Indiana legislature wrapup: RFRA eclipses education

It was supposed to be the "education session" — and in some ways, it was, with modest increases in education spending, a new grant for charter schools and a power struggle between Gov. Mike Pence and state schools chief Glenda Ritz.

But that's not how the 2015 legislative session, which wrapped up Wednesday night, will be remembered.

Instead, a controversial religious freedom bill that set off a national firestorm and sent lawmakers into a dizzying race to walk it back will go down as the definitive piece of legislation.

Coupled with a divisive repeal of the state's common construction wage lawand the effort to dilute Ritz's power on the state board of education, the 2015 legislative session will be remembered as the year that Republicans — with their largest supermajorities in decades — exerted their will over the state like never before.

Lawmakers approved a new two-year $31 billion budget with a $464 million increase in K-12 education spending as the session wound down.

Earlier in the evening, they passed a measure that would dilute the power of state schools chief Glenda Ritz's office and a bill letting riverboat casinos move onto land. Beginning in 2021, live dealers also would be allowed for table games such as blackjack and poker at two Central Indiana racinos.

But more than anything, contentious power struggles driven by a conservative agenda have been hallmarks of the session.

Andy Downs, a Fort Wayne-based political scientist, said House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long have done a good job in past sessions of reining in their supermajorities when necessary.

"This session is the one where you start to say it looks like a group of conservatives doing what a group of conservatives want to do," he said.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act in particular divided the state — and nation — like nothing the state has seen in recent memory. The measure was largely pitched as a way to protect religious people from government overreach, but fears that it would allow discrimination against gays and lesbians prompted calls for boycotts and scathing late-night TV skits about Indiana and Gov. Mike Pence.

Lawmakers later clarified that the new law couldn't be used to undermine local non-discrimination ordinances, but the damage to the state's reputation was already done.

Still, Republican legislative leaders said they met their goals — including their top priority of improving K-12 education.

Bosma said House Republicans hit all their agenda points, including more spending for traditional public schools and charter schools, a milder rewrite of a State Board of Education overhaul and new funding for roads and domestic violence prevention.

When asked if RFRA distracted at all, he said: "I don't think it derailed it at all. It may have been a distraction for a little bit more than a week, until we entered into the solution Sen. Long and I collaborated on. So we lost a week of time and those who are casual observers, who are out of state, that read one headline, that's what they'll think."

Long said: "There was certainly a lot of controversy in this session, but our goals were met and I think we'll look back and feel this was an extremely successful effort on our behalf to advance education for our kids – and for higher education as well – in Indiana."

But others say the RFRA ordeal could have political repercussions that extend beyond the end of the legislative session.

"I've always thought it would be hard for Republicans to hold on to the supermajorities they have." Downs said. "The pendulum was going to swing back anyway. I think they've now further increased the chances of that."

The nature of the legislative session was largely the result of last year's election outcome, when voters replaced some moderates in the legislature with more conservative Republicans, in addition to ousting some Democrats.

The two-year budget approved Wednesday night provides 2.3 percent annual increases in education spending. But not all schools would reap the benefits of those increases. Fast-growing suburban schools would see increases in funding while poorer, urban districts would see their budgets slashed by millions of dollars.

The budget plan also includes charter school grants of $500 per student if they perform at a certain level. That's less than the $1,500 per student that Pence sought.

The budget also lifts a cap on elementary school private school vouchers.

Pence and legislative leaders are scheduled to discuss the session's outcome during news conferences Thursday, when they likely will tout those measures as evidence of their education focus.advances in education.

Star reporter Tom LoBianco contributed to this story.

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.