we're approaching the two week warning for the Indiana General Assembly's long session.

House and Senate committee report deadlines have now passed which means that bills that did not make it out of committees are considered dead .

One bill that remains alive among others pertains to physician non compete agreements after receiving a rare tie vote in a House committee last week, new amendments were added to move the measure to the House floor.

Meanwhile, a Senate committee cleared a House bill that would phase in a complete state income tax exemption for military pay earned by active duty members.

>> And on Thursday the Senate released its amendment to the House budget and we'll talk about the state of the new state spending plan with our guests from the House and Senate who serve on their respective finance committees and who are also connected to key legislation still in process.

Welcome to PrimeTime conversations with us today is 16th District Republican state senator and Senate Assistant majority caucus chair just in Bush and 80 3rd District Republican State Representative Chris Judy.

And we invite you to join the conversation with your questions and comments.

Just call the number that you see on the screen as we wide now this we do to welcome you into our studios.

We have Senator Bush with Representative Judy otherwise known as Justin and Chris .

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

>> Thanks for having us.

Good to be here.

Thanks for having us.

Our pleasure.

Let's start with Thursday and work our way back in the week.

>> The Senate Appropriations Committee did indeed release its budget as is the next step in the process to build that spending plan serving on appropriations and serving on House Ways and Means.

Let me start with you just your first thoughts on the budget while the ink is still dry.

Yeah, sure.

I'd love to share a little bit of highlights with with our viewers here.

We have three point one billion to the pre 1996 Teacher Retirement Fund which we fully funded and we'll free up over two billion in the state's biennial budget.

We had two point five billion of new money in K-12 education including one point one billion in new tuition support, limiting textbook fees for families, 95 million increase to pay for state police conservation excise officers, 500 million to help local communities with capital projects 225 million to create an optimal local public health grant that continues to improve public health services 35 million to expand the state's mental health infrastructure and support in 75 million to help local communities invest in the housing development.

I know my friend and colleague already has a budget from the House and certainly we will have a few weeks ago but there's a long way to go when it comes the budget process.

>> So we're looking forward to having those conversations and finding great solutions for all Hoosiers.

Yeah, Chris , how about you, sir?

>> Yes, we saw what the Senate came out yesterday and I think over the next two weeks we'll go into negotiations some of the things that we negotiated about how far to expand the voucher program I think we had expanded to 400 percent of the free and reduced lunch rates.

I believe it was along with getting rid of the pathways the Senate decided not to do that.

We also sped up those those state income taxes that we actually passed last year that we were going to move it from three point one five percent to three next year and a two point nine percent in 2026.

That's no longer in the budget that came over from the Senate.

>> So I think some of those things will be negotiated.

I think again moving the remaining amount of gas tax on the sales tax on gasoline we're looking to move that the remaining two percent directly to road funding.

>> So I think a lot of those things will still be in negotiations over here in the next few weeks.

You it's interesting the beginning of the session at least half of the bills in both House and Senate of the priority legislations were all health related in some fashion and Senate bill one Senate for that that Ways and Means has been working and and now funding that's been included in the Senate budget for those on mental health and the governor's task force recommendations for public health funding.

I wonder what your sense is.

It seems that if there is a thematic thing among the core areas in which attention must be paid and budget building health has really kicked it up a little bit.

>> I think it's important topic.

I think that the idea is going to tackle this year.

Indiana is the sixth most expensive state when it comes to the cost of health care in the United States.

One of our health systems up here will rank fifth most expensive.

We look at all systems nationwide and it's something we hear from our constituents.

It ranks number one on my survey as far as the cost of care being an issue that my constituents are worried about.

We've been working a lot of these bills for a long time .

>> I think that Representative Judy and I have partnered as of about three years ago we offered our first doctor non compete with physicians that are being forced from our area.

So some that we've been working on for quite some time and I'm happy to see that highlighted as we try to kind of loosen the load when it comes to the pocketbooks of Hoosiers in our region and certainly something we're hearing about from our constituents.

