Defining District Helps Bills Get Passed
Greetings from Indiana House District 23, which stretches from Grissom Air Reserve Base on the southern end to beyond Wakarusa at the northern end. This district, comprised of approximately 61,000 citizens, is somewhat larger in square miles than many other districts. District 23 encompasses five counties, including Marshall, Kosciusko, Fulton, Miami, and Elkhart, and has four rivers, � Wabash, Eel, Yellow and Tippecanoe � flowing through it. Certain areas with a larger population density include Bremen, Bourbon, Etna Green, Mentone, Peru, Denver, Akron, Nappanee, Wakarusa, and sections of Warsaw. In addition, District 23 covers the seven school districts of Triton, Bremen, Wa-Nee, Peru, North Miami, Tippecanoe Valley and Warsaw.
Although District 23 is primarily an agricultural area, its population centers are filled with manufacturing companies and small businesses.
And here is one more fact: Politically, the District voted more than 70 percent for the President in the latest presidential election.
I did not tell you all these facts to help you win at trivial pursuit.
Rather, I think it is very important for
you, the reader, to understand what com
prises the legislative district where you reside.
So what exactly does all this information mean when thinking about what to expect from your state government?
First, it indicates that our issues are rur-al in nature. Issues concerning transportation, drainage, economic development, education, and expectations of government in District 23 will vary a great deal from our city cousins.
Next, we are operating from a minority position. In other words, we are simply outnumbered when it comes down to votes of "rural vs. urban."
Finally, we are also in the minority speaking in terms of House jurisdiction. Democrats are in control 51-49, meaning
they will set the agenda even though they have the bare minimum majority.
Does this imply that rural and small town issues stand no chance of advancing? No, but it does mean that certain "rural" issues are more likely to proceed because they will be carried along with urban issues to ensure that there are enough votes for passage. Which bills will proceed and which ones will not is impossible to predict, but we can only hope that many of the rural bills progressively move forward in the legislative process.
If politics is the "art of compromise", then watch for a lot of politics during this session. The slight majority, in addition to budget and job creation issues, makes for a session where compromise must occur. Without it, we won't succeed.
Please continue to communicate with me; it does matter!
More later,
Bill
(Representative Bill Friend may be contacted via email at [email protected], phone (800) 382-9841 x9619, or his Statehouse office at 200 West Washington Street, 401-7, Indianapolis, IN 46204. )
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