The latest round of the Indiana General Assembly which concluded Friday night is being called a “home run” session by the president of Indiana Farm Bureau. Don Villwock described the session as very successful for Indiana farmers both from the standpoint of what bills passed and how the legislature left farmers alone.
“As I travel the state one of the things we hear is we have too much regulation and we want to get government out of our lives and just leave us alone. For the most part our legislature has been very receptive to that end and also agrees with that philosophy. So with a few exceptions it was very successful.”
Villwock said the budget marks a victory for farmers this year.
“Farmers all across the state have been complaining about the roads and bridges and infrastructure that we have in rural Indiana and the lack of dollars our local counties have to give them relief or at least fix some of those roads and bridges, and so we are very pleased to see that the budget committee, ways and means, put money towards roads and bridges. I think that is very significant.”
One of those successes because of a bill that didn’t pass was a synthetic natural gas bill that could have led to higher natural gas prices and a resulting increase in the cost to dry grain and manufacture fertilizer.
“As that bill moved forward Indiana Farm Bureau along with the Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association I think played a key role in making sure that there are safeguards in place that would prevent an undue burden on rate payers.”
Villwock added it is only fair to say they were disappointed by the failure to pass what became known as the trespass bill.
(Pictured from left are IFB President Don Villwock, tax and local government specialist Katrina Hall, government relations director Bob Kraft and staff attorney Justin Schneider. Picture courtesy of Kathleen Dutro at IFB)