Take Five: 5 Things You Need to Know About Indiana Government - November 2024
November 22, 2024
By: Amy M. Levander and Amy E. Schwarz
1. 2024 Election Results
Overall, election night in Indiana didn’t bring many surprises, as Republicans swept the statewide offices for the third straight presidential election. Indiana’s Congressional delegation will retain the same makeup of 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats, and Republicans in the legislature will retain their supermajority at 70 Republicans and 30 Democrats. Republican Mike Braun will serve as Indiana’s 52nd governor after posting a resounding victory over Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater. While Democrats had hoped for a more competitive race, and as national money started flowing into Indiana from both sides of the aisle over the last few months, the Associated Press was able to call the race for Governor-Elect Braun shortly after 7:00 EST on Election Night. In the legislature, the closest race was House District 25 covering Zionsville, Whitestown, and part of Brownsburg, where incumbent Rep. Becky Cash (R) defeated Tiffany Stoner (D) by just 64 votes. Democrats have until Friday, November 22 to decide whether to file for a recount.
2. Indiana House Updates
On Tuesday the Indiana General Assembly convened for Organization Day, the ceremonial start of the 2025 Legislative Session. New members and those that were re-elected were sworn into office, and caucus leaders offered comments from the podium. House Speaker Todd Huston (R- Fishers) stated that the GOP caucus would not release their legislative agenda until they had a chance to collaborate with Governor-Elect Braun on his priorities. Earlier, the House released their list of committee chairs, with the only change from last session being the selection of Rep. Jake Teshka (R- North Liberty) to lead the Financial Institutions Committee. That post was vacated by former Rep. Mike Speedy, who chose to run for a Congressional seat instead of pursuing another term in the Indiana House. Speaker Huston also announced that session will officially begin on January 8th, but House Committees will not convene until January 14th. In addition, the House will only meet in session on Mondays for the first several weeks of session, given that there is little work to be accomplished on the floor until legislation moves out of committee. Lawmakers also hope to conclude their work this session a few days prior to the April 29th statutory deadline, with Thursday, April 24th being the target date for sine die.
3. Indiana Senate Updates
In the Senate, Sen. Rod Bray (R- Martinsville) was again selected to serve as President Pro Tempore, a post he has held since 2018. Senator Bray announced several changes to Senate rules, including new conflict of interest rules that will require Senators to opt out of votes and to specify any conflicts before speaking on an issue. A personal or financial interest that creates a “unique, direct, and substantial” effect on the lawmaker’s income or a family member’s income would be considered a conflict. New rules also expand the ability of the Lt. Governor to break ties. Previously the Lt. Governor only broke 25-25 ties on bills eligible for final passage but now will be able to break ties on amendments. Like the House, the Senate released their list of committee chairs, with no changes from last session. Senators will return for the start of session on January 8th, with committees set to convene on Monday, January 13th. And unlike the House, the Senate will keep their traditional session schedule of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from the outset.
4. Braun Letter to Legislature
While the House and Senate completed their Organization Day duties, Governor-elect Mike Braun released a letter that was sent to all 150 legislators outlining the beginnings of his legislative agenda for the session. As discussed during the campaign, property tax reform was the top item on the list, with a goal to “provide relief to taxpayers and ensure a fair, predictable system.” The full letter can be viewed here, and additional details will be available in January when Governor-elect Braun’s budget proposal is released.
5. Braun Transition
As Governor-elect Mike Braun prepares to take office in January, he has formed 12 transition councils to lead state agency reviews and policy development in subject matter areas. These councils will work closely with the transition committee initially announced by Gov-elect Braun in the days following the election. The first big announcement was unveiled today through a proposal released by the Braun team to reorganize the cabinet to include eight policy secretaries overseeing all state agencies. Two members of the Krieg DeVault team are assisting the Braun transition, with Randy Head serving on the transition committee and Shawn Peterson serving on the Commerce transition council. Krieg DeVault will continue to provide updates on new leadership within the Braun administration in future issues of the Take 5.
