Monday, January 11, 2016
On the first day of session, leaders of the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus announced a legislative agenda that outlines some of our top priorities for the coming weeks.
With a fast, busy session ahead of us, we are focused on addressing issues that matter most to Hoosiers.
(Authored by State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek)
Provide $418 million to local governments for improvements to local roads and bridges.
(Authored by State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville)
Fully fund a third Regional Cities project using revenues from the 2015 tax amnesty program. With the bill, Northeast Indiana, North Central Indiana and Southwest Indiana would each receive $42 million for long-term, high-impact economic development projects.
(Authored by State Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn)
Prevent 2015 school A-F grades from dropping in response to ISTEP problems.
Support companion legislation in the House to remove ISTEP scores and A-F grades from teacher evaluations for one year.
(Authored by State Sen. R. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis)
Allow courts to convict people caught with large amounts of drugs as dealers, not just users. Companion legislation in the House would establish mandatory minimum sentences for drug dealers.
(Authored by State Sens. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City and Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, respectively)
Allow a veteran who served on active-duty during any armed conflict to be eligible for financial assistance from the Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF) and add a box to Indiana tax returns allowing Hoosiers to donate a portion of their tax refund to the MFRF.
(Authored by State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek)
Change the formula for farmland property-tax assessment to limit increases in the per-acre base rate and permanently halt an increase in soil productivity factors.
(Authored by State Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford)
Make the medical malpractice award system more patient-friendly by raising the award caps for medical malpractice cases, indexing the caps to inflation and raising the dollar-limit cap for small malpractice claims to bypass the Medical Review Board and go straight to court.
We strongly believe this legislation will positively impact Hoosiers around the state by helping to improve road infrastructure, strengthen penalties for drug dealers and support our schools, veterans and farmers.
For more information about the 2016 Senate Republicans’ agenda, click here.
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