Sen. Miller on 2016 session

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana General Assembly recently wrapped up its 2016 session with a number of bills that will have a positive impact on Hoosiers and their families, District 24 State Sen. Pete Miller (R-Brownsburg) said.

Some of the most important bills passed by legislators this year, as Sen. Miller assessed, include:

-- House Enrolled Act 1001 and Senate Enrolled Act 67, which will work together to provide $1 billion for state and local road projects over the next two years without raising state taxes or creating new state debt.

-- Senate Enrolled Act 200 and House Enrolled Act 1003, which were fast-tracked to ensure that teachers and schools would not be negatively affected by the problem-plagued 2015 ISTEP test.

-- Senate Enrolled Act 308, which uses more recent data to determine the base rate for farmland assessment and changes the formula to limit the volatility in farmland property taxes. This bill will reduce the property tax burden on farmers by nearly $50 million in 2018 alone.

-- Senate Enrolled Act 321, which will require the Department of Local Government Finance to certify the budget, tax rates and tax levies earlier in the budgeting process, giving local officials more accurate information to build their budget.

"This session was an important one for Hoosiers," Sen. Miller said. "We were able to inject $1 billion for road funding, hold teachers and schools harmless for the 2015 ISTEP debacle, protect farmers from the volatility of property taxes and allow local governments to build their budget in the same way Hoosier families do.

"I am proud of what we were able to accomplish during the short session," he added.