Crafting a responsible budget We have been moving quickly with one bill already passed through the House and onto the Senate. Several of the bills I authored have been heard and are now either in committee or onto a second or third reading on the House floor, as well. House Bill 1255, that would require that any official document or communication that is state-related be printed solely in English, will be up for third and final reading on the House floor. Should it pass, the bill provides exceptions for documents required by federal law that must be bilingual. House Bill 1047 made progress this week. HB1047 would require the Family and Social Services Administration Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services to do a survey to find a way to streamline their auditing processes. Currently, multiple audits are made every year to the entities providing services to the disabled. HB 1047 would help them find a way to reduce the number of government regulations. The Public Health Committee reviewed the bill on Wednesday, where they voted 11 -0 to pass the bill on for second reading on the House floor. Kelly Mitchell, president and CEO of Southern Indiana Resource Solutions, said, "We are most appreciative that Rep. Crouch has taken this issue to heart. It is truly key in making significant changes in the industry that would allow us to focus our energy and resources to providing services to the disabled, rather than putting our resources toward duplicate audits that do not help them." Another bill that is of interest to me is HB1083, which deals with the solicitation of minors and expands the current state laws regarding the matter. If passed, the bill would bring a more severe punishment for adults 21 years of age or older soliciting a child under 14 years of age. The bill was reviewed by the Public Policy Committee on Wednesday but was not voted on to allow more time for discussion. The House Ways and Means Committee has started to work on crafting a balanced budget. And House Bills 1047 and 1255 would both help save money and cut costs, something we are looking to do whenever possible. As Vice Chairman of Ways and Means, I know it is a top priority for us to propose a budget to the General Assembly that will not raise taxes and will allow us to be structurally balanced once again. It will be a challenge, but we can craft a responsible budget that will allow us to have reserves and eventually put us in the black. -30- |
