Indiana General Assembly

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Indiana General Assembly

Seal of Indiana.png
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 6, 2020
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Suzanne Crouch (R)
House Speaker:  Todd Huston (R)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Mark Messmer (R)
House: Matthew Lehman (R)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Timothy Lanane (D)
House: Phil GiaQuinta (D)
Structure
Members:  50 (Senate), 100 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Art 4, Indiana Constitution
Salary:   $25,435.98/year + per diem
Elections
Last election:  November 6, 2018
Next election:  November 3, 2020
Redistricting:  Indiana Legislature has control
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana State Senate. The state legislature meets in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of September 9, 2020, there are 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

See also: Indiana House of Representatives, Indiana State Senate, Indiana Governor

Elections

2020

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2020 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office of Indiana State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was February 7, 2020.

Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was February 7, 2020.

2018

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2018 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for the Indiana State Senate took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on May 8, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The major party candidate filing deadline was February 9, 2018. The independent and third-party candidate filing deadline was July 2, 2018.[1]

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on May 8, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The major party candidate filing deadline was February 9, 2018. The independent and third-party candidate filing deadline was July 2, 2018.[2]

2016

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2016 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Indiana State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016.

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016.

2014

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2014 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Indiana State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014.

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014.

2012

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2012 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Indiana State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on May 8, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was February 24, 2012.

Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2012. The primary election was held on May 8, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was February 24, 2012.

2010

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2010 and Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Indiana State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on May 4, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was February 19, 2010, for Republicans and Democrats and June 30 for independents and other candidates.

Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2010. The primary election was held on May 4, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was February 19, 2010, for Republicans and Democrats and June 30, 2010, for independents and other candidates.

Sessions

Article 4 of the Indiana Constitution establishes when the General Assembly is to be in session. Section 9 of Article 4 states that the General Assembly will begin its regular session on the Tuesday following the second Monday in January of each year. However, Section 9 allows the starting date for the session to be changed by law. The session must adjourn by April 29 in odd-numbered years and March 14 in even-numbered years.[3]

Section 9 also gives the Governor of Indiana the power to call special sessions of the General Assembly.

Bills may be pre-filed in the Senate thirty days prior to the start of the session.[4] House filing begins on the opening day of the session.[5]

2020

See also: 2020 Indiana legislative session and Dates of 2020 state legislative sessions

In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2020 and adjourn on March 11, 2020.

Impact of coronavirus pandemic

See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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Coronavirus pandemic
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Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The Indiana State Legislature adjourned its regular session on March 11, 2020.

2019

See also: 2019 Indiana legislative session and Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions

In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2019, through April 24, 2019.

2018

See also: 2018 Indiana legislative session and Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions

In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 2, 2018, through March 16, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, click here.

2017

See also: Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions

In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2017, through April 22, 2017.

Role in state budget

See also: Indiana state budget and finances
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The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[14][15]

  1. In May of the year preceding the beginning of the new biennium, budget instructions and guidelines are sent to state agencies.
  2. In August, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
  3. Hearings are held with state agencies from September to November.
  4. Public hearings on the budget are held from September to March.
  5. The governor submits his or her budget to the state legislature in February.
  6. The legislature typically adopts a budget in April, effective for the fiscal biennium beginning in July. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.

There are no constitutional or statutory provisions mandating that the governor must submit or the legislature must pass a balanced budget. Budget deficits may be carried over to the next biennium.[15]

Indiana is one of only six states in which the governor cannot exercise line item veto authority.[15]

Cost-benefit analyses

See also: Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative Cost-Benefit Study
Map showing results of the Pew-MacArthur cost-benefit study

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative is a joint project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that works to partner with states in implementing cost-benefit analysis models.[16]. The initiative released a report in July 2013 concluding that cost-benefit analysis in policymaking led to more effective uses of public funds. Looking at data from 2008 through 2011, the study's authors found that some states were more likely to use cost-benefit analysis, while others were facing challenges and lagging behind the rest of the nation. The challenges states faced included a lack of time, money, and technical skills needed to conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses. Indiana was one of 29 states with mixed results regarding the frequency and effectiveness of its use of cost-benefit analysis.[17]

