(STATEHOUSE­­)--Rep. Bill Davis (R-Portland) was at the Statehouse today to join his fellow Republicans in presenting their 2010 legislative agenda, also known as the Taxpayer Protection Plan.

When the session begins on Jan. 5, Rep. Davis will focus on three areas: protecting taxpayers' pocketbooks, growing and protecting jobs and enacting meaningful government reform.

"With thousands of Hoosiers losing their jobs and the economy spiraling downward, 2009 has become a year we all wish to forget," Rep. Davis said. "I pledge to constituents in my district that I will not support legislation that raises taxes or increases spending. This upcoming legislative session, we must be frugal so that our state can whether this economic storm and lead the nation out of the recession."

One of Rep. Davis' top priorities this session is to pass legislation concerning the property tax caps.

"We want to fulfill the promise we made to Hoosiers back in 2008 by passing the constitutional amendment to cap property taxes at 1% of assessed value for homes, 2% for rentals and agriculture property and 3% for business property. In order to do so, we must pass legislation without amendments to place the caps in the state constitution. Hoosiers deserve a chance to vote on the property tax caps in the 2010 November General Election."

The plan also includes three initiatives to protect and grow jobs:

# Support the delay of the unemployment insurance tax increase. Rep. Davis did not support the bill from last session because it would punish employers with one of the largest tax increases in state history during an unprecedented economic downturn.  Rep. Davis is also asking the Department of Workforce Development to delay sending the 2010 tax bills to employers. 

# Support a review of all available job incentives so that Indiana can pool the current incentive funding to allow the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to use the incentives to increase Hoosier employment.

# Allow new employers to phase in their income tax within three years of starting a new business. I believe this incentive will put Indiana ahead of many states around the country when it comes to attracting new employers to the state.

This session, Rep. Davis also plans to ensure the legislative process is open and transparent to Hoosier taxpayers. The plan provides increased lobbyist registration and disclosure standards and legislator financial disclosure regulations, create an independent redistricting commission and encourage efficiencies for local governments.

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