Inside INdiana Business is reporting that Governor Eric Holcomb says a special session of the General Assembly he has called for in May will put “some time back on the clock” for legislators to deal with issues that were left hanging last Wednesday’s midnight deadline. During an announcement Monday at the Governor’s residence in Indianapolis, Holcomb said he anticipates legislators will only need a few days because they “only have a few items to deal with.” Holcomb outlined five specific points of “unfinished business” involving schools, schools safety and federal tax compliance he is urging members of the House and Senate to address.
Later this week, Holcomb says he and Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch will meet with legislative leaders on any items of urgency that must be addressed this year in addition to the following he says should be the priority in the special session:
- Increase funding from the Indiana Secured School Fund by $5 million now and in fiscal year 2019.
- Allow school corporations to obtain funding advances for school security equipment and capital purchase
- Provide Muncie Community School Corp. with a one time, $12 million loan from the Common School Fund
- Conform with federal tax reform changes by updating the state’s conformity date to February 11, 2018
- Comply with Internal Revenue Service rules to protect federal taxpayer information and assure access to federal tax data
“This will be a new session,” Holcomb said during Monday’s news conference. “We will be starting over. We have done a lot of heavy lifting. We were seconds away and we should not bring new items to the table in a special session. Again, a few items to deal with in a few days and then let’s take care of the people’s business and get back to the people.”
One bill the governor pushed for legislators to approve that did not receive a final vote before time ran out involved regulations for autonomous vehicles. Holcomb says he will “lead by example” and not ask legislators to take action on the issue because it is not urgent enough. The governor says 2002 was the last time a special session was called following the end of a short session of the General Assembly.