(NETWORK IN) It’s your money that state lawmakers are using to make an upcoming special session happen.
It’s to the tune of $30,000 a day, which goes toward paying your state Representatives and Senators to be there. However, many feel that lawmakers should not pocket these funds since they were unable to get everything done in the time allotted to them in the 2018 General Assembly.
State Democrats are among the most vocal behind this platform. They’ve challenged Republicans, whom they blame for the special session, to join them in donating their pay for the session to charity.
According to Indianapolis Republican Senator Jim Merritt, state statute says state lawmakers are required to “accept” the pay given to them for the special session, and what they do with that money is their choice. However, he says the rules for a special session should be looked at.
“If we can’t do it now I think we ought to have a long discussion when it comes to special sessions,” Merritt said on State House Happenings. “I think there is a worthy idea of writing the check back to the state if that’s actually possible.”
Merritt thinks that would be a better use of the money rather than taking it and donating to charity without the input of taxpayers.
“There ought to be some apparatus for us to be able to give that money back to the state of Indiana,” added Merritt. “Or into something that the citizens of Indiana would benefit from.”
Some of the unresolved issues that still need to be resolved according to Governor Holcomb include bills on school safety, realigning Indiana’s tax code with the federal code, and authorizing an emergency loan for Muncie Schools.
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