HB 1001

Mike’s opinion of House Bill 1001

First of all the bill is needlessly complex and should be simplified! This is true of every bill these lawyers (Legislators) pass. I had to spend over an hour reading the bill to understand what it proposes to do.

The State of Indiana makes most of the child welfare rules, many of the employees are State employees, and the State of Indiana should be the one to pay for all of these rules and bureaucracy they are creating. The Child Welfare levies are a good example of a State mandate that should be funded by the State.

I am not a lawyer and I may have mis-read part of the bill. Here is what I think it is trying to do:

House Bill 1001 is an attempt to TEMPORARILY transfer the child welfare levies in Indiana from the local governments (Property Taxes) to the State of Indiana starting July 1st 2006 through December 31st 2009. Starting Jan 1st 2010 the bill then forces local governments to once again fund these State programs through means other then property taxes. (Only the government and our current politicians could come up with a scheme like this. This program should be funded be the State forever!)

In the first HALF of 2006 and all of 2007 all residential and agricultural property would not be forced to pay the child welfare levies, instead the State would pay it.

In 2008 the remainder of all agricultural property would no longer have to pay these levies through property taxes; instead the State would pay it.

In 2009 50% of the levies would no longer be paid on all other property, instead the State would pay that 50%.

The next part of the law is the stupid part of this law that only politicians could come up with. Starting Jan 1st 2010 the State will STOP funding the Child Welfare Levies and the counties and local governments will start funding it again. The counties and local governments will have to again fund the levies using a portion of current local revenues from the Financial Institutions Tax (An 8.5% income tax on many financial institutions) and County Motor Vehicle Excise Tax.

What the State SHOULD do is The State should fund the Child Welfare levies themselves!
Remember back in 2002 when The State raised the Sales tax to 6% from 5% to reduce property taxes? I remember it. I hope you all remember it and vote ALL current officials out of office and vote in some new ones. If they do not fix it then vote them out of office.