>> And before we go there on this, I think a couple of other points that seem strong too is our Medicaid funding in full paid in the budget and for families that have been concerned regarding textbook fees, both House and Senate budgets have ways of accommodating that and that seems like quite the accomplishment and yes, most definitely when it comes to Medicaid, the federal government came back to us over the past year and said that we have to do an equalization across the board so that reimbursement rate compared to Medicare rates has to be equal whether it's hip 2.0 or it's or it's home health .

So so we've been working that and you know, I'm happy with where the Senate came out.

>> I think those reimbursement rates for our doctors to keep our doctors in that space and serve especially our children that need dental, you know, vision keeping those rates to keep keep those doctors in that space to allow access.

Is it imperative to keep young folks healthy?

>> I know that or understand that's Senator Mischler has been leaving the door open for other ways of funding some of the initiatives in NSB one looking at ways of shoring up the the toll free suicide prevention line and some other activities and it was earlier in the week that apparently one of the options spoken up before at the state house regarding increase of the cigaret tax is a way to channel some additional dollars.

>> Chris , you were mentioned in offering comment on this and let me start with you and then go to Cheston on ways in which to build on what the Senate has put in as a huge departure point thirty five million?

>> I think so yes.

I did bring that option up in Ways and Means Committee hearing especially on Senate bill for as well as far as the the the revenue is going to be needed for that to continue that program.

>> I would like to continue to cut the income tax.

I think it's a regressive tax.

I think excise tax or are best used if you look at the amount of cost of the state it is for smokers in the Medicaid realm in the public health realm.

>> I think we should all take an honest look at that and there are it's a wheel of options I think that we need to spend.

I think we have several options on the table.

I would agree with my colleague though, Christi, that right now as we look at what we do doing the income tax, we'll lower it to the I think the level of taxes that still or 11 states still have.

That would be the lowest of those of those states.

It's on an income tax but we should also look at maybe dropping our self to to zero when it comes to that personal income tax and we would be the only state in the Midwest to be able to do that which I think would attract employers.

I believe if you look at the stats right now, if we did that if you were looking at having a worker in Indiana in California you have a third benteen, 13 percent decrease if you had that employer had that employee Indiana over California.

>> So some way we could separate ourselves as a Midwestern state and the economics of the non compete agreement bill is a is a factor in some of this and I'm grateful you're here so you can help us unscramble this egg a little bit with regard to how the legislation can help improve the health care system.

Yeah, I think that you look at it Senate Bill seven which would eliminate non competes we pass that through the Senate with a vote of 45 to five to eliminate all non competes.

>> As you know, the state House is you know, some place where you have to compromise and find some other options.

I think right now we have at this point you'd have primary care physicians would not be able to have non compete so the hospitals couldn't be able to control them with that.

We also could have outcompetes that were pretty egregious.

So if you had a five five year contract, Bruce , and you figure it out and finished that five year contract, some hospitals would say within a 50 mile radius for the next five years you could not practice medicine.

So that was really hurting us a lot here in Indiana, especially in northeast Indiana, we'd see doctors there leaving for other parts of the country.

We wanted to make sure that we stopped that of our two counties at least 78 eight of those counties have a severe doctor shortage.

So we're trying to say Indiana is open for business.

Please come here.

If you find a community you love, you can stay in that community.

We're also going to allow arbitration for those like to get other non compete while it's still so happening so they can meet with that hospital and find a way out of that.

So those kind of three components I think will put us in a competitive advantage.

>> This is something that patient centric.

So right now you can keep your lawyer if you'd like to but you can't keep your physician and stats have shown that if you have a physician you know or trust he says hey, you're 40, it's time for that colonoscopy or hey, you're 40 to 45.

>> It's time that EKG to make sure you're OK.

If you have a relation with your doctor and you trust them, you're going to take those go ahead and go ahead and take those kind of test and those tests will stop you from having a massive heart attack or finding something late where the fees are be much higher if you go to an E.R.

where you have a stage four cancer that we could have coddlers cost are caught a lot earlier.

So I really think with this bill will lower the price of health care and allow us to have the doctors that we know and trust to remain with with us and our family.

>> So I really was a monumental bill and we were seeing a lot of folks leave from NC and so I know something that both represented and I've been passionate about for a long time.

