Former Governor Otis “Doc” Bowen died over the weekend at the age of 95.  He will be remembered as one of the leading Indiana and his legacy will live on at, among other places, Ball State University.

In 2007 Otis Bowen donated many of his papers and other belongings to what is now the Bowen Center at Ball State.
It is a record of a remarkable life.  At the Bowen Center you can learn how Doc Bowen rose from Marshall county coroner to Cabinet Secretary without changing his approach.  “He knew how to diagnose problems,” said co-director Ray Scheele, “and that turned into a very good political diagnostician.”

The campaign materials in the Bowen Center date back to the ’50′s, to the time before Bowen became Speaker of the Indiana House, and a 2-term governor.  You can find lots of photos, and important letters.   You can even find a note with a face drawn on it, something President Reagan doodled and then handed to Bowen during a meeting.  “Students, the public, anybody can access it,” says Assistant Dean John Straw.

One of the things you can find here is a letter from Otis Bowen to Ronald Reagan written in 1981.  In it, Bowen turns down a Cabinet appointment, something that was never reported at the time.  He wrote the letter just 9 days after his first wife, Beth, died of cancer.
He told President Reagan that he was crushed by her death and needed time to recover.  Bowen took the job when it was offered again four years later.

Through it all you learn the essence of the man.  “And here was this wonderful person who just went far beyond the name,” said co-director Sally Jo Vasicko.

And you also learn that he faced a lot of struggles.  “But he always had a fair way of trying to deal with them,” says Scheele, “and I think that that’s really a strong lesson in any walk of life but particularly if you’re going to be in public affairs.”

It’s a lesson that will be taught at Ball State for decades to come.

Former governor Otis Bowen is being remembered today as a successful politician who served the nation in Washington, DC but one who always returned to his hometown of Bremen in northern Indiana.

Reverend David Kahlenberg will preach at Bowen’s funeral on Friday in Bremen.  He shared some of this memories with News 8 this morning.  “He was in a way, one of a kind,” said Kahlenberg, “because he was a politician with a heart and with a soul and a desire to please as many people as he could, not everybody but as many people as he could.  He was a man who was just  full of integrity and full of honesty as a politician and I wish we had more of them.”

Bowen, who was 95, died over the weekend.  He served two terms as governor before being named as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Ronald Reagan..

Bowen may be best known for championing property tax reform as governor and AIDS funding as HHS Secretary.

The Sagamore of the Wabash is a high civilian honor granted only by the governor, an award that Mitch Daniels seldom gave out.  Governor Mike Pence has a new approach and it means the Sagamore is back.

State lawmakers have been informed by the governor that they can each nominate two people a year to receive the Sagamore of the Wabash.  For lawmakers including Democrat David Niezgodski of South Bend it’s an opportunity to reward people who live in his district.  “I think it’s a great honor,” said Niezgodski.

The Sagamore was the highest civilian honor in Indiana until Mitch Daniels became governor.  He created a higher honor, the Sachem Award (which is given annually to just one Indiana native or resident) in part because he thought too many people owned a Sagamore.  “The currency’s been badly cheapened,” said Daniels in 2005.

In the ’80′s Governor Bob Orr gave out more than 4,000 Sagamores.  Governors Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon distributed more than 3,000 each.  Daniels gave out just 245 Sagamores.  “Mitch Daniels gave these things out like he had to pay for them himself,” says former state GOP Chairman Mike McDaniel, who is a fan of the new Pence policy even though he has 3 Sagamores of his own.  “But the people who get them are well-deserved Hoosiers,” he says.

Look for Mike Pence to hand out more than Mitch Daniels, less than Bob Orr.  Plans call for Pence to also continue to give out the Sachem award once a year.  So far he has only handed out a handful of Sagamores and while lawmakers will nominate as many as 300 people in total, it’s possible that not all of them will actually receive a Sagamore.

