Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Anderson Herald Bulletin. March 26, 2022.

Editorial: Holcomb was right to veto bill with inserted language

It's one of the oldest tricks in the legislative book: insert language from failed bills into other measures that are destined to pass.

Legislators who support the main thrust of the bill but are opposed to the inserted language often swallow hard and let it slide.

Other lawmakers might not even be aware of the insertion when they vote.

While bargaining and compromise, within limits, are important to the political process, this method takes it too far.

It's just a bad way to create laws.

Fortunately, Gov. Eric Holcomb is keeping an eye on these sorts of Statehouse shenanigans, even when members of his own Republican Party are the perpetrators.

Most recently, Holcomb vetoed House Enrolled Act 1211, which was riddled with unrelated GOP add-ons.

The bill's original intent was to explore possible state use of blockchain technology to 'œachieve greater cost efficiency and cost effectiveness; and improve consumer convenience, experience, data security, and data privacy.'ť

Blockchain technology makes the history of a digital asset transparent and unalterable. Finding new ways to protect the integrity of state data and promote its transparency seems important.

So the bill passed, but not before unrelated language was inserted, including provisions that would have required:

'¢ State agencies to readopt rules every four years instead of every seven.

'¢ The attorney general to be given up to 30 days to review emergency rules - such as those affecting public health, wildlife and livestock - before enactment.

'¢ Broadband infrastructure projects funded by a grant or loan from the state's $500 million Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative program to satisfy stipulations in the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.

The first requirement surely would have necessitated additional resources to adopt agency rules more often.

In vetoing the bill, Holcomb wrote of the last requirement, 'œThis seemingly innocuous language unfortunately has the practical effect of slowing, if not arresting, approximately $154 million of broadband projects currently under active consideration as part of the ... program.'ť

The governor also explained his objection to the emergency review rules inserted into HEA 1211.

'œThis bill is concerning because ... certain state agencies ... often have to act very quickly in adopting emergency rules,'ť Holcomb wrote.

The overarching message of Holcomb's veto was more general: Don't insert new, unrelated language at the last minute into a bill.

'œOn the last day of the legislative session,'ť he wrote, 'œthere was entirely new and unvetted broadband language inserted into HEA 1211 that was neither introduced in a bill nor ever heard in a committee to allow for comment and debate. ... Accordingly, there was no opportunity for stakeholders to review and testify about its impact or to suggest improvements to such language.'ť

That, precisely, is the problem with one of the oldest tricks in the legislative book.

Kudos to the governor for calling out the Legislature on this one.

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Indianapolis Business Journal. March 25, 2022.

Editorial: Direct trans-Atlantic flights are key to economic development

There's no doubt the pandemic has taught us that business travel isn't always as important as it used to be. Plenty of business can be conducted by Zoom or some other form of videoconferencing.

But virtual connections still can't totally replace the face-to-face meetings, handshakes and in-person trust building that usually needs to occur to land new clients, establish long-standing relationships and close big deals.

That's why it is so heartening to know that Indianapolis Airport Authority officials are working with Delta Air Lines to re-establish the direct Indianapolis-to-Paris flight lost during the pandemic, or maybe even another direct destination such as London.

As IBJ's Mickey Shuey reported last week, nothing firm is likely to happen until 2023 or 2024, when business travel is expected to pick up. It might never return to pre-pandemic levels. A Bloomberg survey of 45 large companies last summer revealed that 84% plan to spend less on business travel even after pandemic threats have ended.

As Greg Hayes, CEO of jet-engine maker Raytheon Technologies Corp., told Bloomberg Radio, business travel has 'œforever changed'ť as sophisticated communication technologies make it possible to meet virtually with anyone around the world, without any disruption in productivity and no jet lag.

But, as the Society for Human Resource Management reported this week, many companies are starting to embrace some types of business travel again, especially for the purposes of securing new clients or sending key employees to training opportunities in an effort to retain them.

Direct flights to commercial hubs around the world would create better opportunities for Indiana businesses to land clients and establish business connections in those cities.

