Press Release

STATEHOUSE—Rep. Woody Burton’s (R-Whiteland) legislation to help rid local communities of abandoned buildings, while also lowering the burden on taxpayers passed out of the House today with a 93-0 vote.

House Bill 1174 would allow local governments to hire a broker to sell real property directly, rather than using a bid process.

In order to do so, the property would have to be up for bid for a minimum of 60 days with either no bid received or accepted by local officials. In addition, local officials would have to publish a notice to hire the broker.

“I have been working with the Mayor Fred Paris of Franklin and Pleasant Township Assessor MaryAnn Powell on this legislation for some time now,” said Rep. Burton, “because local government officials have indicated that they want more flexibility in the sale process so that unused buildings can be sold quickly.

“I agree with their concerns because the longer those buildings sit un-obtained, the more costly it is for taxpayers, and for no reason.”

A section was inserted into the legislation in order to prevent favoritism in picking a broker for the property sale, by requiring the sale to be entered into public record.

House Bill 1174 will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration. If passed by both chambers, the legislation will go into effect July 2011.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this piece of legislation or any other legislative matters, you can reach Rep. Burton at 1-800-382-9841 or via email at H58@in.gov.

Rep. Burton established “Ronald Reagan Day”

STATEHOUSE—As the Indiana Statehouse celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan today, State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) honored the former president by proclaiming February 6 as “Ronald Reagan Day.”

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, IL. He began his career as a well-known actor, staring in more than 50 movie productions, before gaining a passion for politics.

He was elected in 1966 and served as the Governor of California from 1966 to 1974, before winning the presidential election in 1980.

“In 1981, when he was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States, he inherited a disillusioned nation shackled by rampant inflation, high unemployment and a lack of American resolve at home and abroad,” said Rep. Burton today.

“During his presidency, he took pride in working in a bipartisan manner to restore accountability and common sense to government. He delivered on his promise to cut taxes for American workers in 1981 and achieved the historic tax cuts of 1986, which overhauled the federal tax code and reduced tax rates for American taxpayers.”

President Reagan implemented several economic initiatives, referred today by most as “Reaganomics.” Those incentives included reducing tax rates to spur economic growth, controlling the money supply to reduce inflation and reducing government spending.

In addition, President Reagan appointed the first woman to the United State Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She served from September 25, 1981 – January 31, 2006.

He won reelection in 1984 carrying 49 out of 50 states—one of the biggest electoral victories in political history of the United States.

In 1994, the former president disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He died ten years later on June 5, 2004 at the age of 93.

“He was remembered today as Ronald Wilson Reagan; a father, husband, actor and dedicated public servant, who restored the pride, optimism and strength of the United States and earned the deep respect and affection of his fellow citizens,” said Rep. Burton.

Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) hosted a group from the Real Estate Academy of Leadership (R.E.A.L.) at the Indiana Statehouse. Rep. Burton spoke to the group, which is affiliated with the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR).

R.E.A.L. is a nine-month program, that meets once a month to focus on different aspects of the real estate industry and local communities.

R.E.A.L. aims to produce future leaders for the real estate industry by providing participants with a quality introduction to the people, organizations and programs that impact the real estate industry. The Indiana Statehouse and the legislative process was a perfect addition to the program.

“When I met with the group on Friday, we focused our discussion on the economic development of our state and how state/local government affects the real estate industry,” said Rep. Burton, who has been a Realtor for many years. “The participants had a great opportunity to not only see a professional Realtor serving in a leadership role, but also gain a better understanding of how the legislative process works. More often than you think, professionals forget how the actions that take place in the House chambers affect their everyday lives, but also their profession. Everything is, in one way or another, connected.”

Those interested can log onto www.mibor.com for more concerning the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR) or Real Estate Academy of Leadership (R.E.A.L.). Also, Statehouse tours are available Monday through Friday for those interested.