All of the regulars are on the panel today.  Here are the Indiana Week in Review topics:

• The veto threat involving the Marion County government bill
• Ag Gag and other bills that died in the General Assembly
• ISTEP interruptions
• Voter fraud involving Democrats
• Winners and Losers in the legislature
• Rookie of the year
• Lawmaker of the year

Did the Indiana General Assembly follow the wishes of the public?  Before the 2013 Session of the General Assembly began in January we brought you the results of the WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier Survey.  It measured public opinion on a variety of issues and we now know how well lawmakers listened.

The Hoosier Survey found fewer than a third of Indiana residents (31 percent) looking for a tax cut and that may have something to do with the fact that the governor didn’t get the 10 percent income tax cut he wanted.  Instead Mike Pence is putting a good face on a 5 percent tax cut phased in over 4 years.  “I believe the General Assembly has passed the right tax relief,” he said on Monday, “at the right time.”

The governor has already signed a bill to restrict chemical abortions even though our poll found a large majority of Hoosiers in support of abortion rights in certain circumstances (83 percent when the mother’s life is in danger.)   It also found that more people support access to abortion in all or most circumstances.

A bill to decriminalize marijuana didn’t get a vote despite support from 53 percent of Hoosiers and state Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage) who, in February, said, “Ohio has had a decriminalization bill for years and, you know, the whole state of Ohio hasn’t turned into pot heads.”  Lawmakers did pass a bill that reduces criminal penalties for marijuana possession.

On another matter the poll found growing opposition to the amendment to ban same sex marriage up to 54 percent and that measure didn’t get a hearing.

It’s a mixed bag even if the governor didn’t see it that way.  “Legislation that was moved in this session took the priorities of the people of Indiana,” he said, “and they made them the priorities of this General Assembly.”

Of course lawmakers and the governor are always free to decide whether they should follow public opinion or their own conscience.  That’s why there are elections.

There were no problems today in the administration of the ISTEP exam after testing was suspended due to computer problems on two consecutive days.  Steps being taken to avoid new problems.  First, the state Department of Education asked schools to reduce the number of students taking the test online by half.  Then, the Indianapolis Public Schools told teachers stop giving the test between 10:30 and 1 o’clock, the peak time period statewide.

Employees of CTB McGraw Hill, the state contractor that supplies the ISTEP test, were on hand Wednesday in offices of the Department of Education monitoring the computer system that became overloaded on Monday and Tuesday.   The problems caused members of the state Board of Education to question whether a contract has been violated and state School Superintendent Glenda Ritz emerged from a meeting to say it will be explored.  “Certainly we’re gonna be looking at our contractual obligations, or their contractual obligations regarding that,” she said.  “I haven’t really delved into that yet.”

Schools now have until May 15th to complete the testing but the request to have half the normal number of students online at once will remain in place.  Ritz believes the contractor can help students make up for lost time.  “They know every student, the name of the student, and who’s been interrupted,” she said.

The results are important not only to students but also to teachers and administrators who are all evaluated and sometimes compensated based on ISTEP results.  “It is a very high stakes test in Indiana,” said Ritz, “and so we have to be very concerned about that and make sure that we can ascertain the validity of the actual student assessment.”

But, first, they must actually take the test.  A spokesman for IPS says it will be a major challenge to have 14,000 students complete the test by May 15th.  All of them will be on summer vacation, however, by the time this mess gets straightened out.

Marion County Democrats are seeking a veto of the bill that would eliminate four members of the City County Council.

17 Democratic elected officials from Marion County gathered just outside the governor’s office to encourage Mike Pence to veto the bill that they believe is a power grab being carried out by the GOP super majorities in the General Assembly.  They are led by Prosecutor Terry Curry who also hand-delivered a letter to the governor and requested a private meeting.

They say the proposed changes in Marion County government amount to bad policy decisions that should be fought to the very end.  “It is unprecedented,” said Councilor Zach Adamson, “that some members of this General Assembly voted to benefit one political party over another.”

