Published: April 07, 2007 09:09 pm         

Approval mixed on Daniels’ initiatives

TERRE HAUTE — West-central Indiana residents overwhelmingly support two of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ initiatives while rejecting the notion of outsourcing government services, survey results released Friday reported.

In a survey conducted by the office of state Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute, 69 percent of respondents favor a cigarette tax increase to fund health insurance for low-income Hoosiers. More than three-quarters of survey respondents favor all-day kindergarten as an option for parents.

But Hoosiers took a stand opposing “outsourcing of major state functions,” with 89 percent of respondents disapproving the effort. More than three-quarters of respondents also disapproved an effort to “privatize” the state’s lottery.

Four of the 10 survey questions dealt with Daniels’ initiatives. The governor, who called for bipartisanship during his most recent State of the State address, has toured Indiana promoting the health care and kindergarten initiatives, which included stops in Terre Haute.

But the General Assembly has yet to approve either measure.

Earlier this year, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives rejected a cigarette tax increase to fund the health care measure, while the Republican-controlled Senate passed a version that lacked funding.

Skinner said that the issue has become more political than he thought it would, to the point where he doubts it will be approved.

“This is America,” Skinner said. “People shouldn’t be without some sort of health care.”

Earlier this week, Daniels visited Terre Haute to speak about the all-day kindergarten proposal. Members of both parties say they support the measure, although neither side has agreed on funding.

Daniels seems to be facing more of a challenge with his lottery initiative. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that although the Senate has approved a version of outsourcing the Hoosier Lottery to a private entity, the House has not granted the issue a hearing and Democratic House Speaker Pat Bauer remarked that the issue is dead.

Skinner, whose 38th District includes Vermillion, Vigo, Sullivan and Warren counties, remarked that the governor is more bipartisan now than he was during his first two years in office.

“If he wants to get anything done, he has to” be, Skinner said.

Conference committees begin in the General Assembly next week, and that’s “really when the chips are on the table and anything can happen,” he added.

Jane Jankowski, the governor’s press secretary, could not be reached for comment Friday. Brad Rateike, spokesman for the governor, said that Daniels is confident about his full-day kindergarten and health care proposals.

“I think the governor, in general, is very optimistic about the status of his initiatives,” Rateike said. “So he’s going to continue to push for Indiana to move forward.”

The survey conducted by Skinner’s office started before the session began, and gave the senator an opportunity to gauge people’s responses to issues considered by the General Assembly.

Skinner was unaware of the exact number of the responses, although he said that 3,500 to 5,000 people typically answer the survey.

“I really put a lot of stock in what the constituents have to say,” Skinner said. “It kind of helps me get a gauge on each issue about how they feel or how they might want me to vote on those issues.”

He still will have opportunities to rule on legislation. The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn April 29.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

Questioning the People: State senator surveys constituents

The office of state Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute, surveyed residents in questionnaires sent to constituents’ households and posted on the senator’s Web site last December. He did not know the exact number of respondents. He said that between 3,500 and 5,000 respondents typically answer a survey.

Below is a breakdown of the questions and the respondents’ answers:



Question 1: Do you support or oppose the implementation of full-day kindergarten statewide in which parents could voluntarily enroll their child?

Support – 76 percent; oppose – 24 percent



Question 2: Do you support or oppose legislation which would provide local units of government with more authority to use alternative taxes, i.e. income or food and beverage taxes, to curtail anticipated increases in property taxes?

Support – 62 percent; oppose – 38 percent



Question 3: Do you support or oppose the governor’s outsourcing of major state functions and services to private companies without General Assembly approval?

Support – 11 percent; Oppose – 89 percent



Question 4: Do you support or oppose the governor’s proposal to increase the state’s cigarette tax to provide health insurance coverage to some low-income Hoosiers?

Support – 69 percent; Oppose – 31 percent



Question 5: Currently, 28 states offer a higher minimum wage than the $5.15 required by federal law. Do you support or oppose legislation which would allow the General Assembly to increase the minimum wage in Indiana?

Support – 86 percent; Oppose – 14 percent



Question 6: Do you support or oppose legislation which would impose tougher penalties on businesses that hire illegal immigrants?

Support – 89 percent; Oppose – 11 percent



Question 7: Do you support or oppose legislation which would eliminate the 6 percent state sales tax on gasoline? (If gas is $2.50 per gallon, this would mean a savings of 15 cents per gallon.)

Support – 52 percent; Oppose – 48 percent



Question 8: Do you support or oppose the governor’s plan to privatize the State Lottery?

Support – 23 percent; Oppose – 77 percent



Question 9: Would you support or oppose an expansion of gaming in Indiana if the proceeds would be used to benefit education?

Support – 51 percent; Oppose – 49 percent



Question 10: Did you experience any problems when you voted in 2006?

Yes – 5 percent; No – 95 percent



Source: Office of state Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute; Sen. Skinner