Pence's Balanced Budget Amendment Hits Legislative Bump, But Advances

UPDATED April 7 at 7 p.m. 

Gov. Mike Pence’s proposed balanced budget amendment wound up narrowly surviving a House committee vote Tuesday.

The balanced budget amendment that Pence proposed in his State of the State address would prohibit the state from spending more in its budget than it’s expected to collect in taxes.  That prohibition could be ignored by a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate.

The House Judiciary Committee’s initial vote on the measure Tuesday was five to five – meaning the amendment wouldn’t move forward.  But some committee members weren’t present for the vote, and committee chair Greg Steuerwald allowed those members to cast their votes later in the hearing, allowing the measure to advance.  Steuerwald says that’s standard practice in his committee.

“Members are always coming and going to other committee meetings and I always allow a person the right to vote,” he said.

Indianapolis Democrat Ed DeLaney says Steuerwald handled the situation appropriately, but notes the close vote – with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposition – shines a light on the amendment’s flaws.

“I have a lot of complaints about the amendment and I can see there’s real split on the Republican Party as to whether this thing is necessary or wise,” DeLaney said.

Democrats argue the state constitution already bars the legislature from passing a bill that creates debt.

Original post

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Mike Pence's request for a proposed balanced-budget constitutional amendment has hit a bump in the Legislature.

The House Judiciary Committee split 5-5 Tuesday morning on the proposal, which would prohibit the state from spending more its anticipated tax collections. Lawmakers could suspend that requirement with two-thirds approval in both the House and Senate.

Two Republicans joined three committee Democrats in voting against the proposal. Three members were absent. The measure could be voted on again.

Pence and other supporters say the measure would ensure responsible spending and catch Indiana up with most other states that have a similar requirement.

The state constitution already largely bans Indiana from incurring debt, and Democrats have said the proposed amendment isn't needed.