Vaneta G. Becker (Taxpayer Friendly)

Watchdog Indiana Home Page Indiana General Assembly & Governor Ratings Legislative Voting Record 11/02/04 Candidate Questionnaire 05/04/04 Candidate Questionnaire 11/05/02 Candidate Questionnaire 05/07/02 Candidate Questionnaire

Address: 4017 Cobble Field Drive, Evansville, IN 47711
Phone: (812) 479-3776
E-mail: S50@in.gov
Website: http://www.in.gov/legislative/senate_republicans/homepages/s50/index.htm

2010 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on House Joint Resolution 1, which gives voters statewide the opportunity to amend the Indiana Constitution to (1) make the 1% - 2% - 3% property tax caps permanent and (2) protect homestead property tax deductions from legal challenge.
Voted YES on House Bill 1001, which contains 21 Taxpayer Friendly government ethics reform provisions including a 365-day wait after leaving the General Assembly before a legislator can become a lobbyist or legislative liaison, the reporting of certain expenditures by the legislative liaisons of state agencies and state educational institutions, and a reduction from $100 to $50 in the minimum reportable amount for the total daily gifts given by a registered lobbyist to a legislative person.
Voted YES on House Bill 1086, which contains 7 Taxpayer Friendly provisions including the HJR 1 Constitutional Amendment ballot language.
Voted YES on House Bill 1367, which contains 5 Taxpayer Friendly K-12 education provisions that preserve and protect instructional programs.
Voted YES on Senate Bill 23, which delays the scheduled increase in unemployment insurance premiums for one year until 2011.
Voted YES on Senate Bill 396, which mandates an adjusted six-year average that eliminates the highest value to calculate the base rate for the assessment of agricultural land.

2009 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted NO on House Bill 1001 SS, the 2009-2011 special session budget bill that (1) provides enough resources for good government AND (2) satisfactorily protects Hoosier working families from state and local tax increases. A YES vote supports a budget that is sufficiently Taxpayer Friendly. A NO vote would have shut down much of state government.
Voted YES on Senate Joint Resolution 1, which amended the Indiana Constitution beginning 2012 to include a cap on homestead property tax in 90 counties at 1% of gross assessed value. Until 2020, existing debt service prior to July 1, 2008, is exempted from the 1% homeowner gross assessed value cap in Lake and St. Joseph counties ONLY. The effective constitutional homeowner property tax caps in Lake and St. Joseph counties are 1.88% and 1.52% respectively until the 1% cap takes effect in 2020.
Voted NO on Senate Bill 348 to have a Library Services Plan developed and approved by a Public Library Service Planning Committee (with an "opt out" referendum provision) in every county (except Marion County) to help more effectively use working family dollars currently spent on library services (with the option to equitably replace public library property taxes with a county economic development income tax).
Voted YES on Senate Bill 452 to prohibit employees of a local government unit from serving as elected officials within the same local government unit, move the elections of municipal officers to even-numbered years, move all school board member elections to the November general election in even-numbered years, establish the use of vote centers as an option for all counties, and require a city clerk-treasurer in a third class city to attend fiscal officer training provided by the state board of accounts.
Voted YES on Senate Bill 506 to (1) allow a single County Chief Executive Officer or County Manager, (2) allow the County Council or the Board of County Supervisors to exercise both the fiscal and legislative powers of the county, (3) provide for voter-initiated referendums on county government reorganization, (4) repeal the requirement that political subdivisions must approve local government reorganizations initiated by voters, (5) assign the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations four responsibilities to identify and monitor good local government practices, (6) prohibit County Manager nepotism, (7) repeal unproductive reporting requirements, and (8) continue to elect the County Assessor.
Voted NO on Senate Bill 512 to (1) abolish on January 1, 2013, each township board in every county (other than Marion County) and make the county fiscal body also the fiscal body and legislative body of each township, (2) require a township when formulating an annual budget to consider whether the part of the ending balance in each township fund in excess of 10% of budgeted expenditures should be used instead of imposing additional property taxes for the ensuing year, (3) prohibit a relative of a township officer or employee from being employed by the township in a position that would put the relative in a direct supervisory or subordinate relationship with the officer or employee, (4) require a township trustee's annual report to list separately each expenditure to reimburse the trustee for the trustee's public business use of personal property, (5) require each township office to include the address, phone number, and regular office hours (if any) of the township office in at least one local telephone directory, (6) prohibits a public meeting or a public hearing of a township official or governing body from being held in a private residence, and (7) requires the State Board of Accounts to submit an annual township examination report to the executive director of the Legislative Services Agency and to county councils.
Voted YES on House Bill 1607 to require a referendum before establishing a Northern Indiana Regional Transportation District, which is a new tax-imposing level of Indiana government in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and St. Joseph counties controlled by a board with unrestricted powers (where most board members have no real connection to the taxpayers' community).

