Sue Ellspermann (Taxpayer Friendly)

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Address: 212 E. 25th St., Ferdinand, IN 47532
Phone: (812) 489-0737, (812) 998-2084
E-mail: H74@in.gov; sue@sueellspermann.com
Website: http://sueellspermann.com/; http://www.in.gov/legislative/house_republicans/homepages/r74/

2012 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on House Bill 1003, which is Taxpayer Friendly because (1) public access to government meetings and records is improved and (2) it is less likely that public agencies will intentionally violate the Public Access Laws.
DID NOT VOTE on House Bill 1005, which contains six Taxpayer Friendly local government Conflict Of Interest provisions and sixteen Taxpayer Friendly local government Nepotism provisions.
Voted YES on House Bill 1376, which is Taxpayer UNfriendly because (1) the automatic taxpayer refund excess reserves trigger is increased from 10% to 12.5% and (2) Hoosier working families will possibly receive an automatic taxpayer refund every even-numbered year instead of every year.

2011 General Assembly Voting Record
Voted YES on House Bill 1001, which includes among its 16 Taxpayer Friendly state budget provisions no tax increases and an operating surplus in both the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years with a satisfactory reserve balance on June 30, 2013.
Voted YES on House Bill 1002, which is Taxpayer Friendly because (1) charter schools have the potential to help increase the academic growth of lower socioeconomic students, (2) the number of Indiana nonprofit private colleges and universities authorized to create charter schools is limited, (3) the Indianapolis mayor is the only Indiana mayor who may authorize charter schools, (4) conversion from a public school to a charter school is sufficiently stringent, and (5) property taxes are NOT improperly used to support charter schools.
Voted YES on House Bill 1003, which uses state K-12 tuition support money to fund scholarships for nonpublic school students and is Taxpayer UNfriendly because (1) nonpublic private and parochial schools are not equally open to all children, (2) nonpublic school budgets are not approved by a directly elected public body, (3) evidence-based research does not support greater school choice as a means to achieve overall educational improvement, (4) it is very likely unconstitutional, and (5) state tuition support dollars would go to nonpublic schools that are not uniformly distributed throughout the state.
Voted YES on House Bill 1022, which would have implemented a number of Taxpayer Friendly local government provisions related to nepotism and officeholder conflict-of-interest.
Voted NO on House Bill 1074, which provides that school board members selected by election must be elected at November general elections and is Taxpayer Friendly because the greater voter turnout in general elections will make it more difficult for local vested interests to unduly influence school board elections.
Voted YES on House Bill 1583, which passed as part of House Bill 1004 and is Taxpayer Friendly because the 1% homeowner property tax cap and ten homeowner property tax deductions are allowed in the year of a property transfer if the property is determined to be exempt in the year following the transfer year.

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questions - November 2, 2010, General Election
1. QUESTION: Do you support or oppose the November 2, 2010, Constitutional Amendment to (a) make the 1% - 2% - 3% property tax caps permanent and (b) protect homestead property tax deductions from legal challenge? ANSWER: Yes, I agree voters should have the opportunity to vote on the property tax caps.
2. QUESTION: How should the 2012-2013 state budget be balanced? Please address such issues as Medicaid spending, K-12 education, the possibility of a statewide income tax increase, and whether reserve funds should be replenished. ANSWER: The intermediate answer is to focus on growing jobs: attracting and helping companies start and expand in Indiana. Getting unemployment back to 5-6% would solve many state budget problems. The next biennial budget will be very difficult if we cannot increase employment levels significantly. That said, I am an Industrial Engineer accustomed to looking for cost savings opportunities. Our governor is very good at that as well. We should continue to streamline state government. The Kernan Shepard report offers a number of recommendations which should continue to be considered, refined and pursued, among others. And, we should identify ways that Hoosiers can help their own communities and our state save money. These actions will make us stronger for the future.
3. QUESTION: Do you pledge to maintain both the Homestead Standard Deduction and the Homestead Supplemental Deduction without ANY change to help homeowners control their property tax burden? ANSWER: I support the current Homestead Standard Deduction and Supplemental Deduction.
4. QUESTION: Do you support changing the Indiana Code so approval of the General Assembly is required before I-69 becomes a toll road between I-64 and Martinsville? ANSWER: New I-69 will provide a great economic benefit to SW Indiana, for which I have supported and fought for while a board member of the Chamber of Commerce of SW Indiana for many years. I am very pleased with the Governor’s accelerated schedule for the Evansville-Crane portion. I will continue to actively support legislation that encourages the completion of I-69 across Indiana.
5. QUESTION: Do you wish to make some additional comments about your candidacy? ANSWER: I believe in small government, low taxes, and quality education to enable our citizens to be productive and innovative. Beyond that, I am a problem solver who will look for innovative solutions and continuous improvement in all government spending. More efforts should be placed on leveraging the IEDC and OCRA to enable economic and community development at the local and regional level. We should continue to increase educational opportunities for citizens to ensure and attract high value industry in our rural district. And, we must make Indiana a hotbed of entrepreneurism, particularly in emerging areas such as biotechnology, alternative energy, and nanotechnology. A vibrant, sustainable economy is Indiana’s best way to ensure low taxes and a high quality of life for Hoosiers.

Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questions - May 4, 2010, Primary Election
1. QUESTION: Do you support or oppose the Constitutional Amendment on the November 2, 2010, statewide ballot? ANSWER (April 28, 2010): Yes, I agree voters should have the opportunity to vote on the property tax caps. I do believe there will and should be continued legislation development to fairly assess and balance these taxes among taxpayer groups.
2. QUESTION: How should the 2012-2013 state budget be balanced? ANSWER (April 28, 2010): The intermediate answer is to focus on growing jobs attracting and helping companies start and expand in Indiana. Getting unemployment back to 5-6% would solve many state budget problems. The next biennial budget, at least in the first year, will be very difficult. I am an Industrial Engineer used to looking for cost savings opportunities. Our governor is very good at that. The Kernan Shepard report should be utilized for further local government reform. And, we should continue to streamline state government and learn to do “more with less” as K-12 and higher education have been asked to do. We must make it not only the government’s job, but ask Hoosiers to help identify and participate in cost savings programs.
3. QUESTION: Do you pledge to maintain both the Homestead Standard Deduction and the Homestead Supplemental Deduction without ANY change? ANSWER (April 28, 2010): It would be irresponsible for me to say “without any change” without knowing if there are potential circumstances which would require the Homestead deduction review.
4. QUESTION: Do you support changing the Indiana Code so approval of the General Assembly is required before I-69 becomes a toll road between I-64 and Martinsville? ANSWER (April 28, 2010): I don’t have enough information on what Indiana Code says today. New I69 will provide a great economic benefit to SW Indiana, for which I have supported and fought for while a board member of the Chamber of Commerce of SW Indiana for many years.
5. QUESTION: Do you wish to make some additional comments about your candidacy? ANSWER (April 28, 2010): I believe small government, low taxes and self-determination are paramount. Beyond that, I am a problem solver who will look for innovative solutions and continuous improvement in all government spending. More efforts should be placed on leveraging the IEDC and OCRA to enable economic and community development at the local and regional level. And, we should work hard to participate in, within reason, federal programs which fund the re-engineering of our current services, such as Race for the Top in K-12 Education.

This page was last updated on 03/13/12.