Control of Indiana House too close to call, says Republican speaker

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said Friday he was optimistic that Republicans would retain control of the House after Tuesday's election, but the outcome was too close to call.\nHouse Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Democrats would do something Republicans have not done over the past two years if his party regains the majority.\n"We will listen to what the people of Indiana want," he said.\nThe chamber has been narrowly divided between the parties for several years, but Bosma said there are more competitive races this time than he could recall in his 20 years as a state representative. It was too early to predict the outcome of eight to 10 races, and that might still be the case come Tuesday, he said.\nRepublicans have a 52-48 advantage, and their motto is "56 in '06." Bosma said getting to 56 was a best-case scenario at this point.\n"I'm not going to make a prediction. It's too close to call," he said.\nOver the past two years, House Republicans helped balance the state budget for the first time in years and took steps to create jobs and reduce corruption in state government, Bosma said.\nHe also noted that they have made a series of pledges for the upcoming session, which include incentives to promote alternative fuels, improving the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and taking the next step toward a constitutional ban on gay marriage.\nBut Republicans also made some difficult choices as far as some voters are concerned, he said.\n"Hoosiers want change until you give it to them," Bosma said. "People want straight talk until you give them straight talk. So that is a bit of a difficulty for having to make tough decisions."\nHouse Democrats have attacked Republicans on two of those tough decisions -- supporting legislation that led to statewide observance of daylight-saving time and leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a private, foreign consortium. Both were initiatives pushed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, and both have proved unpopular with many Hoosiers.\nBosma said the move to daylight-saving time has helped improve the state economy.\n"It's tough medication for many Hoosiers, but it's medicine that had to be swallowed for all of us to move into this century," he said.\nBut Bauer said the time change has created more confusion than before.\nAfter the law was passed in 2005, 17 counties in northwestern and southwestern Indiana petitioned the federal government to move from the Eastern Time Zone and join 10 counties in the Central Zone. Eight won approval, but the move angered many people in some counties, and now six have requested that they be moved back to Eastern time.\n"As my colleague, state Rep. Russ Stilwell, says, 'It used to be that people outside Indiana were confused about what time it was in Indiana. Now it's people inside Indiana who are confused about what time it is in Indiana,'" Bauer said.\nBauer also said that under a Republican governor and GOP-controlled legislature, the state had sold off public assets and programs to private entities, some based overseas; funding for some schools was cut; providing health care coverage to 850,000 uninsured Hoosiers was not considered; and the BMV was revamped to be a "model of how not to serve the public."\nHe said House Democrats promised to reduce the impact of property taxes, find more money for public schools, seek affordable health care for all Hoosiers and remove the sales tax from gasoline, among other things.\n"Above all, we promise to listen to the people of Indiana and return balance to state government," he said.\nIf the House is divided 50-50 after the election, the party that wins the secretary of state's office will control the chamber.