Practices
Industries
November 22, 2024
By: Amy M. Levander and Amy E. Schwarz
1. 2024 Election Results
Overall, election night in Indiana didn’t bring many surprises, as Republicans swept the statewide offices for the third straight presidential election. Indiana’s Congressional delegation will retain the same makeup of 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats, and Republicans in the legislature will retain their supermajority at 70 Republicans and 30 Democrats. Republican Mike Braun will serve as Indiana’s 52nd governor after posting a resounding victory over Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater. While Democrats had hoped for a more competitive race, and as national money started flowing into Indiana from both sides of the aisle over the last few months, the Associated Press was able to call the race for Governor-Elect Braun shortly after 7:00 EST on Election Night. In the legislature, the closest race was House District 25 covering Zionsville, Whitestown, and part of Brownsburg, where incumbent Rep. Becky Cash (R) defeated Tiffany Stoner (D) by just 64 votes. Democrats have until Friday, November 22 to decide whether to file for a recount.
2. Indiana House Updates
On Tuesday the Indiana General Assembly convened for Organization Day, the ceremonial start of the 2025 Legislative Session. New members and those that were re-elected were sworn into office, and caucus leaders offered comments from the podium. House Speaker Todd Huston (R- Fishers) stated that the GOP caucus would not release their legislative agenda until they had a chance to collaborate with Governor-Elect Braun on his priorities. Earlier, the House released their list of committee chairs, with the only change from last session being the selection of Rep. Jake Teshka (R- North Liberty) to lead the Financial Institutions Committee. That post was vacated by former Rep. Mike Speedy, who chose to run for a Congressional seat instead of pursuing another term in the Indiana House. Speaker Huston also announced that session will officially begin on January 8th, but House Committees will not convene until January 14th. In addition, the House will only meet in session on Mondays for the first several weeks of session, given that there is little work to be accomplished on the floor until legislation moves out of committee. Lawmakers also hope to conclude their work this session a few days prior to the April 29th statutory deadline, with Thursday, April 24th being the target date for sine die.
3. Indiana Senate Updates
In the Senate, Sen. Rod Bray (R- Martinsville) was again selected to serve as President Pro Tempore, a post he has held since 2018. Senator Bray announced several changes to Senate rules, including new conflict of interest rules that will require Senators to opt out of votes and to specify any conflicts before speaking on an issue. A personal or financial interest that creates a “unique, direct, and substantial” effect on the lawmaker’s income or a family member’s income would be considered a conflict. New rules also expand the ability of the Lt. Governor to break ties. Previously the Lt. Governor only broke 25-25 ties on bills eligible for final passage but now will be able to break ties on amendments. Like the House, the Senate released their list of committee chairs, with no changes from last session. Senators will return for the start of session on January 8th, with committees set to convene on Monday, January 13th. And unlike the House, the Senate will keep their traditional session schedule of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from the outset.
4. Braun Letter to Legislature
While the House and Senate completed their Organization Day duties, Governor-elect Mike Braun released a letter that was sent to all 150 legislators outlining the beginnings of his legislative agenda for the session. As discussed during the campaign, property tax reform was the top item on the list, with a goal to “provide relief to taxpayers and ensure a fair, predictable system.” The full letter can be viewed here, and additional details will be available in January when Governor-elect Braun’s budget proposal is released.
5. Braun Transition
As Governor-elect Mike Braun prepares to take office in January, he has formed 12 transition councils to lead state agency reviews and policy development in subject matter areas. These councils will work closely with the transition committee initially announced by Gov-elect Braun in the days following the election. The first big announcement was unveiled today through a proposal released by the Braun team to reorganize the cabinet to include eight policy secretaries overseeing all state agencies. Two members of the Krieg DeVault team are assisting the Braun transition, with Randy Head serving on the transition committee and Shawn Peterson serving on the Commerce transition council. Krieg DeVault will continue to provide updates on new leadership within the Braun administration in future issues of the Take 5.