INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana legislators are working on three major contentious issues on the final day of the General Assembly session, Anderson Sen. Tim Lanane said.

Passing a state budget and coming to an agreement on the amount of compensation available to the state’s unemployed are on the top of lawmakers’ lists, along with coming up with a solution for Indianapolis’ Capital Improvement Board, which is operating Lucas Oil Stadium and Conseco Fieldhouse at a deficit.

“It’s a crazy time down here,” Lanane, a Democrat, said. “There’s just a whole whirlwind of activity right now.”

Lanane expected legislators to take most of the day Wednesday to pass a budget, pushing the necessary legislation right up to the midnight deadline.

“We have to come up with a budget, so that will trigger definitely a special session (if one is not passed by the deadline),” he said. “We should be able to come up with an agreement, I think.”

Lanane said budget negotiations generally take the entire session and often are the last bills introduced during budget years.

“It’s time to compromise,” he said, noting contentious budget issues included how much money to spend on public schools and colleges and other government agencies and Medicaid. “It’s time to come up with something that may not be perfect for everyone.”

Rep. Scott Reske, a Democrat who represents part of Anderson and southern Madison County, said Gov. Mitch Daniels was pressuring lawmakers as they consider the budget.

“It looks like the governor’s digging his heels in on some cuts, but yet wants a solution for the CIB, so he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too,” Reske said.

The Republican-controlled Senate was scrambling for a solution to the underfunded operations of the city’s sports venues, as they ultimately approved the building of Lucas Oil Stadium back when both legislative houses were controlled by Republicans, Reske said.

Lanane said the unwillingness of the city’s professional sports teams to fund part of the operations could stall the legislature’s solution to the problem.

“CIB is up in the air,” he said. “I am very worried that there’s not going to be much of an appetite to fix that unless the professional sports teams are willing to help out.”

Reske said the third important issue, unemployment compensation looked to be coming to a close on Tuesday, as a conference committee appeared to reach an agreement.

“The unemployment insurance situation looks like it’s been resolved,” he said. “It looks like there’s a very moderate increase in the unemployment tax and also in the benefits. Other states around us are going through the same thing. It looks like ours will be one of the lower states when we’re done with it.

“In the art of compromise, it was probably a good solution.”

Lanane said the unemployment compensation issue was one that couldn’t be ignored.

“That’s probably well up to 400,000 people in the state,” he said. “Technically, we don’t have to pass that bill, but practically, we do. We can’t turn our backs on those people.”

Reske said he would have liked to have seen a more comprehensive bill to save the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children’s Home in Knightstown from closure passed during the winding down session.

Lanane looked for bills revamping the tax structure for Hoosier Park and other Indiana casinos, as well as addressing early voting issues, during the session, but legislators probably won’t have time for either, he said.

Finally, he wanted to see a bill addressing the application process for Medicaid patients.

“I’m worried we’re going to lose this session and not really address those problems,” he said.



Contact Aleasha Sandley: 640-4805, aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com.