With his state still grappling with high unemployment, Indiana Speaker Pat Bauer -- a DLCC Board member -- is calling for a major new infrastructure investment as a way to create jobs.

Four years ago, lawmakers created the Next Generation Trust Fund with money generated from leasing the Indiana Toll Road to private operators for $3.8 billion. The fund now holds more than $500 million.

Speaker Bauer wants to take a significant portion of that money and use it to repair the state's crumbling bridges:

"We believe we ought to put the money to work . . . instead of letting the banks lend it out and make interest," Bauer said. "We have, like, over 60 percent of our bridges in this state that are considered dangerous, decrepit. We ought to start fixing those. We should do that now and put people to work, and we do have the money."

Predictably, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels thinks the state is already doing enough.