are more than two weeks to go before the Indiana General Assembly reaches its midway mark.

Some bills are passed that halfway point of the legislative process Senate bills on parental rights, teacher pay increases, water transfer oversight and access and use of social media by minors are among a few of the bills that are now on their way to the House.

And conversely, House approval of regulation reductions on K-12 schools and immigration notice measure watershed development commissions and membership on aviation boards have moved to the Senate for consideration and we'll talk with guests from both chambers who are following what bill goes where.

>> That's ahead on this week's PrimeTime and good evening.

Conversations with us today are 15th District Republican State Senator and Assistant Majority Floor Leader Lizz Brown and the 41st District Republican State Representative Tony Issa.

And you can join the conversation as well with your questions and comments.

Just call the number that you see on the screen and what you see on the screen are the three of us where Senator Brown, Representative Issa, Liz Tony, thank you both for .

>> Thanks for having us.

Thank you very much.

Really appreciate it.

So even with February being the shortest month in this long session, it does seem like you can almost see the halfway point from here.

How has it been from start to 50 percent so far?

>> It's a lot it's a budget year so this is a long session.

So as the regular flow of bills are going through, I'm on appropriations and we're also trying to figure out what the House is going to send us in the budget and what bills we have that have some fiscal cost to them and how to manage that.

>> So things are moving quickly and for an inaugural session.

So Representative Tony walked in told that this is the most bills that have come through since the 80s from the House.

So we are putting together a lot of language.

>> You know, I'll bet I think this may be your sixth budget session, Liz.

>> Yes.

Yes.

How do you prepare for the for these special in your member?

You know what the best strategy is to take on something as as impactful as all this?

>> Well, I can tell you that early last fall started having meetings with different constituencies.

You know, we knew going into this year we had a Medicaid shortfall.

We knew revenues were going to be a little tight.

We don't quite have the Medicaid or the revenue forecast yet which will really then really help us make in the budget.

But I mean there's a lot of people out there that you talk to and try to manage expectations as best you can.

>> And do you recall the coaching or guidance or just take it one day at a time what you were hearing, Tony, as you were preparing for January.

>> So yeah, the billion dollar shortfall in Medicaid was a huge opportunity and you know, I've been told many times just take a deep breath, relax until the budget for the fall falls through until we find out where we're at.

These bills are all going to change so many times.

So what starts out as one thing might turn into something totally different.

So just take a deep breath and relax and just contribute where you can.

>> Well, we're all going to breathe and relax and look forward to speaking with you throughout this time together.

We were talking of how sometimes a chambers approval of legislation can outpace the session calendar and I'd say for starters your parental rights bill is one of those this is SB one for three because everything needs a number.

>> Yes, but what does that bill do?

>> Parental rights secured strengthened health .

Yeah, we heard that one in my committee.

I'm the chairman of that committee and it's my bill right out of the gate first week of session and just sort of resets the balance.

Make sure that parents have a right to the upbringing of their children vis V whether it sticks or whether it's the school system or any other governmental unit.

And I'd have to say that that's exactly what we want.

We want parents to be able to be involved and understand what's happening when even when their child is not physically with them.

>> And you're seeing the similar pattern of legislation on the House side, Tony, the bill you authored regarding membership of aviation boards was passed.

>> It's off across the hall to the Senate.

>> What does that measure do?

So populations of 38 thousand, whether it be city or county and with the shortfall of there being limited amount of people that are knowledgeable in the airport board space, the aviation board space just trying to find the most qualified person as opposed to having to seat that with a Democrat or Republican.

>> It just allows it to just open the door for just the most qualified person to be able to lead and that board has to feel good to know in your first year in Indianapolis the bill of your authorship is is working its way forward.

>> It's exciting also exciting and this made me smile and I guess I had two years to smile with the title of the bill.

It's a new bill familiar name increasing access to care for Hoosiers everywhere or ay ay ay ay 3.0 third health care matters.

>> This has been a journey because what we started then with in 2023 with the with Ayak one and the two sequel's yes.

>> Take journey to how we got to now on this well so actually what happens is you know you kind of work with human Health Committee.

I've always been on health committee.

This is the 11th session and so Medicaid provider the state funds a lot of different health care agencies, et cetera.

And so it's sort of plugging away at red tape is really what it is.

So it started with as the state rolled out Medicaid and managed care programs the senior citizens who would be eligible for home modifications it's a federal entitlement weren't getting them like getting a ramp in their house.

So that's that was the genesis of the bill, that little piece.

