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> Mitch Daniels state of the state adress
Southsider2k12
post Jan 17 2007, 09:23 AM
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http://www.post-trib.com/news/213834,stateofstate.article

QUOTE
BY JIM STINSON Post-Tribune
INDIANAPOLIS -- "Think big" is the message Gov. Mitch Daniels sent to a newly divided Indiana General Assembly during Tuesday night's State of the State.

And this time, the governor mentioned few limitations, especially on his proposed cigarette tax to expand health insurance.

Last year, Daniels touted a plan in his State of the State to raise cigarette taxes by 25 cents a pack. This year, in front of 51 Democrats who now control the Indiana House of Representatives, Daniels unleashed new bait for something Democrats sorely want: expanded health insurance.

Instead of proposing a specific tax, Daniels enticed the Democrats to use the opportunity to insure at least 800,000 Hoosiers without health care. Daniels, who said smoking is related to cheap cost of the product, suggested 25 cents per pack was a start.

"It is constructed to be as large as this assembly chooses," said Daniels. "I hope you think big."

Daniels, in this third State of the State address, addressed numerous issues, including a balanced biennial budget, full-day kindergarten, increased education spending and outsourcing of the Hoosier Lottery, the latter an idea also being promoted in Illinois by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat.

Addressing a split assembly for the first time in his career, Daniels seemed to pay more attention to the House Democrats than the powerful Senate Republicans, who control 33 of the state Senate's 50 seats.

Despite a bipartisan standing ovation to kick the speech off, Democrats stayed mostly mum on many of the governor's points, even when Republicans stood and cheered.

They began to rise more in number when the governor mentioned issues such as education, health care and, especially, increasing benefits for Hoosier military veterans, which raised two floors of people in the House chamber.

It was health care that Daniels pitched most passionately.

Daniels said Indiana was suffering from the second-highest rate of smoking in the nation, but has one of the nation's lowest taxes on a pack of cigarettes.

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, stood up for the governor last year when he proposed the idea. This year, Brown said progress was made.

"I got five others to stand with me on mention of a tax," said Brown, who will push for universal health care coverage this legislative session. His House Health Committee will meet in joint session with the House Insurance Committee today.

After the speech, a Republican, Rep. Timothy Brown of Crawfordsville, a doctor, came over to Charlie Brown after the speech and mentioned he stood up and applauded the idea.

But the idea still has yet to pick up a Republican sponsor in either body. All of Daniels' other major proposals this year, from Hoosier Lottery privatization to the Illiana Expressway, haven't had the same problem.

House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, took pleasure in noting the governor is being criticized by fellow Republicans for his plans on full-day kindergarten and health care.

When Bauer was reminded that Daniels' ideas on privatization may have come from Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, both Democrats, Bauer responded: "Shame on them."

Bauer said the governor's ideas on privatization, which he called obsessive, are outsourcing state responsibilities to the private sector.

But Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said she was impressed with the conciliatory tone of Daniels' speech. Almost two years earlier, Bauer and Daniels exchanged bitter words when Bauer led his then-minority Democrats on a walkout, denying the House a quorum for almost a week.

Most of Northwest Indiana's Democratic delegation said they liked the idea of full-day kindergarten.

But Rep. Earl Harris, D-Chicago, said improving schools across the board should be the first priority.

Contact Jim Stinson at 648-3076 or jstinson@post-trib.com

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