Ethics and transparency

Following the Money report

See also: "Following the Money" report, 2015

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer-focused nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released its annual report on state transparency websites in March 2015. The report, entitled "Following the Money," measured how transparent and accountable state websites were with regard to state government spending.[18] According to the report, Indiana received a grade of A and a numerical score of 97, indicating that Indiana was "Leading" in terms of transparency regarding state spending.[18]

Open States Transparency

See also: Open States' Legislative Data Report Card

The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. Indiana was given a grade of D in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete, and accessible legislative data was to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.[19]

Dual employment and financial disclosure requirements

State ethics regulations regarding dual public employment and income disclosure for legislators vary across the United States. A January 2015 report by the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) concluded that legislators in 33 states are not permitted to maintain additional paid government employment during their terms in office.[20] The NCSL published a report in June 2014 that counted 47 states with disclosure requirements for outside income, business associations, and property holdings. The exceptions to these disclosure categories were Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont.[21] Click show on the right side of the table below to compare state policies:

Structure

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$26,490/year$181/day

Pensions

Indiana legislators created a 401(k) plan for themselves in 1989, becoming the first in the nation to do so. Lawmakers who took office after April 1989 were ineligible for the traditional pension plan, receiving the individual retirement account instead.

Legislators pay 5 percent of their annual salary into the 401(k). In 2007, they voted to include per diem allowances, expense payments, and leadership stipends into the calculation, thus raising their retirement accounts.[22]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Indiana legislators assume office the day after their general election.

Senate

The Indiana State Senate consists of 50 members elected to four-year terms without term limits. Each member represented an average of 129,676 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[23] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 121,610.[24] The Lieutenant Governor, currently Becky Skillman, presides over the senate while it is in session and casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The current Senate Pro Tempore is Sen. David Long of Fort Wayne.


Party As of September 2020
     Democratic Party 10
     Republican Party 40
     Vacancies 0
Total 50

From 1992 to 2018, the Indiana State Senate was controlled by the Republican Party. Republicans started with a slim majority in the early 1990s, but they increased their seat share over the next twenty years and held a strong majority by 2018. The table below shows the partisan history of the Indiana State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Indiana State Senate Party Control: 1992-2018

Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
Democrats 22 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 14 13 10 9 10
Republicans 28 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 33 36 37 40 41 40

The Indiana State Senate was somewhat competitive from 1900 to 2018, switching partisan control 10 times during that period. Of the 10 times partisan control changed, six occurred between 1960 and 1978. Despite the changes in control, the chamber was mostly in Republican hands. When Democrats took control, they usually only held it for a few election cycles before losing to Republicans. After Republicans took back control from Democrats in 1978, Democrats did not regain control through the 2018 elections.

In 1992, Republicans took a 28-22 majority in the chamber. In the elections that followed they almost always gained seats. By 2004, they held a 33-17 lead over Democrats. In 2010, Republicans gained three seats, putting them at 36. They gained another seat in 2012, even though the national climate favored Democrats, and then three more in 2014, when the national climate favored Republicans.

In 2016, Republicans gained another seat, pushing the Democrats to less than 10 seats. The 41-9 GOP advantage following the 2016 election was the largest the chamber had seen since 1920. Republicans lost control of one seat during the 2018 elections, restoring the state Senate's 40-10 chamber balance. The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced significant losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.