>> I definitely agree.

I think we started this process back in twenty nineteen.

I've had doctors in my district contact me that had wanted to stay here but due to that year that year of not competing in a certain radius, many of them have left currently personally right now we're having to travel about sixty miles south of here to see our physician for the next year so that he can stay come back and continue to work here in Fort Wayne we had we want to attract talent.

>> We want also want to keep that talent.

Yeah.

And it seems the progress on the bill in the amendments your sense of this it's in the House in which this is happening and I believe it comes to the House floor the next week or so.

Yes.

Thirdhand third reading deadline for us is on Monday.

>> So Monday and at this hour probability we probably looks good and I think that you know, you look at this was fought by a lot of different hospital systems and I think I think every lobbyist firm in the hallways of the state house had different lobbyists on there.

>> So I think a lot of time Christiani and I felt like Davidge if you will, but I think we kept reaching to our possible back and we kept throwing stones and I think that we're going to win this one.

And if you read keep reading the good book, Bruce , you realize just not one stone that possible but I guess you had four more for Goliath's for brothers so I'm good to have my good brother over here.

>> Christian you need to to keep slinging sounds loving the analogy and try to figure out how to continue but it stands on its own as it has for for millennia.

One of those that could be perhaps a huge bonus Bradken another pocket might be the April 19 revenue report it seems in conversations about now the discussion about what folks might see expect to see how that might play in conference committees.

Let me pose those questions to you.

Maybe start philosophically with what is it about that April 19 revenue report that if you will, moves a mountain or two what certainly shapes you know, how much money we have.

>> We look for the two year projection moving forward.

You can't see me here but both fingers crossed and both toes under the under the table here that will have a lot more money than we think we do for a lot of good problems of our projects.

I mean that's the thing with there's a lot of great ideas that we have.

We can look at the budget but but for us it comes down to Indiana's a state unlike Illinois that actually we stay within our means.

So it looks like we have more means to spend.

We'd love to do that but we're not going to go out there and go into big debt that's going to put future generation Hoosiers problems.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah I agree.

I think it's going to give us a much more accurate forecast for the next two years again and that comes back to funding our priorities which is K through 12 education Medicaid higher education, health and Human Services.

I mean those are our key components of funding in the budget I think gives us an opportunity.

Look at what what are some of those other things that we can fund or cannot fund and whether we can cut taxes or not.

Well, and speaking of a very great Segway because you and Representative Abbott have been behind legislation to phase in a complete state income tax exemption for military pay earned by active duty members.

And at one point it was references saying it's the make them feel like Indianness their home bill talk about yes.

And actually I introduced this bill back in twenty fifteen when I was first elected and it's kind of shows you the the legislative process but we're going to get that across the line that's going to allow our young folks that decide to go into active duty military and they're stationed in Texas or stationed in Tennessee.

They're stationed in Florida.

They can keep their residence here, keeps that connection back here to the states instead of leaving here and then changing their home address to that state.

So I think that's really the core of that is to keep that connection back here to Indiana and to track those folks back here to work after they're done with their military service.

Also regarding the state of funding and pension concerns and pension investments related to that has been comments brought up at the statehouse in this session.

You're both involved with several pieces on that front there is a House bill ton of weight about the being sure that investments follow to the intent of the the core of the plan and then Senate bill 216 one regarding concern for any investments that are going to China just to share with you on either of those.

>> Go ahead.

Yeah, sure we have we have the investment bill as well that make sure we're on site.

We're helping the CCP with the companies that are based in China and I believe I think Chris , I think you signed on or you're a coauthor or co-sponsor on that Bill Burton over to the House as well, correct?

>> Correct.

And then if you will we also I know this is something that represents you have both worked on quite a bit.

You look at some of those is bad actors in the world that that have nefarious reasons to take on the United States.

China if it's very scary.

>> I worked for Lugar.

I worked for Todd Young and Indian Coats and the most scary briefing I ever had was when you look at China, China doesn't look like America does two to four six years you look at kind of our election cycle they're thinking 25 to 50 to 100 years of upsetting us is the world's sole superpower.