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questions - November 4, 2008, General Election
1. BACKGROUND: Senate Joint Resolution 1 passed the Indiana Senate 40-7 and the Indiana House 79-20 on March 14, 2008, and was signed by the Governor on March 19, 2008. SJR 1 amends the Indiana Constitution to cap homeowners' property tax bills at 1% of assessed value, rental and agricultural property at 2%, and business property at 3%. For property taxes first due and payable in 2012, 90 of Indiana's 92 counties must have a homeowner property tax cap that is 1% of the gross assessed value. Until 2020, existing debt service prior to July 1, 2008, is exempted from the 1% homeowner gross assessed value cap in Lake and St. Joseph counties ONLY. The result of these two existing debt service exemptions equates to a 1.88% homeowner cap in Lake County and a 1.52% homeowner cap in St. Joseph County. The homeowner caps for Lake and St. Joseph counties must become 1% in 2020. The exact same version of SJR 1 that passed in 2008 must again pass in the General Assembly in 2009 to put the 1% constitutional homeowner property tax cap amendment on the 2010 ballot. We the people can then vote to make the 1% homeowner property tax cap a permanent part of the Indiana Constitution. Never has it been so easy to separate those who are part of the property tax relief solution from those who are part of the property tax spending problem. A General Assembly candidate who pledges to vote for Senate Joint Resolution 1 in 2009 is part of the solution, otherwise the legislator is part of the problem. QUESTION: Do you pledge to vote in 2009 for the exact same version of Senate Joint Resolution 1 that passed in 2008? DID NOT RESPOND.
2. QUESTION: Do you wish to make some additional comments about your candidacy? Do you have an E-mail address? Do you have a website? DID NOT RESPOND.

2008 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on Senate Joint Resolution 1, which amended the Indiana Constitution beginning 2012 to include a cap on homestead property tax in 90 counties at 1% of gross assessed value. Until 2020, existing debt service prior to July 1, 2008, is exempted from the 1% homeowner gross assessed value cap in Lake and St. Joseph counties ONLY. The effective constitutional homeowner property tax caps in Lake and St. Joseph counties are 1.88% and 1.52% respectively until the 1% cap takes effect in 2020.
Voted NO on House Bill 1001, which phases in the SJR 1 constitutional property tax caps by 2010. Also, 2008 property taxes are reduced 26% from the prior year. An increase in the sales tax from 6% to 7% and local option income taxes will be used to replace the property tax revenue reductions that result from the property tax caps.

2007 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on House Bill 1001, the budget bill that is Taxpayer Friendly because the General Fund & Property Tax Replacement Fund $26.0722 billion expenditures total for the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years is less than the $26.1946 billion revenues total. HB 1001 also includes additional homestead credits from the Property Tax Reduction Trust Fund of $300 million in 2007 and $250 million in 2008.
Voted YES on House Bill 1478, which is Taxpayer UNfriendly for the following reasons: (1) Homeowner property taxes will increase 1.2% each year from 2009 through 2013 with annual decreases in the Homestead Standard Deduction. (2) The 2% Circuit Breaker Cap on residential property taxes passed by the General Assembly in 2006 has been watered down to the point where it is almost eliminated. (3) The new local option income tax for property tax relief will be offset by future property tax increases unless the new local option income tax to replace property tax increases is implemented. (4) Using the new local option income tax to replace property tax increases means that income tax increases on Hoosier working families would lower the proportionate tax burden of businesses and utilities by freezing business and utility property taxes without a corresponding increase in other business and utility taxes. (5) A new local option income tax has been authorized for public safety.
Voted NO on House Bill 1835,which is Taxpayer Friendly because it uses slot machine licensing fees and wagering taxes to establish the Property Tax Reduction Trust Fund, which is to be used for property tax relief in any manner prescribed by the General Assembly.
Voted NO on Senate Bill 401, which is Taxpayer UNfriendly because state legislators voted themselves a perpetual pay increase that is 20% more than the typical Hoosier working family earns during an entire year. SB 401 also eliminated taxpayer-paid lifetime health insurance and the $4 taxpayer match for each $1 of legislator pension contribution, but General Assembly members should not have received an excessive salary increase in return for eliminating extravagant perks they should not have in the first place.

