Senator Messmer on 2022 Senate Republican Priorities

Local Sources - In this week's Messmer Report, Senator Messmer discussed the Senate Republican 2022 legislative priorities.

This week, I returned to the Statehouse for the beginning of the 2022 legislative session. Over the next 10 weeks, Indiana lawmakers, myself included, will be working to pass legislation that moves our state in the right direction.

While we'll look at a number of different issues, Senate Republicans are prioritizing the following three items.

Making more Hoosiers eligible for the taxpayer refund

Current Indiana law provides for an automatic taxpayer refund when state revenues hit high levels. When Indiana closed out fiscal year 2021, Indiana's automatic taxpayer refund was triggered, which will send $545 million back to hardworking Hoosier taxpayers, and $545 million to the state pension obligations. Senate Bill 1 would make adjustments to the current statutes so approximately 900,000 additional Hoosiers would be eligible for the state's taxpayer refund.

School funding stability for quarantined students

Under Indiana law, school funding in the fall semester each year is determined based on the number of students enrolled in a school district on a "count day," which fell on Sept. 17 last year. State law also dictates that schools receive 85% of the regular foundation amount for students who receive at least half of their education virtually. Due to quarantine rules and the spread of COVID-19 in the fall, many schools were set to receive less funding than anticipated due to quarantined students having to learn virtually. Senate Bill 2 would ensure the schools receive full funding for children who were considered virtual students during the fall of 2021 because they had to quarantine at the start of the school year.

Responsibly end Indiana's public health emergency

Legislative leaders, in conjunction with the governor, previously identified several remaining issues currently addressed by executive orders that need to be addressed through legislation so the public health emergency can be ended in Indiana without causing undue harm to Hoosiers. Senate Bill 3 would ensure Indiana can continue to receive the same federal funding for SNAP and Medicaid and maintain the state's ability to hold voluntary community vaccination clinics.

These are by no means the only topics we'll be looking into this session. I encourage you to stay up to date on these and other bills by visiting iga.in.gov. 

As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-382-9467.