Fellow Republicans,

It took 175 days, a special session, numerous newspaper editorials, and the threat of a government shutdown, but Speaker Pat Bauer has finally freed his fellow Democrats and allowed them to vote on a state budget. After finally passing both the Democrat-controlled House and the Republican-led Senate, the result is a responsible budget that protects taxpayers.

You may remember that prior to the start of the special session, Governor Daniels gave a televised statewide address in which he outlined five simple conditions he needed met in order to sign a budget: No tax increases; at least $1 billion left in state reserves; that legislators cut $1 for every $1 they spent beyond his proposed budget; that one time funds be spent for one time purposes; and that no gimmicks were used.

After weeks of grandstanding and foot dragging, House Democrats have finally joined with legislative Republicans to ensure those conditions were met.

This budget is good for Hoosiers for a variety of other reasons. Foremost, when you look around the country, you\'ll see most states are looking at tax increases or massive cuts, including education. Indiana is doing neither, and that\'s a credit to our governor and our Republican legislators. In fact, not only are we increasing education funding, but the governor\'s \'education trigger\' has been preserved to drive more money to our schools if revenues are better than projected.

The budget also addresses many other issues that are important to Hoosier families, especially as far as the education of our children is concerned. For instance, there are no caps on the growth of charter schools; money is provided for a scholarship tax credit that could help many low-income families send their children to non-public schools; and for the first time ever, Indiana is exploring the possibility of online schools that extend learning beyond the traditional walls of the classroom. These are the kinds of reforms that will aid Dr. Tony Bennett and his work on behalf of Hoosier kids.

None of this would have been possible without you. We know that legislators heard your phone calls, read your letters to the editor, and saw your support for the Republicans\' responsible budget. Thanks for all that you do, and for supporting our party.

Sincerely,


Murray Clark
Chairman
Indiana Republican Party

P.S. In two years, the General Assembly will draft another two-year budget. In order to ensure that we don\'t have a repeat of this year, we must make sure Republicans win control of the Indiana House of Representatives next year. As we begin preparing for the 2010 election, can you help us out by making a donation of $10, $25, or $50? You can donate quickly and easily online here.
http://www.indgop.org/contribute.php

Thanks in advance for your support.


Paid for by the Indiana Republican State Central Committee.
www.indgop.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Rep. Mike Pence conducted a telephone call with the national media today to discuss the cap-and trade-legislation, and he should be commended for his tireless work in fighting this bill. As Governor Daniels pointed out in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal last month, this legislation is imperialistic in nature and will needlessly cause Indiana to suffer economically by raising taxes, raising utility rates, and resulting in job losses for Hoosiers.
While Democrats like Rep. Baron Hill ignore concerns back home, Rep. Pence and other Republican leaders in Washington have also labored to put together a comprehensive energy reform plan that addresses our energy, environmental and economic concerns. That plan would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs through investments in alternative energy technologies, and not raise taxes.
Despite such a common-sense approach, House Democrats have refused to hear it on the floor, instead choosing to blindly endorse the agenda of Nancy Pelosi and President Obama. As the bill comes before the Senate, I hope that Sen. Evan Bayh will join Rep. Pence in putting the needs of Indiana citizens ahead of the partisan desires of the Democrat majority in Washington, DC.

STATEHOUSE: Last Tuesday, the Indiana House of Representatives was presented with a responsible, compromise budget that would have protected Hoosier taxpayers and kept our state from the brink of a shutdown on June 30. Unfortunately, it was rejected by Democrat leaders, who are resorting to their old habit of holding taxpayers hostage for more spending.

The Senate-passed proposal presented to the House met all five of Gov. Mitch Daniels' budget parameters:

No tax increases, now or in the future.

Maintain reserves of at least $1 billion.

If you add a dollar, cut a dollar.

Use one-time federal stimulus dollars responsibly.

No trust fund or pension raids or other short term gimmicks.

House Republicans have held firm to these criteria throughout both sessions. These are commonsense parameters Hoosiers should expect every state budget to live by.

Around the county, the majority of our sister states are either considering or have already passed tax increases, many are drastically cutting education and furloughing state personnel and a few are even proposing the release of convicted felons to cut costs. Thankfully, due to responsible stewardship over the last four years, Indiana is not in this position.

