Legislative mystery: 2 cases of bill-killing

The Indianapolis Star/March 3, 2006

Our position: Curious death of two bills leaves supporters understandably frustrated.

All the antics at the Statehouse, including Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Garton's unwillingness to kill senators' outrageous health care perk, is enough for many taxpayers to suspect that lawmakers don't always have their best interests in mind.

Further evidence can be found in the curious death of two widely supported bills, along with the actions of two of the legislators involved.

Until last week, Senate Bill 341, which would have helped Indianapolis and other cities speed efforts to clear out abandoned buildings, seemed to be coasting along in the legislature. It was scheduled for a vote in the House Local Government Committee after receiving unanimous Senate approval.

House Bill 1062, which would have helped schools upgrade their police forces through training at the state law enforcement academy, passed the Senate Homeland Security Committee 8-0. House members had overwhelmingly approved the bill earlier in the session.

But as a deadline neared for passing both bills, events took a strange turn.

State Rep. Phil Hinkle, who chairs the Local Government Committee, effectively killed SB 341 by announcing he wouldn't allow a vote. He gave no explanation at the time. That surprised the measure's supporters, including state Sen. Tom Wyss, who co-authored the bill.

A day later, HB 1062 died when a committee report was suddenly withdrawn without explanation by the Homeland Security chairman – who happens to be Tom Wyss.

Phil Hinkle, the sponsor of HB 1062, was "a little befuddled because it had unanimous support."

Neither man will admit to engaging in retaliation by killing each other's bills.

Yet Hinkle's explanation -- that he didn't want to rush such a complex bill as SB 341 through the session -- doesn't wash when far more complicated proposals on property tax relief, telecom deregulation and road privatization are moving through the legislature this year.

Wyss argues that school districts can improve the quality of their security forces without any of HB 1062's provisions. Yet, one of the bill's supporters, a concerned Hoosier named John Coy, notes that current law requires school police officers to receive only the 120 hours of training designated for special sheriff's deputies.

The legislation's death is a reminder that political reality isn't covered in civics lessons. Particularly for Coy, it's "real frustrating" that "one person can derail a bill."

And once again, the General Assembly is a place where the people's business becomes an afterthought.