Indiana

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    • Policy Brief

      Financial Incentives Are The "Core" Of New Education Standards

      State Budget Solutions | by Bob Williams, Joe Luppino-Esposito | June 18, 2013

      The implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative is forcing states to determine when a “good offer” becomes an offer that cannot be refused. This report will explain the issues, in terms of both finances and fedearlism, surrounding the adoption of the Commone Core.

    • Research

      Public Sector Pension Reform: Addressing Pressing Fiscal Realities from a Long-Term Perspective

      TIAA-CREF Institute | by Thomas L. Gais and Paul J. Yakoboski | June 17, 2013

      There are persistent fiscal and demographic challenges in most states. The public sector workforce is aging as the baby boom cohort moves towards and into traditional retirement ages. Budgetary pressures at the state and local level make it difficult to increase plan funding and maintain the size of the public sector workforce.

    • Headlines

      Report Says State Budget Surpluses Don't Mean That Much

      Governing | by Ryan Holeywell | June 17, 2013

      A new study shows that many states could end the current fiscal year with surpluses in their general funds. While that may seem like good news, it's probably too early to get excited. That's because those positive numbers are largely the result of one-time influxes of tax revenue that came when investors sold off assets late last calendar year to avoid higher federal tax rates that came in 2013.

    • Headlines

      State pensions in America: Ruinous Promises

      The Economist | June 14, 2013

      States cannot pretend to be in good financial health unless they tackle pensions.

    • Headlines

      State pension reforms to result in more hybrid pension plans -- report

      Pensions & Investments | by Kevin Olsen | June 14, 2013

      More states will create hybrid plans in the future because of the less-volatile contribution levels and the fact that the defined contribution components are portable for a workforce that is now increasingly more mobile, according to a new report.

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    Budget timeframe: Biennial 

    Fiscal Year begins: July 1

    The current state budget can be found here.

    Find the legislative session calendar here.

    Find the current legislative leaders here.


    IN Gov. DanielsGov. Mitch Daniels
    Office of Governor Mitch Daniels
    State House
    Indianapolis, IN 46204-2797
    Phone: (317) 232-4567
    Fax: (317) 232-3443
    http://www.in.gov/gov/index.htm

     

     

     

    Adam Horst, Director
    State Budget Agency
    200 W. Washington St., Room 212
    Indianapolis, IN 46204
    Phone (317) 232-5610
    www.in.gov/sba/

     

    Want a more robust, long-term look at your state's fiscal health, beyond the budget? There are two parts: Click here for the FY2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) compiled by the state government, and click here for information on the state's pension liabilities

     

    Indiana is required to pass a balanced budget in that according to statue "no law shall authorize any debt to be contracted", except for "casual deficits" which must be covered by loans "as may be necessary to meet the demands of the state." Section 4-10-21-2 of the State law does create a state spending cap, but Section 4-10-21-7 allows the general assembly to exempt an appropriation from the State spending cap. Indiana law forbids the carrying over of a deficit from one year to the next.

     

    Indiana maintains seven major governmental funds: the General, Motor Vehicle Highway, Medicaid Assistance, Major Moves Construction, State Highway Department, Property Tax Replacement and Tobacco Settlement Funds. The State budgets all seven major funds in addition to over fourteen non-major funds. While all information necessary for analysis can be found in the Budgetary Comparison Schedules, it is not presented in the most efficient manner because there are no "total" columns to accompany the numerous major and non-major funds.  [from the Institute for Truth in Accounting]

     

    Find the state's bond ratings here.

     

    Indiana Policy Review Foundation

     

     

    • Unions :

    • HEADLINES

      State pension reforms to result in more hybrid pension plans -- report

      Pensions & Investments | by Kevin Olsen | June 14, 2013

      More states will create hybrid plans in the future because of the less-volatile contribution levels and the fact that the defined contribution components are portable for a workforce that is now increasingly more mobile, according to a new report.

    • HEADLINES

      Right To Work states still have less debt

      by Cory Eucalitto | December 10, 2012

      Michigan, home to unions like the United Auto Workers, will become the 24th state to protect individual workers' rights through Right To Work legislation, giving workers the freedom to choose whether or not they wish to belong to an organized labor union. The other 23 states have lower debt than those without such laws.

    • View All Indiana articles
    • Solutions:

      How Reality-Based Budgeting Can Permanently Resolve State Budget Gaps

      State Budget Solutions | by Bob Williams | November 7, 2012

      State Budget Solutions recommends that state legislators take action in 2013 to resolve the serious state financial crises by changing their focus from inputs to outcomes by redesigning budgets from the ground up based on priorities and performance.

    • Solutions:

      How to Prevent Future Pension Crises

      by Cory Eucalitto | November 1, 2012

      The time for state and local governments to offer defined contribution retirement plans that protect both taxpayer dollars and public employee retirement security is now.

    • Solutions:

      State Lawmaker’s Guide to Evaluating Medicaid Expansion Projections

      The Heritage Foundation | by Edmund F. Haislmaier and Drew Gonshorowski | October 17, 2012

      Supporters of Obamacare claim that expanding Medicaid will entail little to no cost to state governments, since the federal government will fund the vast majority of the additional costs. Indeed, some analyses project states achieving savings from adopting the expansion. However, state lawmakers should be wary of accepting such analyses at face value.

    • Solutions:

      Medicaid Is Broken—Let the States Fix It

      The Wall Street Journal | by Paul Howard and Russell Sykes | October 15, 2012

      Block-granting Medicaid is the best way to deliver better, cost-effective care to the most vulnerable Americans.

    • Solutions:

      The Case for Reform: Prisons

      Right on Crime | August 1, 2012

      Prisons are supremely important, but they are also a supremely expensive government program, and thus prison systems must be held to the highest standards of accountability.

    • View All Solutions