The Republican supported budget proposal is a responsible compromise, and it can should received bipartisan support, if Speaker Bauer allows a vote.

In addition to meeting the five commonsense budget parameters, the proposal responsibly addresses our state¡¦s pressing needs. For example:

It contains funding for programs that both parties support. Funding was maintained for the CHOICE program, allowing older Hoosiers to remain at home instead of moving to nursing care. Funding for community health centers, the arts, public television and radio, Medicaid and the 21st Century Technology Fund, which helps bring cutting-edge companies to Indiana, and many other key programs were funded.

Public schools received small but reasonable increases in funding while other states are drastically cutting education, some by as much as 20%. Our universities were protected, and funding for student scholarship grants was increased. Finally, the budget recognized that parents desire and deserve expanded education choices for their K-12 children.

Most importantly, the proposed budget lives within our state¡¦s projected means, just as Hoosier businesses and families must, and won¡¦t set us up for a massive tax increase in the future. The Democrat¡¦s alternative proposed to spend everything on hand plus more, setting us up for a major tax increase in two years.

The time for political posturing is over. Hoosiers (and most legislators) are fed up with the bickering and disagreement. While Democrat leaders return to their old habit of threatening a shutdown of state services on June 30 unless more spending is accepted, Republicans in the House will do just the opposite: we will stand firm for Hoosier taxpayers. They deserve nothing less.

There is still time to do the right thing. One more chance to be responsible for the people of Indiana - Mr. Speaker, drop the political high jinks of the past and accept the compromise Senate budget.

The Indiana GOP is thrilled to have a great delegation attending today’s Women’s Summit in Washington, DC. This group of leaders includes:

Sandi Huddleston
Dee Dee Benkie
Anne Hathaway
Christine Keck
Jennifer Ping
Joyce Smith
Judy Levine
Maura Hoff
Melissa Proffitt Reese
Susie Lightle

Women’s Summit to Kick-Off State-by-State Effort to Attract Women Voters with Eye on
Virginia, New Jersey Elections

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) today kicked-off its new Women’s Interactive Network aimed at mobilizing women at the local level to be grassroots advocates for the Republican Party in advance of upcoming elections this fall and in 2010.

The RNC Women’s Interactive Network, which is being run by Co-Chairman Jan Larimer, is based upon the strong partnerships that have been forged between the national party and individual state parties. The program begins today with a Women’s Summit in Washington, DC that hosted more than 280 women from across the nation who will serve as leaders to assist state parties as they develop their own women’s programs. At the conclusion of today’s Women’s Summit, the RNC will work with attendees in conjunction with state Republican parties to help build women’s programs in each state, beginning with Virginia and New Jersey.

“The Democrats may have captured portions of the women’s vote in the last election, but I believe Republicans represent the views of a vast majority of women on many issues,” said RNC Co-Chairman Jan Larimer. “Reaching more women in their local communities and having Republican women talk with them, not to them, about our shared core values and conservative principles will enable our Party to grow and win elections.”

Women represent a majority in politics by nearly every quantifiable measure. Women outnumber men among registered voters, are more likely to vote on Election Day, and since 1988 have accounted on average for 6% more of the popular vote in each election than men. In the last presidential election more women voted than men in all 50 states.

Participants in the Women’s Summit were nominated by their GOP state party chairmen, Republican National Committeemen and Committeewomen, or Republican Members of Congress based on their leadership ability coupled with their interest to get involved and make a difference. Participants heard panel discussions on topics including candidate recruitment, use of social media as a political tool and effective political communication. Kate O’Bierne, President of the National Review Institute, offered a lunchtime keynote speech on the gender gap. Panel participants included Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA); Liz Cheney, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush; Linda DiVall, founder of American Viewpoint; and Kellyanne Conway, president of The Polling Company, Inc.

The RNC Women’s Interactive Network is part of a larger commitment by Chairman Michael Steele and Co-Chairman Jan Larimer to grow the Republican Party and build a winning network among a broad cross-section of America.

“Co-Chairman Larimer and I are committed to extending a hand to all Americans, talking with them about our conservative principles and welcoming them into the Republican Party. There’s no one more suited to building a winning women’s program than Jan,” said RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

according to a spate of recent polls, a sign of political weakness that comes just as he most needs leverage on Capitol Hill.