All of those goals still stand true today. At the start of session, we announced the beginning of a new committee whose sole responsibility would be to reduce government. In Indiana, we have too many laws and regulations that only bog down employers, schools and local governments. We have to take a stand and stop the practice of continuing to duplicate unnecessary laws and regulations. In fact, the Select Committee on Government Reduction has already met several times since the start of session. They have discussed cost reduction measures with organizations that represent cities, towns and counties, in addition to the State Board of Accounts. We are also making efforts to build a more transparent government, and we are starting with the Statehouse. We put cameras in all committee rooms, in addition to the House chambers, so that anyone interested in tuning in to watch the discussion on legislation, now can. You can visit www.in.gov/legislative and click on "Watching Indiana General Assembly Live." In addition to watching session live, we filed legislation that will also allow taxpayers to see how their tax dollars are being spent-in state government, local government and schools. The legislation would also establish a comprehensive, user-friendly website so taxpayers can see details from budgets to salaries to sources of revenue. And not to forget, we are moving along at a more-than-steady pace. We are about to start our fifth week of session and we have already had final votes on the House floor. This time last year we just starting debates in committee, and it was a short session. We even heard our first Senate bill in committee this week that deals with voting centers. The legislation would allow counties the option to adopt voting centers as a more cost effective form of voting process, in addition to increasing accessibility through the length that the voting centers would be open. The bill should be ready for a second reading floor debate next week. As we move along, I strongly encourage you to stay up-to-date on legislation we are discussing, voting on and passing through the legislature. Be a part of the conversation and if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. If you would like to receive weekly email legislative updates, you can sign up at my website at www.in.gov/h58.
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