2006 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on "Major Moves" House Bill 1008, which authorizes the Indiana Department of Transportation to enter into public-private agreements with private entities (operators) concerning tollway projects for I-69 between Martinsville and Evansville. HB 1008 also authorizes the Indiana Finance Authority to enter into public-private agreements with operators for the Indiana Toll Road.
Voted YES on House Bill 1001, a residential property tax reduction bill that increases the homestead credit for one year in 2006 to 28% and the homestead standard deduction for one year in 2007 to $45,000. Beginning in 2007 for Lake County and 2008 for all other counties, HB 1001 also establishes a cap on residential property taxes equal to 2% of the assessed value of the residential property.

2005 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on House Bill 1001, the budget bill that included seven significant homeowner property tax increases.
Voted NO on House Bill 1120, which contained thirteen negative tax impacts including a regional Food and Beverage Tax to finance a new Colts stadium.

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire - November 2, 2004, General Election
1. Guiding Principles for 2005-07 Biennium Budget. DID NOT RESPOND. Record: Voted for the 2004-05 state budget where General Fund and Property Tax Replacement Fund spending totals exceed current revenue totals for the eighth straight year. The 2004-05 state budget also includes Pension Stabilization Fund transfers, which worsen the $8.5 billion shortfall in teacher retirement funds.
2. Opinions on Homeowner Property Taxes. DID NOT RESPOND. Record: Voted for the 2004-05 state budget where the property tax relief promised to homeowners in the 2002 special session was reduced by the so-called Homestead Credit "correction."
3. Position on Indianapolis to Evansville Interstate. DID NOT RESPOND.
4. Additional Comments. DID NOT RESPOND. Record: See the Candidate Questionnaires for the May 4, 2004, Primary Election, November 5, 2002, General Election, and the May 7, 2002, Primary Election. Also see the Legislative Voting Record.

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire - November 5, 2002, General Election
1-2. Special session vote AGAINST several tax increases that will increase revenues $1.7782 billion from July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2005.
3. Special session vote AGAINST a 20% gas tax increase (from 15 to 18 cents per gallon) effective 01/01/03.
4. Special session vote AGAINST a phased-in shift of the inventory tax to (1) all other types of property through an increased property tax rate and (2) a tax on the income of individuals (in those counties choosing to do so) through the establishment or increase of a County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT).
5. DID NOT RESPOND to General Election Questionnaire. See the Candidate Questionnaire for the May 7, 2002, Primary Election.

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire - May 7, 2002, Primary Election
1. Voted on February 4 AGAINST the Indiana House of Representatives version of HB 1004, which did not have enough Property Tax relief in return for a 20% Sales Tax rate increase, imposed a new Business Franchise Tax (Business Activity Fee) based on net worth, and increased revenues $2.683 billion more than taxes would have been reduced through June 30, 2004.
2. Voted on February 5 FOR the Indiana House of Representatives version of HB 1317, which would have raised the Gasoline Tax from 15 cents per gallon to 16 cents during 2003 and 17 cents after 2003.
3. Voted March 13 to uphold the Governor's veto of HB 1083 so Indiana General Assembly members will remain covered by the state's Public Access Laws.
4. Did not receive Primary Questionnaire. See the Candidate Questionnaire for the November 5, 2002, General Election.

This page was last updated on 03/25/10 .