#720 | Thursday, August 20, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

The weed eaters must be strung!

The trains must have all made it to the stations on time!

And it's clearly not February!

Because this 720th episode is officially a reunion of The Political Spotlight — 3!

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey...

Producer Kate Thornburg...

& NONE OTHER THAN THE:

PURDUE-ED-U-CATED, ENGINEER-IN', WEED-EATER-STRINGIN', PUN-LOVIN', PROBLEM-SOLVIN', SON OF A GUN, BRANDON RUDD...

ARE ALL IN THE HOUSE FOR THIS BIG-TIME EPISODE!

And now that all of that is out of the way, shall we? We shall... let's roll!

On this 720th episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Co-Host Brandon Rudd, and Producer Kate take a hard look at Indiana State Representative J.D. Prescott’s House Bill 1288 — a proposal Prescott has been pushing across Indiana, trying to sell Hoosiers on "HIS PLAN" to fundamentally dismantle Indiana’s property-tax system and move the state toward a sales-tax-driven funding model.

This, as you should know, is not a pro-Prescott show, nor is it an endorsement of HB 1288. That said, Bilbrey, Brando, and Producer Kate will attempt to present the pros and cons of the plan! It's just that the team firmly believes there are far more cons than pros!

The question the audience needs to consider is whether this plan could create a whole new set of problems for Indiana while trying to solve the very real property tax problems Hoosiers already face.

Under the proposal, Indiana would move toward statewide collection and redistribution of sales tax because individual counties—particularly rural counties—might not generate enough sales tax revenue on their own. The proposed distribution formula would rely heavily on population, with a portion tied to roadway miles.

That immediately raises serious questions.

What happens when local government becomes increasingly dependent on funds collected and redistributed through Indianapolis?

Which counties become net contributors, and which become net recipients?

What happens during an economic downturn when consumer spending — and therefore sales tax revenue — falls?

Does replacing property taxes actually reduce the cost of government, or simply shift where government gets its revenue?

What happens to local accountability when the link between local taxpayers, local spending, and local government becomes less direct?

How much additional pressure would this place on Indiana’s sales tax — already paid every day by working Hoosiers?

There are also serious questions about schools and existing voter-approved referenda. HB 1288 would allow existing referendum obligations to continue through a separate recapture mechanism while prohibiting new referenda.

Prescott himself has acknowledged that discussions across the state have uncovered additional problems, gaps, and flaws that still need to be examined.

That is exactly what this program is about.

Property taxes are a serious problem in Indiana. But eliminating one unpopular tax does not automatically lead to better, smaller government, lower spending, stronger local control, or a fairer system.

In this episode, The Political Spotlight examines what HB 1288 proposes, where the plan could go wrong, who could end up paying more, how it could reshape the relationship between state and local government, and why Hoosiers should look very carefully before replacing one deeply flawed tax system with another.

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'The Political Spotlight'

LIVE Sunday - Thursday @ 9 p.m. (ET)

Hosted by: Kristopher H. Bilbrey & Brandon Rudd

Produced by: Kate Thornburg

Email: tpsprogram@gmail.com

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