INDIANAPOLIS – House and Senate Democrats see a mixed bag in the just-finished legislative session:

House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta and Senate leader Tim Lanane say both parties worked together to decouple ILEARN results from teacher evaluations, and to give schools a temporary mulligan for their results. And they say Democrats won approval for some of their own priorities, including lead testing of water fountains in all Indiana schools, and stricter reporting of minority-owned companies’ representation in contracts for state projects.

But Lanane says not raising teacher pay was a missed opportunity the state might not get back, with the coronavirus pandemic already stirring ominous signs of a recession. He notes Governor Holcomb asked for and got authority to spend a 300-million-dollar surplus windfall from last year’s budget on university construction projects. Republicans rejected Democrats’ attempts to funnel the money to teachers instead.

The university spending will allow the state to avoid floating bonds, which the administration says will save four-million dollars a year for the next 20 years. And Republicans were adamant about limiting any spending discussions this year to one-time expenditures, with teacher pay to be part of the broader budget discussion next year.

Lanane says he’s also disappointed Republicans declined to consider redistricting reform or looser marijuana laws. And while Lanane says legislators made a good start on controlling health costs, GiaQuinta says he doubts limits on surprise billing and a new cost database will accomplish anything.