20 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020 GR SUMMIT Indiana General Assembly 2020 The importance of a short session Dax Denton Senior Vice PresidentGovernment Relations Indiana Bankers Association ddenton@indianabankers.org @ibagovrelations Eric J. Augustus Vice President-Government Relations Indiana Bankers Association eaugustus@indianabankers.org The 2020 Indiana General Assembly session pace is brisk, at times bordering on frenetic. This year the Legislature is operating in what is affectionately referred to as a “short session,” which takes place during even calendar years. Indiana is a biennial budget state. Every other year, during odd years, fiscal leaders craft a two-year operating budget. The legislative calendar during these budget years lasts nearly twice as long as during short sessions, coming in at just under four months. The end of April is the deadline to finalize all legislative activity during odd years. Prior to 1970, these budget-year sessions were the only legislative activity that occurred in Indiana. Even-year short sessions did not exist. If an issue was identified upon the conclusion of an odd-year session or shortly thereafter, the wait was two years before the Indiana Legislature could act. Arguably, 20+ months is a long time to wait to address an issue that needs immediate attention. The Legislature resolved this dilemma by voting in 1970 to create a session for the “off years,” designed to handle unresolved issues leftover from the budget session. The short session reference is certainly appropriate based on the legislative calendar. The General Assembly has scarcely over two months to accomplish any and all legislative activity. This year’s short session is no different. The first day of the 2020 session is Jan. 6, and the end date – or sine die – is scheduled for March 14. There will be a strong push to end earlier, however, with March 11 identified as the target date. The intensity of a short session comes from the limited time lawmakers have to move bills through committee. This year the calendar shows there are just over three weeks allotted to committees before bills meet the demise of legislative deadlines. Currently, the IBA is working on two issues that arose after the passage of legislation from last year’s session. One issue focuses on a new telephone solicitation registration requirement that was inadvertently imposed on all businesses in the state of Indiana. The other issue revolves around credit inquiries, and what information is provided in the event of a mismatch of borrower information. Both issues have created challenges related to implementation. Thankfully, we have an opportunity to address these issues this year, rather than having to wait 20 months to try to implement a fix. The short session affords opportunities such as these, and many would agree that having this annual opportunity is critical to ensuring good public policy. HB
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