A study by economists at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and the University of Zurich found that cities connected with at least one weekly direct flight have significantly higher levels of business connectivity than those not connected by a weekly flight. 'œThe movement of people fosters the movement of capital: The ability to establish face-to-face contact between people is an important factor buttressing the ability to do business,'ť the study found.

When the direct flight from Indianapolis to Paris was launched in 2018, it became the state's first-ever nonstop trans-Atlantic air service. It was just one flight, but it greatly expanded the city's global reach. Those flying into Charles de Gaulle Airport were able to connect to flights to more than 100 destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

The pandemic took those global connections away from us, and we need them back to continue to build a brighter economic tomorrow.

We encourage airport, city and state officials to keep pushing for more direct flights to key international destinations. It's critical for economic growth. And we'd be the first to acknowledge that it would also be nice to catch a direct flight from Indianapolis for a European vacation.

We all need a break from this pandemic.

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Terre Haute Tribune-Star. March 25, 2022.

Editorial: Holcomb should be commended for careful consideration of bills

For decades, the nation could expect pragmatism from most of Indiana's elected leaders, rather than knee-jerk ideology.

Richard Lugar and Lee Hamilton shined in Congress as voices of reason and wisdom. Otis Bowen and Evan Bayh gained bipartisan respect as governors of Indiana, and later while serving in federal offices. Bill Hudnut became Indianapolis' longest serving mayor and transformed the once sleepy Hoosier capital into an amateur, college and pro sports mecca through progressive economic development initiatives.

Sadly, the days have passed when such Indiana public servants compromised across party lines or rendered decisions that defied expectations. The responses of the state's congressional contingent to almost any issue are predictably partisan.

Through his five-plus years as governor, Eric Holcomb has exhibited glimpses of that earlier generation of open-minded Hoosier leadership. A prime example is Holcomb's generally careful handling of Indiana's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially through a reliance on and respect for the state's public health experts. For that, of course, Holcomb received resistance from the Indiana General Assembly - led by far-right legislators from his own Republican Party.

Holcomb walked into the lightly trod middle ground once again on Tuesday.

The governor vetoed a cultural-wars bill that would ban transgender females in grades kindergarten through 12 from participating in girls sports. That same day, Holcomb also signed a bill eliminating the state's permit requirement to carry handguns in public.

Both decisions left Holcomb wide open for criticism.

The bill banning transgender females from competing in girls sports was unnecessary and driven by national political party efforts to build 'œwedge'ť issues to rally voter turnouts for Republican candidates. The Indiana High School Athletic Association already has a policy covering transgender students and also stated that it has not had a transgender girl finalize a request to play on a girls team, The Associated Press reported.

Holcomb cited exactly that situation in his veto letter Tuesday.

'œThe presumption of the policy laid out in HEA 1041 is that there is an existing problem in K-12 sports in Indiana that requires further state government intervention,'ť Holcomb said. 'œIt implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met. After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the effort overall.'ť

The bill's only real motivation was to carry water for a national political party, not to address a pressing need among Hoosiers.

Mike Braun, Indiana's junior U.S. senator, responded more predictably and likely with future electoral aspirations in mind. 'œGirls' sports should be for girls, and allowing biological males to compete with them robs female athletes of a chance to compete and win,'ť Braun said on his official Twitter account. 'œI'm disappointed Governor Holcomb vetoed a bill to make this law in Indiana, and I support a veto override to protect women's athletics.'ť

Indeed, the Indiana General Assembly can override Holcomb's veto with a simple majority, and could do so in its one-day session on May 24.

Holcomb's signing of the handgun permit requirement repeal contradicts the objections of numerous law enforcement leaders and groups across Indiana, including Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter. Those groups compellingly and rightly argued that ending the state's permit system would endanger police officers, removing a tool they use to quickly screen and identify dangerous people who should not be armed. In signing that bill into law, Holcomb said it 'œentrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our state.'ť

Indiana's existing permit system allows Hoosiers the rights to gun ownership and adds a layer of protection for police officers, so the repeal was not necessary.

That said, Gov. Holcomb clearly gave deep thought to both of his decisions Tuesday, as it was the last day for him to legally do so. A more partisan office holder would have rendered those decisions more quickly and with less consideration.

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