House Speaker Pat Bauer will announce changes in key committee chair positions today.  Rep. Scott Pelath will leave the Rules Committee post to take over the number 2 slot at Ways and Means, a vacancy created in a shuffle started by the defeat of Rep. Bill Cochran (Pelath wins a heated competition for that spot.)

That puts Rep. Phil GiaQuinta in charge of rules.  Don’t look for a change in the handling of the marriage amendment there.

Rep. Matt Pierce leaves his post as chair of the Elections Committee for the opportunity to chair Courts and Criminal Code, an opportunity created by the departure of Rep. Phil Hoy.   Rep. Kreg Battles gets the Elections Chairmanship.  Chances are he will be less enthusiastic about things like mail-in voting than Pierce was.

The vote counting in Lafayette today ended with Republican Randy Truitt still winning the Indiana House seat vacated by Democrat Joe Micon.  The 21 vote margin became 26 and there may yet be a recount.

Nevertheless, J.D. Lux laments what could have been.  Lux managed the House races for Speaker Pat Bauer and the Democrats and points out that, while they won 52 seats and the majority, they were 27 votes short of 53 seats and 141 votes short of 54.

I’m a little late with a list of Indiana Winners and Losers from Election night but that won’t stop me.

BIG WINNERS

Barack Obama.  No more references to 1964. 

Kip Tew, Jonathan Swain, Evan Bayh and everybody else who got on the Obama bandwagon.

Mitch Daniels.   He has a mandate.

Pat Bauer.  His majority grew.

Beth White.  No disasters.

BIG LOSERS

Early voting opponents.

Jennifer Hallowell.  McCain’s regional coordinator came off a failed Guiliani campaign for this.

Mike Montagano.  All those upset predictions were way off.  Time to find a job.

Brian Bosma.  He needs to win the majority in 2010 and can’t think about higher office till he does.

All the township assessors who lost their jobs.

Leftover thoughts from Barack Obama’s appearance at Concord High School:

-This morning’s event started almost a half hour late.  Was it held on Evan Bayh time?

-Obama first mispronounced the name of Mike Montagano (the Democrat challenging Congressman Mark Souder) before getting it right.  Its something Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry did at an earlier event and something I did on Indiana Week in Review.  Its mon-TAG-a-no.

-State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker and House Speaker Pat Bauer didn’t get acknowledged by Obama.

-House Speaker Pat Bauer had a new shorter haircut.

-Just two Chicago television stations made the trip to Elkhart and two from Indianapolis.

-A t-shirt and cap vendor outside said it was a bad day.  He blamed it on a small house (1600) and too many vendors.

“I wanna get it done today.”

Those are the words of House Speaker Pat Bauer in reference to property tax relief legislation.  Bauer tells me he is two phone calls away from agreeing to all of the property tax caps proposed by Governor Mitch Daniels, a change in position for Democrats.  Bauer says negotiations between Republicans and Democrats have produced significant progress.

The Speaker says that a reserve fund will be established to cover money lost to schools and that some local government debt will remain outside the caps.

House Speaker Pat Bauer this afternoon confirmed Sen. Luke Kenley’s account that property tax talks are stuck in neutral.  Bauer gave vague answers to a series of questions but agreed that sticking points include proposed property tax caps.

He said “safety nets” are also a sticking point, indicating that the real issue is more money for schools and local governments. 

Where do the property tax negotiations stand?

Republican State Senator Luke Kenley just came out of Democratic Speaker Pat Bauer’s office following a lengthy closed door session.  Kenley was smiling but said there is no progress to report.  He says talks are hung up over philosophical issues that include property tax caps and referendums.

Staff and lobbyists in the Statehouse have begun counting down the last days of the 2008 General Assembly.  There are ten business days remaining after today.

But what about Session Days?

It may take an insider to understand the Session Day concept but I’ll try to explain.  Session days are the only days when legislation can be acted on by the Indiana House or the state Senate.  The short session is limited to 29 session days to be held by March 14th.  The two bodies keep separate counts. 

When Speaker Pat Bauer recessed last Thursday instead of adjourning, and then didn’t publish the number of the Session day on Monday he sparked confusion that Minority Leader Brian Bosma believes could be serious (as in, the basis for a lawsuit to nullify action.)

Bosma believes just two Session days remain and one is scheduled for Tuesday.  That would leave just one day (presumably Friday the 14th) to pass most of the remaining legislation. 

Of course, the House could always vote to suspend rules and act on yet another day.  

Maybe its not that serious.  

“He’s alive!”

That the comment of one House staffer prompted by a Jim Schellinger appearance at the House of Representatives this afternoon.  The Democratic candidate for governor showed up prior to the opening gavel today to meet and greet with lawmakers, staff, and lobbyists.

It tells me that Schellinger understands one of his challenges.  Speaker Pat Bauer and the 50 other Democratic members of the Indiana House care more about keeping the majority than they do about winning back the governor’s office.  Schellinger needs their support and help if he hopes to defeat Jill Long Thompson in the May primary for the chance to unseat Republican Mitch Daniels.

A little higher visibility won’t hurt, either.

House Speaker Pat Bauer said today that a committee chairman will be the one who decides the fate of the resolution that would place a ban on gay marriage in the Indiana Constitution.  

Last year he let Rules Committee Chairman Scott Pelath decide to give it a hearing.  The measure was defeated in a committee vote.

Bauer said he’s still looking for the people in illegal marriages in violation of Indiana law, which already prohibits same sex unions, thereby indicating his opposition to the resolution.

The Speaker said that he won’t decide which committee chairman will deal with the bill this year till he sees it on his desk.