?

Well, here's one there's another texta inquiry that came in and this is just a headline about prices at the store.

>> What are you doing about the high prices at the stores like that's that's the macroeconomic issues.

>> What are we doing?

What can we do?

Sure.

It's you know, it is tough as legislators I think I think that people expect that we can do anything about everything.

And one idea that has been floated by one of my colleagues in the House, Representative Mitch Ghar from Indianapolis from Beech Grove is to really take a look at price gouging at grocery stores.

We saw that during covid where prices naturally went up because of the circumstances but then they never came down.

Yeah.

And so I think we've got Bill to take a look at that and hopefully we'll see if that that moves.

>> So many of those issues have to do with federal policy energy what's allowed for us to do for the FDA and I think really we just were somewhat victimized by the federal government.

>> Many times by rule and regulation at the federal level.

>> Well, we've run up against the against our time here.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for for being here today.

Lots I mean session is just getting started, right?

>> A lot to do over with before we know what you think.

So it's it's going to fly by.

All right.

Well we thank you for being here tonight and thank you for watching and Leon, we'll see you next time on prime time The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana.

Advocates for a world class infrastructure, a competitive business climate, 21st century talent and rural investment.

One region, one voice.

NEINAdvocates.com.

The Rogers Company has been conducting business in northeast Indiana since 1944 as Rogers Markets and now as The Rogers Company with commercial property and real estate development.

Pleased to support local not for profits and PBS Fort Wayne.

is provided by the First Source Foundation and the Knight Foundation