“And if this legislature is to consider this sort of dramatic effect on Marion County government,” said Prosecutor Terry Curry, “let’s wait until next session when we can have a discussion over the course of the next year as to why this is appropriate.”

The governor yesterday indicated that he is considering a veto of the bill in question.  His chief of staff, Bill Smith, says that Mike Pence has been asked to be fully briefed on the issues behind it.

The bill that would eliminate the four at-large members of the Indianapolis City County Council is on its way to the governor’s desk and Mike Pence indicated today that he will consider a veto.  The GOP governor says he has concerns about the bill that Democrats have called a power grab from the beginning.  He declined to spell out those concerns but he’s not the only one who has them.

The four at large members of the City County Council are all Democrats and the Democrats see the effort to eliminate those seats as partisan warfare aimed at preserving Republican power.  Gov. Pence has heard the arguments.  “Let me say we’re gonna study that very carefully,” he said.

The bill cleared the state Senate on Friday as its author argued that it’s good for taxpayers.  “This could harm our party.  It could help our party.  I don’t know,” said Sen. Mike Young (R-Indianapolis.)  “All I know is that it saves us money that we could use in other areas of the budget.”

Even before the vote Democrats were crying foul.  “We’ve seen just Barbaric political power grabs,” said House Minority Leader Scott Pelath on Friday.

And Monday the Republican House Speaker, Brian Bosma, tried to distance himself from the controverisal measure.  “I pretty much, though, took a hands off approach on that particular bill,” he said.

The bill also gives the mayor new authority over the budget and the governor says that’s a good thing.  “That being said I have some concerns about the bill,” said Pence, “I’ll keep you posted.”

Meantime Democratic officeholders in Marion County, from the prosecutor to members of the City County Council and the General Assembly will all speak out on the so-called power grab Tuesday.  They’re planning a news conference in front of the governor’s office to demand a veto.

There was one last late night controversy before lawmakers got to the budget vote.   It was over the bill that calls for $100 million dollars in state loans to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for improvements to made over the next 20 years. “Which honestly,” said House Minority Leader Scott Pelath, “is really just us giving them the money.”

Despite objections the House passed the bill 60-to-37.  It also passed the state Senate..

It was almost 1 a.m. when the Senate took up the budget with Democrats calling the 5 percent cut in the state income tax a “poison pill.” “This is the a kind of invisible tax cut,” said Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage.)  “It’s smoke and mirrors.”  The tax cut won’t take full effect until 2017 and then will return $85 a year to someone who makes $50,000.

But Republicans insist that taxpayers will benefit and the Senate vote was 39-to-11.  “This budget pays off debts, provides very significant tax relief,” said Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville.)  “It’s honestly balanced each year.”

The arguments were similar in the House.  “This budget miserably fails the middle class,” said Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis.)  “Where are the jobs?”

But again the Republican super majority prevailed with the budget passing 70-to-30.  All of the Republicans voted for it and so did one Democrat in the House and two in the state Senate.

And with that the session ended well in advance of a Monday deadline.  Lawmakers won’t be back in session until January of next year.  The first portion of the income tax cut won’t take effect until a year after that.

The Indiana House gave its approval to an expansion of the school voucher program Friday night.  It’s a smaller expansion than what the House first considered.

The vote was relatively close, however, 55-to-44 for the measure that will, for the first time, permit some students to get vouchers to attend private school without first attending a public school.  It will also increase the income level for families to qualify, and it will give new eligibility to students in failing schools.

Opponents say it will hurt public schools.  “We’re letting schools choose kids,” said Rep. Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes,) “and not kids choose schools.”

“What incentive is this for IPS?” asked Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis.)  “Why would IPS fix up a failing school? They won’t get the kids back.  What’s the incentive for IPS to improve? There is none.”

The state Senate must still vote on the voucher bill but passage is expected there.