And then, you know, we wanted to modernize how we license and register Sienna's Huma's with Requalified Medical they give medications.

So that's what we sort of added on to that.

And the idea is how can we provide access truly to our Hoosiers without all the red tape get people who want to get into those professions faster, easier without the red tape and make sure that the services are being that they're the receiving are working.

So we're modernizing, for example, the system for the deaf and hard of hearing which sits on the grounds of the school for the deaf.

So things like that which don't actually necessarily get the headlines but obviously to the people they impact it's very important.

>> Well, particularly the Cavo for protections for senior citizens who are eligible for home health services.

>> Yes.

That seem to be something that needed to be sure.

>> It found a paragraph in the legislation.

Absolutely.

And you know, it's moving it'll be heard this coming week in appropriations.

So we make sure that there are no fiscals and I think we got that all cleaned up.

So I assume it'll be going for full passes in the Senate the week after next and happen to notice it's a side note that it was one year ago this month that I too was signed by Governor Holcomb.

>> Oh well good for you.

And I did not know that.

>> So that's a good omen for me.

Thanks those we take you wherever that wherever the momentum going right you may be there may be momentum with your colleagues in the House.

Tony, you and Matt Laitman have coauthored what is a House priority Bill on health matters, specifically Medicaid fraud.

>> Tell us a little bit what's going on under the hood with that one.

>> Well, what's crazy is is that currently if someone is fraudulently taking Medicaid there are only repercussions.

Just asked to leave right?

>> I mean there's really no there's no criminal there's nothing that they can get in trouble for and it's like you're stealing.

>> So those of us that understand that there needs to be some repercussions behind that and this just puts a little teeth and a little warning like might not want to do this.

You might want to step in that lane because you're breaking the law.

>> So that's kind of what that does and you're taking essentially probably the money from someone else that needs it.

>> Right.

That means one hundred percent.

Yeah.

And it is on its way to to the side.

So lots of like minded activity going on in that one another that came through with some bipartisan activity is one that emanated from your Senate Committee on Judiciary Liz and that is minor access and use of social media.

>> This was approved early on.

Yes, that's another one.

Senator Bahah chickens the first author on that bill but I agreed to go along with him and again right out of the gate to get things moving and I mean everybody knows that our young people are maybe slightly obsessed with social media and this just allows again along the line of parental rights parents to have a say and if they're fine with their children and accessing the apps, that's great.

>> But this gives the parents another tool and I I think we didn't get quite as much pushback as we thought.

I think the companies understood that it would be pretty hard to defend the current parental controls that are out there are a little squishy sometimes frankly.

And what is PG or set for this child?

Parents may come upon and say well that's not what I want them to watch and so this just gives them another guardrail which I think is really good.

>> Well if I can interject that a little bit as a parent of a 10, 12, 14 and twenty five year old thank you because clearly that addiction is real and they just get down rabbit holes.

>> The next thing you know you've got you've got to go clean up a mess.

>> So getting parental control is key because they don't know what they're doing right.

>> They have no idea what they're getting themselves into and you can't sit with 24 hours a day yet.

We know all of our mine are older but I'm getting into the grand tour age.

We cell phones are essential not just for communicating but you know so they're going to have them absolutely right.

>> You can't be there to control them all the time so we're speaking this evening with Republican State Senator Liz Brown, Republican state representative of Tennessee Tony Aissa here on prime time the phone numbers on the screen if you would like to join when you visit the website for the Indiana General Assembly you can find the whole layout of legislation that's going through Antonie.

You've authored a several rural utility infrastructure pops up is one one bill that is providing seed money grants for other activity that goes on.

>> I I need the rest of the sentence.

>> Tell me about it.

So it's not going to get hurt probably this year but the goal is for rural communities as a real story.

What you find out is these developments the rural housing is there and it's available once you get the the housing infrastructure in place.

>> But what we want is to make sure that from a unit provider to the the development we can get that energy there and that's that's the shortfall.

>> That's where in a rural community that's where the real shortfall is right.

Getting the houses with the gas or the electric that's one thing.

But getting that major cost to bring it up to those developments, that's where we're really I'm hoping in years to come to be to move the needle.

>> And sometimes it seems unless you can speak to this we know that a bill needs to move through a couple of sessions before it moves up.

>> But as it moves through anyhow.

Right.

And you know, I think it's always good to start the conversation and then there'll be other people who say whether it's other states or say here's another way to fund that.

Right.

Here's another way to make it happen instead of just maybe the state just funding it completely.

