GOP Rejects Bid By Democrats To Give Teachers Pay Bonus Now

TheStateHouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — A Senate committee on Thursday rejected the latest Democrat attempts to give teachers a one-time pay bonus this year.

Both Sen. Karen Tallian, D-OgdenDunes, and Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, sought to amend House Bill 1007 in the Senate Appropriations Committee to get teachers more money this year, instead of waiting until next year’s budget-writing session as Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP legislative leaders want.

Their amendments were defeated 8-4, on party-line votes.

HB 1007 takes about $290 million of the state’s surplus, currently at about $2.3 billion, to pay cash for several public university projects rather than issuing bonds and borrowing money for them

Tallian argued that teachers should come before buildings.

“(HB) 1007 is a budget bill, and budget is about priorities,” Tallian said. “And one of our priorities this year from our caucus is about teacher pay.”

Tallian, who with the other four Democrats voted against HB 1007, said that “I have no problem with any of these university projects. I also know my ‘no’ vote is not going to keep them from being built either by cash or by the bond. But I do believe it’s just wrong of us to ignore all these other things we could correct this year.”

Melton sought to take $100 million from the state’s surplus this year and next year for teacher pay increases.

“I believe that we have a unique opportunity…to address our teacher pay in Indiana,” Melton said.

Republicans did not respond to Tallian and Melton, letting their “no” votes speak for themselves.

Six representatives from the state colleges receiving these grants all spoke in favor of the bill as passed by the House, saying it will reduce their debts and allow them to start these projects sooner.

“We are very excited to have the option of cash or bond, in which we will use cash,” said Susan Brock Williams, representing Purdue University which is getting $73 million for a veterinary medical teaching hospital. “It will be saving us $26 million in interest payments and we also will be saving $175,000 in bond issued costs.”

Zac Jackson, the state budget director, expressed his support for HB1007, saying: “I generally think most Hoosiers would do the same thing if they were in this position. If they had some one-time cash, they would use that to kind of pay off some debt rather than to take on a new obligation.”

The bill, which on Monday passed the House 77 to 21, now goes to the full Senate for debate.

Taylor Dixon is a reporter with TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.