UPDATE: Simpson demands answers from Daniels
INDIANAPOLIS -- At a press conference Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, said she wants some answers from Gov. Mitch Daniels. Gov. Mitch Daniels rebutted at his press conference Friday. “We’re just doing what needs to be done,” said Daniels, “The vast majority of the reductions are being made by the departments as they try to meet very difficult targets which we’ve given them.” Daniels said that the changes were necessary. “It includes an awful lot of things we wish we didn’t have to do, and that we look forward to undoing or reversing one day when it can be afforded.” Daniels said he was uncertain as to why information on the cuts has not been presented. “If we can do a little better job of communicating, we’ll do that,” said Daniels.
Simpson said that the State Budget Agency had not given the Legislature a reason for recent budget cuts and that the agency had not warned the state service providers that the cuts were being made.
“Starting last week we started requesting information on budget cuts, allocations, reductions, so on from the budget agency,” said Simpson. “The budget agency claims that there is not such list, that they have no idea where the budget cuts are, or how much they are.”
Simpson said that her time on budget committee had taught her that the state couldn’t make a balanced or accurate budget statement without records of the cuts.
“So you can make your own assumptions whether the budget agency has the information or not,” said Simpson, “but if they don’t have the information, I’d like to ask them how they know how much is being cut, whether they’re cutting enough, or whether they’re cutting too much, when they’re going to stop.”
Simpson also showed concern over the programs whose budgets are being cut. She said she sees no reason for some of the cuts.
“We’ve begun to compile a list of the cuts that we know about,” said Simpson. ”And the only reason we know about those cuts is because our constituents are calling us and telling us what’s being cut. But many of those cuts look to me to be pennywise and pound-foolish.”
Simpson cited the 20 percent cuts in the state’s adoption subsidies provided to parents who adopt children with special needs. The subsidies give adoptive parents the funds they need to support the additional responsibilities of raising these children. She says the adoption rates of special needs children have fallen as a result of the cuts.
Other cuts discussed were the 100 percent cut in donations to food banks from the General Assembly’s $300,000 appropriation, the 50 percent cut in public television and radio stations state appropriation, and numerous cuts to programs dealing with early intervention in childcare.
“I can’t even figure out why, from a fiscal standpoint, we would be concentrating our cuts in those areas,” said Simpson.
Simpson also said that after the governor wanted to eliminate state aid to public broadcasting programs, the Legislature returned the funds to the budget. She said that even following that decision; the public broadcasters received a letter last week indicating a 50 percent cut. Simpson said that the budget agency and the governor are using these cuts to affect public policy, the job of the General Assembly.
“There ought to be some criteria for how these decisions are made that go beyond whether the governor likes the program or not,” said Simpson.
