Support Indiana's Balanced Budget Amendment
Vote YES on Public Question #1!
When you go to vote, the first question on your ballot will ask whether you support requiring Indiana legislators to pass a balanced state budget. We encourage you to vote YES!
Public Question #1:
Shall Article 10, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to require the General Assembly to adopt balanced budgets for state government that do no exceed estimated revenues unless a supermajority of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the members of the Senate vote to suspend the requirement?
BACKGROUND:
- In his 2015 State of the State Address, former Governor (and now Vice President) Mike Pence called for Indiana to constitutionally require the General Assembly to pass a balanced budget every two years – honestly balanced with no gimmicks.
- “I call on this General Assembly to begin the process of adding a balanced budget amendment to the Indiana Constitution in this session and send this historic reform to the people of Indiana.”
-Former Governor Mike Pence
- “I call on this General Assembly to begin the process of adding a balanced budget amendment to the Indiana Constitution in this session and send this historic reform to the people of Indiana.”
- In order to amend the Indiana Constitution, the same language needs to be passed by two separate sessions of the Indiana General Assembly and then passed by a majority of Hoosiers at the ballot box. The language was passed by state legislators in 2015 and 2017, and is on Hoosier ballots right now.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?:
- While the Indiana Constitution currently does not allow the state to carry government debt year-to-year, legislators are not required to pass a balanced budget.
- With a balanced budget amendment in place, the Indiana General Assembly would be constitutionally required to pass responsible budgets that are fiscally responsible and don’t spend more than the state takes in.
- In the event of severe government downturn, the General Assembly can vote with a two-thirds majority to suspend the balanced budget requirement.
- With the amendment in place, state pension funds – including teacher, police and firefighter retirement accounts – would be protected. In fact, legislators would be required to actuarially fund these accounts before allocating additional budget spending.
WHY DO WE NEED A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT?
- Future generations deserve the assurance that their leaders at the Statehouse will be fiscally responsible and live within their means.
- Hoosiers have great leaders at the Statehouse today. But state legislators haven’t always been as responsible as they are today. In the early 2000s, a Democrat-led Indiana General Assembly withheld budgeting money to pay the state’s bills in order to prevent carrying government debt. This is irresponsible, and we can’t allow future generations of Hoosiers to be faced with this situation.
- Balanced budget requirements are common in state constitutions. In fact, 48 other states are required to balance their state budgets.
- Both the Indiana State Teachers Association and the Fraternal Order of Police have confirmed that a balanced budget requirement will not negatively impact state pensions.
On November 6, vote YES on Public Question #1!