House of Representatives

The Indiana House of Representatives consists of 100 members elected to two-year terms without term limits. Each member represented an average of 64,838 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[25] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 60,805.[26]

Party As of September 2020
     Democratic Party 33
     Republican Party 67
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

From 1992 to 2018, partisan control of the Indiana House of Representatives changed five times before Republicans took over in the 2010 elections. From 2010 to 2018, Republicans built a strong majority in the chamber, turning what had been a partisan battleground into a one-party chamber. The table below shows the partisan history of the Indiana House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Indiana House of Representatives Party Control: 1992-2018

Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
Democrats 55 44 50* 53 53 51 48 51 52 40 31 29 30 33
Republicans 45 56 50 47 47 49 52 49 48 60 69 71 70 67

*Democrat John Gregg served as speaker of the house because the governor's race was won by Frank O'Bannon (D) and a 1989 law said the party that won the governor's race was to elect the speaker of a tied chamber.

The Indiana House of Representatives was competitive from 1900 to 2018. The chamber changed partisan control 15 times during that time period. Starting in 1990, Democrats held control of the chamber. This started a twenty-year period of competitiveness where partisan control frequently switched between Democrats and Republicans and the distance between the parties was never more than 12 seats.

After taking control in 1990, Democrats held the chamber through the 1992 elections. Republicans won a 56-44 majority in 1994. In the 1996 elections, Democrats made gains and brought the chamber to a 50-50 tie. They also won the chamber's leadership positions because a 1989 Indiana law allows the party of the governor to select the speaker of the house in the event of a tie (Democrat Gov. Frank O'Bannon was elected in 1996).[27]

Democrats held slim majorities following the 1998, 2000, and 2002 elections before Republicans took control with a 52-48 majority in 2004. Democratic gains in 2006 and 2008 swung control back in their favor, although they did not win more than 52 seats in either election. Starting in 2010, Republicans began building a majority in the chamber that lasted through 2018. In the 2010 election, they won a 60-40 majority, the largest either party had held since the 1984 elections. Despite a national trend back toward Democrats in 2012, Republicans won another nine seats.

The 2014 and 2016 elections yielded a few more seats to Republicans, leaving them with a 71-29 majority after 2014 and a 70-30 majority after 2016. Republicans lost three seats in the 2018 election, holding a 67-33 majority. These were the largest margins in the chamber since 1972 and signaled an end to the decades where both parties had a chance at a majority. The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced significant losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.

Veto overrides

Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Indiana are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? A majority of members in both chambers.

A simple majority of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 51 of the 100 members in the Indiana House of Representatives and 26 of the 50 members in the Indiana State Senate. Indiana is one of six states that requires a majority vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

Vetoes can be overridden when the next regular session convenes, even if an election has occurred.[28][29]

Authority: Article 5, Section 14 of the Indiana Constitution.

"If the Governor returns the bill under clause (A), the House in which the bill originated shall enter the Governor's objections at large upon its journals and proceed to reconsider and vote upon whether to approve the bill. The bill must be reconsidered and voted upon within the time set out in clause (C). If, after such reconsideration and vote, a majority of all the members elected to that House shall approve the bill, it shall be sent, with the Governor's objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered and voted upon, and, if approved by a majority of all the members elected to that House, it shall be a law."

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

Who Runs the States Project
See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Indiana
Partisan breakdown of the Indiana legislature from 1992-2013

Indiana State Senate: Throughout every year from 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the Indiana State Senate. The Indiana State Senate is one of 13 state senates that was Republican for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. During the final three years of the study, Indiana was under Republican trifectas.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Indiana State House of Representatives: From 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the Indiana State House of Representatives for seven years while the Democrats were the majority for 13 years. During the final three years of the study, Indiana was under Republican trifectas.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study period, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana State Senate, and the Indiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Partisan composition of Indiana state government(1992-2013).PNG

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, click here.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Indiana state government and the state's State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Indiana had a long period of divided government between 1992 and 2004 until the arrival of a Republican trifecta in 2005. Indiana reverted back to divided government between 2007 and 2010 before reverting yet again to a Republican trifecta in 2011. The state has never had a Democratic trifecta. Indiana’s highest SQLI ranking came in 1995 (12th) under divided government, while the state’s lowest SQLI ranking came in 2009 (34th), also under divided government. The state’s greatest leap in the ranking occurred between 1994 and 1995, where Indiana rose seven spots. Its greatest decline in the ranking occurred between 2003 and 2004, where the state dropped seven spots.

  • SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: N/A
  • SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 29.25
  • SQLI average with divided government: 20.82
Chart displaying the partisanship of Indiana government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Indiana Constitution can be amended:

Indiana Constitution
Flag of Indiana.png
Preamble
Articles
12345678910111213141516
See also: Article 16 of the Indiana Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Indiana

The amendment procedures available under the Indiana Constitution are more restrictive than those of most other states. Only legislatively referred constitutional amendments can be used to amend the constitution, and this procedure is more restrictive in Indiana than in most states, since any proposed amendment must be approved in two successive sessions of the Indiana General Assembly before it can go to a vote of the people. Article 16 also does not say anything about how a constitutional convention could be held or called. The constitutions of more than 40 of the other states do lay out a procedure for calling a constitutional convention.

Indiana does not feature the power of citizen initiative for either initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes.

Article 16 details how the legislatively referred constitutional amendment process works in Indiana:

  • An amendment can be proposed in either chamber of the Indiana General Assembly.
  • An amendment must be agreed to by a simple majority of the members elected to each of the two chambers.
  • If that happens, the same amendment can be proposed in the next session of the legislature that convenes after a general election has taken place.
  • If the amendment is approved by a simple majority vote of both chambers of the general assembly in that second legislative session, the amendment is then submitted to a statewide vote of the people at a general election.
  • If a majority of those voting on the question approve it, the proposed amendment becomes part of the Indiana Constitution.


2020 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2020 ballot by the legislature.

See also: 2020 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

No measures to list



See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Indiana Secretary of State, "2018 Indiana Election Calendar," accessed August 11, 2017
  2. Indiana Secretary of State, "2018 Indiana Election Calendar," accessed August 11, 2017
  3. Indiana General Assembly website, "IN Legislature FAQ"
  4. in.gov, "Senate Rule 42"
  5. in.gov, "Rules of the House of Representatives," (House Rule PART VIII.B)
  6. WAVE, "Road funding tops session for Indiana legislature," January 5, 2016
  7. The Associated Press, "Indiana lawmakers kicking off 2016 session today," January 5, 2016
  8. indianapublicmedia.org, "4 Issues To Watch In The Upcoming State Legislative Session," January 3, 2015
  9. indianaeconomicdigest.net, "Legislators sort key issues of the General Assembly's 2013 session," April 28, 2013
  10. Indianapolis Star, "Lawmakers face rematch with 'thousand-pound gorilla,'" January 3, 2012
  11. Indianapolis Star, "Rare joint hearing accelerates 'right to work' bill," January 6, 2012
  12. Stateline.org, "States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes," June 15, 2011(Archived)
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Pew Charitable Trusts, "Clerical error eliminates Indiana's largest state agency," July 11, 2011
  14. National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Experiences with Annual and Biennial Budgeting," updated April 2011
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Summer 2008," accessed February 21, 2014
  16. Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Work," accessed June 6, 2014
  17. Pew Charitable Trusts, "States’ Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis," July 29, 2013
  18. 18.0 18.1 U.S. Public Interest Research Group, "Following the Money 2015 Report," accessed April 4, 2016
  19. Sunlight Foundation, "Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information," accessed June 16, 2013
  20. National Council of State Legislatures, "Dual employment: regulating public jobs for legislators - 50 state table," January 2015
  21. National Council of State Legislatures, "Ethics: personal financial disclosure for state legislators: income requirements," June 2014
  22. USA Today, "How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't," April 16, 2012
  23. census.gov, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  24. U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  25. census.gov, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  26. U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  27. National Conference of State Legislatures, "In Case of a Tie......," accessed October 23, 2017
  28. National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Veto Process," accessed June 22, 2017
  29. Indianapolis Business Journal, "Indiana Senate votes to override two Pence vetoes," February 14, 2017