That's what we're doing with this bill as it were.

If you look at with Senate Bill four seven seven and I know that I represented you join me on that bill as a sponsor we're actually looking at the critical infrastructure.

You're looking at water plants and things of that nature.

You're also looking at Indiana guard bases so we had some guard bases in Texas where you had a Chinese billionaire that was part of the People's Republic Army that is buying up land adjacent to all the guard bases in Texas.

So you look at the kind of they're trying to use our freedom and our ability to buy land and things of that nature against us sort of allow western Indiana to look at some of that stuff and really codify what the feds are already doing to stop foreign nationals from places like North Korea, Iran and China and Russia quite frankly are buying up that land for reasons of which they have bad purposes for .

So we're excited that there was also a telecom companies that will go to small municipalities and say, you know, we'll upgrade you to 5G at a lower cost only to find that they're reading all of our text messages and listening to our calls.

So you know, there are private companies really aren't private.

They're owned by the Communist Party and they can operate a loss like that to undercut American businesses.

So it's unfortunate that we have to get involved in that.

>> But I think that's something where Indiana is leading in the Midwest as far as making sure that those that we should do our harm are not allowing our system to work against us.

>> Yeah, and as far as possible to 268 which is we will divest our pension funds, the state pension funds from from Chinese companies over the next five years within three years.

Fifty percent has to be divested and within four years seventy five percent within five years.

One hundred percent as you look at China and you look at them joining the BRICS which is Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, you look at what they're doing is there's an economic struggle right now over monetary policy and they're really trying to move away from the dollar which is a which essentially is the threat to our monetary policy.

So they're also helping smaller countries.

They're handing out loans or building their infrastructure, controlling them that way they are there they are they're not playing the short term game.

>> They're playing a very long term game.

Yeah.

So you're watching Prime Time on PBS for Wainer guests tonight Senator Justin Busch, State Representative Chris Judy and Timothy is joining us now for the program.

>> Sir, go ahead with your question or comment.

Yeah, how are you doing guys?

Everything going all right tonight?

>> Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

Well, I was wondering are there any plans through the state to bring forth the some funding for adult males, primarily Hispanics and Latinos, Negroes and Native Americans across the U.S.

There seems to be such a great divide between white males and everybody else in terms of how is caste employment and then I see these other countries backing away from trying to do business with our dollar because basically you're seeing how you're treating everybody as anything ever going to kind of level .

>> Well, Timothy, let me turn to our guests to see what comments or thoughts we appreciate your sharing your your sentiments with us.

>> Course I don't know what Timothy is actually talking about but I think living in America twenty twenty three it doesn't matter your race, your your sex it doesn't there is an opportunity to you lift yourself out of poverty.

There's a program for everyone.

It's a matter of just getting that information out of the out of those individuals and letting them know how they can lift themselves up out of poverty and typically thank you just if you haven't yeah.

You know we've invested we talked a little bit, you know, off camera about or adult education programs that maybe you know, haven't haven't been able to to graduate high school to get that earn that graduate degree and also be able to go into if you look at the Ivy Tech or certain programs where I mean some of these programs with the two degree can come out of there and make, you know, 85, 90 grand with the advancement of manufacturing jobs we have here in northeast Indiana.

And as I looked I talked to employers across our region, you know, they're looking for workers like Timothy or anyone else that doesn't matter what race or creed and they want people are going to show up every day and are eager to pay good salary with benefits.

So I would encourage him to to look for those kind of programs to take advantage of them.

>> Thank you very much.

In the remaining time we have which is two weeks at the state House and about six minutes in the studio.

But nevertheless let me ask you both beyond the legislation about which there is general reporting, what are some other bills either that you have penned or are partnering with that that are still capturing your attention in the coming fourteen days?

>> So I have the civilian Cybersecurity Corps bill which creates a volunteer force under the agent general's office and what it would do is it would we would train volunteers and they would address any cyber threats or vulnerabilities vulnerability is within our state agencies, our schools, our universities and our political subdivisions.

Currently I've just had to I the process is amazing to get it out of ways and means.

