Post-Session Daniels Media Availability

Your humble correspondent had the chance to be present in the Governor’s post-session media availability (thanks to the folks at the Lieutenant Governor’s office for hosting us, and for the Governor’s people for letting us participate downstairs).

The big phrase for the press conference was Indiana’s “new era of taxpayer protection” (it was only used a few dozen times); the beginning of a new era of reform and so forth.

Daniels was big on touting the session as a significant accomplishment; a great example of how Hoosiers of both parties can come together to get things done.

This was a point he likewise underscored several times; to say nothing of getting done on-time and even ahead of schedule (I attribute this to the motivating power of basketball and the presence of the Big Ten Tournament in town).

(More after the leap)

The government must, Daniels said several times, adjust its spending to what can be afforded by the taxpayers.

Indiana will now, he notes, have a permanent (emphasis on permanent) property tax protection equaled in only one other state (Alabama); even those currently paying at less than the 1% caps are going to still get tax relief under the program passed by the legislature.

The Kernan-Shepard Report will be something for the future, though Daniels anticipates that some of it is going to logically flow out of the measures that were just passed, particularly as communities manage to adapt.

In the face of a particularly pointed question, he noted that there is considerable assistance in the legislation for schools.

The only low point in the press conference was the interesting and perhaps unusually prolonged pause the Governor gave when asked if he would foreswear any future tax increases; Mitch noted that this might be his last General Assembly and declared a preference to always be reducing the tax burden on Hoosiers.

Thanks again to the folks with the LG’s office for hosting us, and for the Governor’s peeps for letting us observe the press conference; I had intended to liveblog the whole evening (and drove to Indy for that purpose), but things got done early, something that I don’t think anyone expected until yesterday afternoon.

This post is also available at Hoosierpundit.