So yeah, I think it's always important to put those ideas out there so you get a lot of other people participating in a lot of great minds figuring it out together.

>> Absolutely.

Yeah.

Before we drift too far from a topic we wish book of a few minutes back.

Steve has checked in and is asking a question offline which are certainly welcome to do it the number you see on the screen.

>> But Steve would like to know has there been any study or feedback on how the cell phone ban affected schools?

So I mean I can just speak anecdotally since I'm here in Fort Wayne Fort Wayne community schools.

I think they had a few schools piloting piloting that beforehand and to be honest, the schools could have done this all right.

I mean that every school could have made this decision.

I think it actually us in a sense being the ones telling them made it easier for the schools to turn to the parents and say this is this has got to stop and the kids put them in the bag or whatever system they're using you'll get and we carved out emergencies and exceptions and but people will tell you it's almost like oh I don't have to worry about it right.

Someone else is taken away from the kids so now they're going to focus on school.

They don't have to check their Tic-Tac.

They don't have to see how many likes they're just going to wait to get off.

>> Right.

Today I have talked to my superintendents and they have all been appreciative to your point that some had already taken an initiative to a level but other than a few parents getting upset over it, I'd say 99 plus percent has been very supportive and understanding they're there to learn.

They're not there to be on social media talking to their friends.

>> They're there to learn it.

Let's stay with the electronic age because as you have said it Bill 472 on cybersecurity.

Yes, this is one of those where the concept had come up in a prior session.

>> Yes.

And so this year the bill goes like how so we started with actually again the concept is actually for the first bill was the schools needed some assistance because of course their cyber security insurance as other units of government is going sky high.

But what we really want is don't want them to have to use insurance.

Right.

We want them to implement best practices and the Indiana Office of Technology Iot has gone around to I don't know how many units of government sort took their show around and given a lot of people as much help as they can.

They help to host sites for governmental units, et cetera.

And so the original draft of the bill was we may set up a fund someday we'd take that out was an off budget year and these are best practices.

So it moved from a shower to May.

We'd really like to do this.

Well, you know, this is the time we cannot afford to have government agencies or school systems.

They have a lot of data on citizens.

They have to do this so there's a fund with no money maybe someday.

But the idea too is we're going to give them a couple of years to get their act together and we will help them with our expertize at the state level.

But there are lots of money, a lot of tax dollars, a lot of student debt and things like that.

So there are some you know, just like multifactor authentication things simple things they can do to make sure that they're secure.

Obviously they hackers are always trying to get into our infrastructure and things like that water systems and sewer systems and things like that.

But this is we're due for this and the the probability this year feels like we're in the high 80 90 percent.

>> Yeah, no we pass committee no no issues, no pushback and and also be heard this week in appropriations we made sure there was no fiscal so a fund with no money and should be going over to the house again in a week to piggyback comment I mean now more than ever you need to have protection and make sure you have the pieces in place water.

I mean if that gets hacked I mean energy like imagine all and how that could just shut everything down so there's support I can't imagine it not go through especially not being any money involved.

>> Yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

But speaking of money, you have a couple of tax bills but they are tax and you can describe why those are correct words but not maybe totally so Legrange County innkeeper's tax and something about a local option sales tax.

>> So I'm going to tell the story.

So I was at a dinner and this wonderful woman comes out to me and I was telling her about my idea of allowing local government to put in a local sales tax to help infrastructure again if you noticed a lot of my stuff is wrapped around infrastructure needs for my community.

Just be able to tap some type of opportunities and this very intelligent lawyer looks at me.

>> She says congratulations, a freshman raising taxes.

>> See how that works out for the bills not going anywhere right now.

>> Again, as she said, just get the conversation started kind of figuring it out going from there.

>> But I walked away just kind of like she she's right.

But and then as far as the eye I had been asked by the Grange County tourism to ask for to pull out and get an exemption to be able to potentially raise a innkeeper's tax up to eight percent by now that does not tax the locals.

That brings revenue from the tourism.

They have over two million to come into their communities during the summertime and spring and fall.

So they're just trying to capture and then they have she is the the young lady has a strategic plan to grow that whole industry.

So it's already killing it anyways.

>> But it's a a great opportunity.

Well, speaking of great opportunities, while there's time in the program you have in Bill for skills training Pilot program speak of that that actually came from I don't need to carry goals like that.

That was the Department of Workforce Development like two days before the the deadline to file bill and I'd work with them on a small piece last year and so they needed to sort of get it get it done and filed.

