The state Senate will tomorrow followed by a meeting of the Appropriations committee.  The committee plans to pass a budget proposal before the end of the day.  Senate amendments come Monday followed by a full Senate vote on Tuesday.  The Indiana House comes back at 4pm Tuesday for a dissent vote clearing the way for a budget conference committee that could meet that evening.

The conference committee will then have one week to reach an agreement, agree to disagree, or force a government shutdown.

During this morning’s Budget conference committee meeting in room 404 (an Indiana House committee room), the link to streaming video from that room showed a state seal, nothing more. 

On the link to room 431 (a state Senate committee room) there is this notice:  “Due to scheduling, staffing, and equipment considerations, we are unable to provide live video streams of conference committees.”

Isn’t this the time when the public should be most concerned, and best informed?

It was a mild protest by majority Republicans over the failure by majority Democrats in the Indiana House, so far, to act on a number of Senate bills.

Senate Republicans are confident the message was received.

They scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning to talk about the first half of the session while Democrats who control the Indiana House have no plans to finish early.  (Of course, the Senate plan was announced prior to an almost 3 hour caucus in the Senate this afternoon.)

Looks for lots of spin on both sides as lawmakers head out on a four (or five) day break.   And Monday make plans for a contest to reward the best suntan.

A lobbyist friend just expressed it well by saying that there is no rhythm or flow to this session, as with most.  Much of that is attributed to the wait for the federal stimulus package.  Lawmakers don’t yet know how it will affect budget discussions, if at all, and how it will play into political considerations as members of both parties seek to establish issues for the 2010 election.

This session will find a rhythm but that usually happens before the middle of February.

The House still doesn’t have a bill eligible for amendment.

There have been lots of distractions.  The state inauguration, the State of the State, the State of the Judiciary, Martin Luther King Day, and the federal inauguration among them.  Nevertheless, deadlines are fast approaching.

Then, again, can anything meaningful be accomplished before a federal bailout arrives?

Rep. Vanessa Summers (d) Indianapolis is the new chair.

Sen. Luke Kenley wants taxpayers to know that the $1.3 billion dollar state surplus is not all in a Rainy Day Fund.  The suggestion is that some of it is not available to help solve budget problems.  Kenley blames the media, in part, for the perception that it is. 

Here’s the deal:  Some of the money is in a tuition reserve fund and some is in a medicaid reserve fund.  Only about $400 million is actually in a fund labeled “Rainy Day Fund.”  Does it matter? 

Consider this:  there was a time when all of the state surplus went into an account labeled “Rainy Day Fund” and the new reserve accounts were created simply to protect that money.  All of the funds could easily be renamed in a new budget, and made available if lawmakers and the governor so choose.

Plus, if there is a perception problem, it may be due to all those campaign commercials Mitch Daniels aired touting the size of the surplus.  I guess the media did run them.

For his part, the governor today said that he considers all of the money to be part of the surplus and doesn’t think any of it should be spent.

The new wallpaper and carpeting, meantime, are striking.   The blue carpet bears 19 star designs designating Indiana’s status as the 19th state.  The wallpaper is YELLOW!  One Republican staffer says it’s also the same wallpaper you find at MCL Cafeteria.

Now its too late.  Crawford announced this evening that his committee is done with its work for the session.  According to House Rules re-committal was not mandatory but it is customary.

Questions:

Will someone object to a vote on the House floor? 

What happens then? 

Is this a strategy to kill the bill?