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State News
Democrats add $2 million provision to gain vote


By The Associated Press
Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:46 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS - Drama emerged in the Indiana House on Thursday as Democrats took steps to appease one of their own members so they could pass the two-year budget bill they drafted without any Republican support.

Democrats control the chamber 51-49 but House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, was ‘‘hesitant'' to support the bill. Since it seemed clear that no Republican would vote for the bill without major changes, Democrats made a procedural move to amend the bill and provide $2 million more for a school district in Fry's district.

It took 51 votes to amend the bill in that fashion, and despite Republican claims that the maneuver Democrats used circumvented the legislative process to buy one member's vote, the amendment was approved on a voice vote after intense, partisan debate.

The House then began debate around 9:30 p.m. on passage of the overall bill, and about an hour later it passed 51-48 in a straight party-line vote, with one Republican not voting. It now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate, which is sure to make major revisions.

House Republicans accused Democrats of taking extraordinary, partisan steps and trampling on the minority party by trying to get the budget changed and passed in the manner they used.

Fry said he held out because the school corporation in question - Penn-Harrison-Madison - was growing and had been shortchanged in the budget plan.

‘‘I advocated for the people I represent,'' Fry said. ‘‘I'm not going to apologize for that.''

Democrats could have tried to amend the plan through more traditional means by seeking a two-thirds majority so the bill could be amended in the final passage stage it was in. But that route likely would have required major concessions to Republicans, since their members have harshly criticized the Democrat budget plan.

Among other things, Republicans say the $26.1 billion plan is not ‘‘honestly balanced'' because it does not provide hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on known obligations. They say those include about $220 million to cover a portion of rising Medicaid costs, and more than $200 million in back payments owed to local governments.

So Democrats in a key committee suspended the two-thirds majority rule and used another rule they said would allow the bill to be amended in the final passage phase with just 51 votes.

Republicans said Democrats had until a Tuesday deadline next week to pass bills and send them to the Senate, and there should be no rush in passing the budget now - especially in the manner that was used.

House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the move was unprecedented. He said Democrats had asked Republicans earlier to help provide a two-thirds majority so an amendment could be approved to win one more Democrat vote.

‘‘Be bipartisan and do this,'' Bosma characterized the Democrats' offer. ‘‘Pick one school corporation and give $2 million to pick up one more Democrat vote.'' Republicans rejected that.

He said the maneuver Democrats then turned to circumvented the process in way he had never seen before.

‘‘We've got a whole different story today,'' he said. ‘‘We're going to grab a $2 million vote and move on our happy way. I'm embarrassed.''

Rep. Matt Whetstone, R-Brownsburg, said it was poor practice and ‘‘sends a message to Hoosiers that this place is not good government, it's about making sure that individual members are taken care of for the purposes of buying enough votes to pass a budget.''

But Democrats said it was their constitutional duty to pass a budget, and they wanted to advance it to the Senate before Tuesday so the House could deal with other legislation in the meantime.

‘‘We're trying to pass a budget before July,'' Bauer said before the bill was amended. The regular session deadline is in late April, and a budget needs to be in place by July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Bauer said the Penn-Harrison-Madison school district also was in part of Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski's district, so the amendment would benefit both a Democrat and Republican. A portion of the school district also is in the district of Republican Rep. Tim Neese, R-Elkhart.

Bauer and other Democrats made no apologies for taking the step they did.

‘‘Certain things have to be done and the majority party has to rule,'' said Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City.

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said there was nothing new about arm-twisting to advance or pass a budget bill. He also noted that when Republicans were in the majority they had passed some bills without any Democratic support.

‘‘We need to move on,'' Brown said. ‘‘The majority rules, plain and simple, the majority rules.''

Democrats said their budget was balanced without any general tax increases, would give generous spending increases to public schools and higher education, and provide property tax relief. They also noted that Senate Republicans were sure to make significant changes, and any final compromise at session's end would have input from both parties.