But the idea is that we have people who are really close to the next level whether it's getting their degree or something like that a skill and yet they're sort of on this benefits Cliff.

Right.

So they they can't work too much because if they do they lose maybe their child care credit or whatever it is.

Right.

And so the idea is can we help them, you know, sort of supplement them a little bit as they move and then the goal of course is they get their certification, their training, they get a better paying job and then they're off of state entitlements or federal entitlements.

So it's a win for everybody.

So Neukom concept I think it's you know, the fiscal will be the issue whether or not we can fund it.

But I think it's a great idea and I've heard I've heard employers tell me they have great employees but usually they're single moms frankly and they can only work so many hours because what they would lose in terms of all these other child care credits is they can't work anymore and that just seems like an upside down system.

Thoughts comments on no.

I'll tell you what fee to feed a man a fish feed him for a day, teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

We're not doing enough of that.

We need to really work towards moving that needle, giving people pride and being able to take care of themselves and give them opportunities to do so.

>> It's just going to help.

We have another off line question.

This one from John.

Let's sneak this one into this is one that relates to any bills in the legislature that eliminate gerrymandering.

Well, I'm not on the election committee in the Senate.

I've not seen any of those bills.

>> I guess that presumes that there is gender gerrymandering and I haven't seen it so but I haven't seen anything come through the Senate a second time in.

>> So there you are.

And but yet with the session I would ask you both we've heard so many factors fully funding Medicaid, passing legislation for universal vouchers, continuing health programs like Health First and the other road funding education funding there is arguably more budget demand than budget supply it would seem what you say to constituents about this budget process in this year.

>> Well, I sort of echo what Reverend Harris has said at the beginning and it's an opportunity so we're going to right size our budget and we're going to make sure we fund we're going to make sure our safety net for our most vulnerable are funded.

We're going to make sure we fund K-12 and higher ed as we do and we're going to make sure we have a robust Medicaid program that protects those who are eligible for it.

But we're also going to look really hard at the things that you know, when you have a little extra money you funded.

But is that really a need or is that a want this year and that's not a that's not a bad place to be.

>> And from your colleagues in the House, maybe even at this early hour, it's it's just way too early to really get your head wrapped around all these bills and any of the opportunities that are coming.

I know there's a lot of anxiety because of the shortfall.

Listen, this state has been very responsible for decades and they've done the right thing as best they could and with great leadership.

And by the way, she was the one that said about the bill.

>> But so I think that take a deep breath, relax, we're going to be fine.

>> It's just going to take some some work, right?

We're going to work on property taxes.

We're going to work on a robust budget and I'm confident we'll get it done by any day as as we head through these coming weeks and into the second half of the session when that pops up after a brief timeout, what other pending legislation are you following during the session?

>> Maybe it wasn't a bill you wrote but it's a bill maybe you wish you did or it's a subject about which you have a vested interest or passing curiosity.

>> There are a number of them out there.

Do any come to mind?

Well, my constituents and I come from local government so you can only imagine Senate Bill one is front of focus front of mind for many of my my groups.

>> So we're waiting to see but again it's going to morph.

>> It's going to change.

It's going to evolve.

So we'll see.

But that's that's probably one of my bigger ones that I'm looking at that's that's really based on the governor's property tax agenda.

It's a big it's a big bill.

It's a big lift in terms of what it's looking to do.

There are also bills out there reducing the income tax more than what we are.

We already are.

There are bills on eliminating or reducing the business personal property tax.

So there's a lot of interest I don't sit on tax but we have those discussions in our caucus.

There's a lot of interest in how to rightsize property taxes.

But as we all know, that's a local decision.

I mean locals could cut property taxes today.

>> That's their power and authority.

So but we've we've been listening the last two years and constituents are not happy and so we have to figure out how to rightsize property taxes for the locals and make sure that they still have the funds they need to fund libraries and airports and roads and everything else.

>> So last one is ten or seven for me and that's the nuclear opportunities that we have going on and the potential for to help supplement our electorate that puts us in the forefront of other states.

I don't think people appreciate the work that are two utility chairs are doing that will really prepare for the future.

>> Yeah, well we wish you the best in your work in Indianapolis.

>> Thank you for sharing.

We're all that has taken you even in these fleeting days since the start of things back in January.

>> We have been speaking today with state Senator Liz Brown, State Representative Tony Issa and for all of us with prime time, I'm Bruce áng.

>> Thank you for speaking and watching with us and we'll be back again next week same time and station take care.

Have a good night