Assigning something to a “study committee” sounds like something only policy wonks and reporters could love. Controversial issues get sidetracked and put out of the spotlight for a while. Complicated matters get talked to death and never resolved. Some legislators take notes while others read or snooze. Everybody gets travel pay, and the summer passes pleasantly.

But the summer study sessions of the Indiana General Assembly have a long history and serve a useful purpose. Dozens of issues get assigned to the study committees so that, as Mike Smith of the Associated Press notes, “lawmakers will be more informed about them when they reconvene.”

Many are issues that have come up for consideration but failed in a recent session of the legislature. Some studies help lay the groundwork for legislation to pass. Sometimes the idea is just to keep something alive to be discussed another day.

Some back-for-another-look issues getting a study this summer are:

♦Illegal immigration. This is a good choice. The federal government surely isn't doing anything, so the subject is ripe for state action. The trouble is that no one really knows what the effects of “getting tough” might be on Indiana in general and its economy in particular.

♦Eliminating property taxes. Perhaps not such a good choice. The General Assembly did a major overhaul of property taxes last term, including a major reduction, but there is still strong sentiment for complete elimination. But those taxes bring in more than $6 billion a year for local governments, and replacing them would make sales or income taxes prohibitively high. Besides, property taxes are among the most stable sources of income for government.

♦Testing students for steroids. A toss-up. There isn't anything complicated here. A bill that failed would have required 1 percent of high school athletes throughout the state to be tested; those testing positive would have been suspended from athletics for 90 days. Where legislators stand on the issue will depend on their view of state-vs.-local control of education.

On these and other issues, one thing the summer sessions provide is a calm atmosphere. Freed of the partisan wrangling that often accompanies official sessions, legislators can study tough issues in an objective manner.