I had to take the bulk of the bill out, keep the advisory board, send it over to the Senate and they've sent it back and I'm kind of holding on it right now to kind of see what that that forecast looks like to see if I can possibly get it funded and put the meat of the bill back in.

So if not, we'll we'll we'll move on with the advisory board and create that program within the next year.

If so we can hopefully fund it get to this year.

So it's like the Paul Harvey rest of the story thing.

Correct.

That comes on just how about you sir?

Well, that's to say to with working with with Christie I think for northeast Indiana we we work with each other so well up here when it comes to the folks up in northeast Indiana and have him talk about how the state house works, the intricacies of that.

That's what I think it what pays off by having some of our senior members come from this into the state?

I have a I have a really small thing maturity gaming was something I worked on for the past three, four years now I look at the rubber ducky race that helped scan with those children that have been abused.

You were able to use your credit card yet or fill out a form and write a check.

We passed that bill.

You'll do that.

They think they can raise an extra quarter million dollars for those up in the region.

I've added the Pacers the Colts this year through public policy and also our minor league baseball league with their charities for a fifty fifty raffle.

So it's just how can we have our hardworking Hoosiers especially in this region, the city of churches which I think are very giving people sometimes it doesn't take government funds.

It just takes making it easier for those that want to donate to be able to donate.

>> So really small things that never really make the paper but I think make a larger impact if you look at the millions of dollars, I believe it will be able to raise additional to help out folks here in northeast Indiana.

>> Yeah, we have a call that came in offline if you will want to share a comment and it goes like this it's from Allen.

He says Is there more work being done on the state fuel tax and what are the number of bills that are not passed thus far?

>> Let's start with the fuel tax first.

I don't believe and correct me if I'm wrong representing Judy, but I think there was a lot to deal with the fuel tax this year.

I think there was some there was some legislation that I believe died or was killed that was if you look at the road taxes based on the fuel tax write.

So we have those that have electric vehicles don't go to the pump but yet their cars still use the roads.

There are some there's the legislation I think to peel away some of that excess tax that have if your vehicle registration I know that died early.

I never saw the light of day and as far as no bills I don't have the stats in front of me but I believe it was maybe half I think I believe I believe there's been two hundred bills passed but I believe there was close to a thousand interviews .

>> The thousand I was close to a thousand I believe.

OK, but those that I think that got a committee hearing maybe was close to half perhaps maybe don't quote me on that sorry I sat in front of you.

>> Yeah, but I believe this past week we may have passed some language to take a deeper dove into fuel tax and road funding.

We did that about ten years ago and in twenty seventeen had a had a whole program laid out.

So I think looking at that I think as we move over to to EVs and move into those alternative fuel fuel opportunities there's going to have to be able to fund roads more efficiently.

>> So I think we've got to take a deeper dove into that.

I do know again I think I couldn't look back the budget yet from yesterday but again moving that two percent of sales tax which is the seven percent sales tax on that average, that monthly average of gasoline once we move that completely over hopefully this session all of that will be dedicated to road funding and a lot of that goes to the community crossing's grant Fund which is a match fund for our local communities.

>> So it all goes back locally and you've both talked of the long road of legislation with the long view of legislation bills introduced, you know, seven years ago and now, you know, coming to fruition and then thinking about Senate Bill three in the tax issue that if certain aspects of the budget hold forth but SB three goes through for tax studies over over time, that's going to be something that we'll continue to hear about and monitor as well.

>> I think so I think these are kind of bold initiatives.

I think that I think our constituents send to the state House to do is how can we separate separate herself as a state.

I know it's cliche but I think Indiana is like greatest and their greatest asset is our people.

We're good hardworking folks and when you actually have businesses come here, you know that's the first thing they say, you know, we would love Indiana because they're people.

And as far as Bill still in the play, I think it just for those here right here, Bruce , the majority of Christianize bills have been moved forward so the percentage of one up here for northeast Indiana we're loving the home report and grateful for your time for sharing it this evening.

We have been enjoying the conversations this evening with state Senator Justin Bush, State Representative Chris Judy, for all of us with prime time, I'm Bruce Haines.

Thank you for watching.

>> Take care and we'll see you again next week.

Goodbye