Meth Baby Step Sans Leadership
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V20, N24 Thursday Feb. 19, 2015 Meth baby step sans leadership Senate panel passes first major bill taking on Indiana’s ‘horrendous’ meth epidemic as leadership mostly sits it out By MATTHEW BUTLER INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee was the first Indiana legislative panel to advance a major development in law enforcement efforts to combat meth labs. The bill (SB 536) contains a provision, in fact two, that would impose some form of a prescrip- tion for cold medi- Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke in a public service TV ad. He called steps cations containing coursing through the General Assembly a good start to a “horrendous” prob- the crucial ingredi- lem. ents for metham- certainly be back next year if we don’t get it this year.” phetamine. Meth is an absolutely pressing public health and “This is the first time, I safety issue for the state. Indiana led the nation the past think, to have prescription language moving in the General two years with 1,808 (2013) and 1,488 (2014) meth lab Assembly,” Justin Swanson, assistant legislative director for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, told HPI. Continued on page 3 “I think it’s a very small victory we cannot overlook. We’ll The GOP vs. Donnelly By MARK SCHOEFF JR. WASHINGTON – Even by today’s standards of aggressive partisanship, Indiana voters were treated to a stunning display of intense interparty combat last week that contrasted sharply with traditional Hoosier political dialogue. “I love my father and my brother. Each Republican member of the Indiana delegation signed I admire their service to the na- a letter to Democratic Sen. Joe tion and the difficult decisions Donnelly urging him to allow a homeland security appropriations they had to make. But I am my bill to come to a Senate vote. The agency’s funding will lapse on own man, and my views are Feb. 27. shaped by my own thinking and Republicans included in the legislation language that experiences.” would nullify President Barack - Jeb Bush in Chicago Obama’s executive orders pre- Page 2 venting the deportation of millions of the majority in both chambers. undocumented immigrants. More importantly, funding Indiana’s GOP House mem- DHS will save Republicans from severe bers – Reps. Larry Bucshon (8th CD), political damage it is risking by shut- Todd Young (9th CD), Luke Messer ting down the agency. If there is a ter- (6th CD), Susan Brooks (5th CD), rorist attack, even after DHS is back Todd Rokita (4th CD), Marlin Stutzman up and running, Republicans will take (3rd CD) and Jackie Walorski (2nd CD) the heat – and former Secretary of – accused Donnelly of crimping the State Hillary Clinton will have a potent democratic process by supporting a campaign issue. is a non-partisan newslet- filibuster. In Indiana, Donnelly is more ter based in Indianapolis and Donnelly fired right back, likely to come out of the DHS fight in Nashville, Ind. It was founded saying that the Republicans were try- better shape than the House Republi- in 1994 in Fort Wayne. ing to score political points and have cans. They are taking the fight to him. never done the hard work of It is published by passing a bipartisan immigration WWWHowey Media, LLC bill. 405 Massachusetts Ave., When Congress returns Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN from its Presidents Day recess 46204 next week, it will only have a handful of legislative days re- maining to resolve the impasse. Brian A. Howey, Publisher This would be a good Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington time for congressional Repub- Jack E. Howey, Editor licans to implement the game- Mary Lou Howey, Editor plan that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he will use at the Maureen Hayden, Statehouse presidential campaign level. He is portraying himself as the one Matthew Butler, Daily Wire Bush has indicated he will seeking bipartisan compromise, an ap- Mark Curry, advertising eschew hot-button issues that fire up proach that echoes Indiana’s political the party’s base and instead appeal to past. Subscriptions the middle of the electorate, even in “There was an old-school the primary. rule that clearly doesn’t exist any- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 Congressional Republicans more,” said Michael Wolf, a professor HPI Weekly, $350 ought to risk upsetting their base of political science at Indiana-Purdue Ray Volpe, Account Manager by staking out a reasonable position Fort Wayne. “[Former Sen.] Rich- 317.602.3620 on DHS funding, namely passing a ard Lugar didn’t throw darts. It is a email: [email protected] straightforward bill that funds DHS cultural shift. [The partisanship] does while leaving the immigration fight for match the culture of Congress right a different forum. now.” Contact HPI Acknowledging that Obama For HPI readers who don’t www.howeypolitics.com can exercise presidential authority know or may have forgotten, I was an [email protected] to change immigration rules may rile aide to Sen. Lugar in the mid-1990s. Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 primary voters, but it will raise Repub- Although his centrist approach has lican credibility with the middle, which fallen out of favor for the most part in Washington: 202.256.5822 must be won, if Bush or any other Re- Congress, Republicans should revive Business Office: 317.602.3620 publican is to take over the Oval Office that tradition, if for no other reason and issue different kinds of executive than to keep from tearing themselves © 2015, Howey Politics Indiana. orders. apart. All rights reserved. Photocopy- It may be difficult for Repub- Moderate Republican senators licans to admit that Senate Democrats may be pivotal to the party successful- ing, Internet forwarding, fax- can be as skillful in using minority ly governing, starting with determining ing or reproducing in any form, power as Republicans were for many its approach to immigration reform. whole or part, is a violation of years. But a grudging acceptance will “There’s a lot of polarization federal law without permission show the political maturity that they within the Republican Party,” said from the publisher. must demonstrate now that they’re in James McCann, a professor of political Page 3 science at Purdue. “It’s difficult for Republicans to figure the agency’s shutdown on Democrats, they are in charge out the politics of this. It’s very much a wedge on the of Capitol Hill. Republican side.” “They were going to be the ones blamed,” Wolf The good news for the GOP is that the Feb. 16 rul- said. “The narrative was moving that direction. House ing by a federal judge in Texas to halt Obama’s immigra- Republicans were going to be under intense scrutiny.” tion orders may give the party the cover it needs to avoid Now the GOP has a chance to bask in a different internecine warfare and pass a clean DHS funding bill. kind of spotlight – one that shows them rising above petty “Lawmakers who want to dial down the partisanship, acting with maturity and securing a foothold rhetoric and move toward the middle can say, ‘We’ll let the in the political middle, where they can strengthen their judicial process take its course now,’” McCann said. majority. v The Texas judge, Andrew Hanen, may wind up saving the GOP from itself, at least when it comes to DHS Schoeff is Howey Politics Indiana’s Washington funding. No matter how hard Republicans would try to pin correspondent. old. During the first month of this year, a Bluffton couple’s Meth, from page 1 3-year-old boy died from meth exposure. During the last five years 56 in law enforcement have busts. County prosecutors believe been reported as injured, but that only a fraction of the actual meth figure is likely much, much higher. labs are being busted. Speaking of meth labs, Delaware “It is a public safety County Prosecutor Jeff Arnold told threat that has the potential lawmakers last week, “I’ve been to to endanger law enforcement, way too many. I’ve seen too many firefighters, and kids,” Evansville children in too many meth houses Mayor Lloyd Winnecke explained with permanent lung damage.” to HPI Wednesday. His city and There are lawmakers well aware county have been a meth hotspot of meth’s havoc, particularly on chil- in recent years, spurring local dren. leaders to create a dedicated “A pediatrician in Bedford I’ve meth suppression task force. known took care of all my kids,” Sen. In 2014, various authori- Brent Steele told HPI Wednesday. “He ties found 382 Hoosier children says, ‘I’m getting baby after baby sick in meth lab environments. In the and I do a blood test and they’ve got previous two years there were meth in their blood.’ It’s just eating us 458 and 388, respectively. These up.” high numbers are a relatively Sen. Susan Glick, R-LaGrange, recent phenomenon but, unfor- a former county prosecutor says tunately, appear to be the new Indiana’s child service agencies are normal. During 2003-09, the utterly frustrated with the state’s annual range of children found in meth lab problem. “They have such a these dangerous circumstances negative attitude right now, because was 125 to 185. Nearly all of they’re dealing on the frontlines with these children must be taken into the meth problem,” she told HPI. State Sen. Brent Steele has switched his position protective custody and often carry “They’ve got the criminals, they’ve on meth after watching it ravage his hometown. with them the scars of abuse and got the families that are broken up, (HPI Photo by Mark Curry) neglect.