Rep. Leonard Delivers on Promises
By Gareth Evans on Sunday, May 1st, 2011 |
The 2011 legislative session has been a session of historic challenges and historic accomplishments. Despite the road bumps presented this session House Republicans have delivered on the promises they made in 2010. Rep. Leonard (R-Huntington) along with other House Republican legislators presented the ‘Strengthen Indiana Plan’ in Sept. of 2010. Unlike many political pledges, everything that was promised in 2010 was successfully delivered through legislative action this year.
With the session ending, I am pleased to see how much we have accomplished. We have worked extremely hard to pass meaningful legislation that will benefit Hoosier families immensely,” said Rep. Leonard.
Protecting Hoosier Taxpayers
House Republicans have repeatedly pledged to enact a responsible state budget which meets our critical needs with no tax increases. They cited in the past that with a fiscally sound budget comes predictability for both Hoosier taxpayers and Hoosier businesses. Since having made that announcement, Republicans were able to pass a fiscally responsible budget that does not raise taxes and retains adequate reserves to protect Hoosier taxpayers. Indiana now has an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, which is below the national average. The state is continuing to attract jobs through a favorable tax environment.
“It was my personal objective to make sure we passed a balanced budget that would bring no new taxes to Hoosier families. In a time when families are struggling from the effects of a recession, we need to do what we can to lead our state out of the recession,” said Rep. Leonard.
In a rare announcement this session Speaker Bosma, Senator Long and Governor Daniels jointly announced that an additional $150 million will be directed to K-12 education. This announcement came after an updated revenue forecast showed that the state will receive more than what was projected under prior forecasts. The increased revenues in addition to prudent reserve balances prove that the disciplined financial efforts by Republicans in the General Assembly and the Governor are paying off for the State of Indiana.
Promoting Hoosier Job Creation
The Strengthen Indiana Plan focused on key elements that promote job creation and incentivizes employers to grow and relocate to Indiana. Start-up capital for budding businesses has now been made more accessible by enhancing the Venture Capital Investment tax credit.
House Republicans provided tax incentives to help revitalize hard hit communities that have empty factories and warehouses sitting idle. “Through improvements to the Industrial Recovery Tax Credit Hoosier employers will be able to defer upfront capital costs for rehabilitating empty factories. These costs often prevent new businesses from starting up and with the improvements to this credit businesses can repurpose the factories and hire Hoosiers,” said Speaker Bosma.
“We placed strong emphasis on making Indiana the best place for businesses and organizations to set up, this included tax incentives and credits for companies,” said Rep. Leonard. “With these creative solutions, we can bring highly lucrative jobs to Hoosiers.”
In addition to economic incentives, House Republicans also made it easier for business to start up through legislation that will create a ‘one-stop-shop’, cutting the unnecessary red tape which will make creating a business more accessible to future employers. While other states have increased taxes on employers House Republicans joined the Governor and Senate Republicans driving down the corporate income tax.
Standing Up to Washington D.C.
Federal legislation passed in Washington, DC has begun to have an increasing negative effect on states across the country. “The majority of Hoosiers want no part of a nameless bureaucrat controlling their healthcare, higher energy costs and debt that will burden future generations. House Republicans passed legislation stating that Hoosiers will not have to comply with the individual mandate to purchase insurance under the Federal Healthcare law. In addition, we took a measured, compassionate approach on the issue of illegal immigration since Congress has failed to act in this area,” said Speaker Bosma.
“This session has been challenging, perhaps more so than any session in memory. Change is never easy - this is no less true for legislative bodies. We have made landmark legislative decisions that will positively affect issues our state has faced so our children and their children will have a better future here in Indiana. I can proudly say that House Republicans have fulfilled their promises and enacted legislation that will significantly strengthen Indiana,” said Speaker Bosma.
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