Legislation targeting squatting gains momentum
Depending on whom you ask, such bills are a solution in search of a problem or an important tool in combatting property problems caused by scammers and the homeless.
Cate Charron
Articles
Three money-making bills that died in a tight budget year
But House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, has said repeatedly that Indiana lawmakers don’t make policy simply to raise money.
Legislative roundup: Final bills passed in session’s first half
Lawmakers spent hours in session this week passing several dozen lingering bills, including the budget and property tax reform, before the first-half deadline Thursday.
Indiana House approves ‘vanilla’ state budget proposal, sends to Senate
Lawmakers have less to spend due to slowing growth in state tax revenue and ballooning Medicaid costs—both residual effects of the pandemic.
Gov. Mike Braun threatens to veto property tax bill, call special session if more cuts aren’t added
Senate Bill 1, which previously carried Gov. Mike Braun’s ambitious property tax relief plan, was pared down significantly in committee following outcry from local government leaders.
Some local governments are slowing spending as lawmakers debate property tax cuts
The bill would reduce property taxes—and therefore reduce local government revenue—by about $1.4 billion over three years, according to the bill’s fiscal plan.
UPDATE: Braun says Senate-passed property tax bill ‘has a long way to go’
The Senate-approved tax bill would limit total growth in property tax revenue, which could reduce individual bills. But the Republican governor said the legislation lacks “meaningful tax cuts.”
Five takeaways from the just-released House Republican budget plan
The two-year spending plan funds many of Gov. Mike Braun’s agenda items—including additional funding for private school vouchers—but doesn’t include several state tax cuts the new governor proposed.
Despite building concerns, IEDC transparency bills died without hearings. Why?
Lawmakers’ unease with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. culminated in at least four transparency-focused bills this session—all filed by Republicans—seeking to add more guardrails.
Legislative roundup: Final committee votes on property taxes, Medicaid bills
Next week, the chambers will be busy hearing bills for second and third readings ahead of their Thursday deadline.
Indiana House passes bill to create state agency supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs
House Bill 1172 has broad support from the business community, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.
Bill to overhaul regional development funding awaits committee vote as deadline ticks closer
Senate Bill 377 introduces a new framework and requirements for regional development funding, shifting the focus from place-aligned projects to more industry-focused development.
Senate lawmakers scale back Braun’s ambitious property tax proposal in heavily amended bill
The 93-page amendment to Senate Bill 1 introduced Tuesday scrapped an expanded homestead deduction and tax bill caps, which offered the bulk of the plan’s homeowner relief but threatened local government funding.
Lawmakers scrap proposal to increase Indy road funding through property taxes
Indiana lawmakers advanced road-funding legislation Monday morning without a provision that would have allowed Indianapolis to pose a referendum to its residents to pay for road improvements.
How Trump-fueled immigration policy is materializing in Indiana
Out of the over a dozen immigration-related bills filed this session, lawmakers ultimately have supported legislation that aids in the enforcement and detainment of people who are in the country illegally.
Legislative roundup: Braun’s property tax overhaul gets a hearing; more bills move to opposite chamber
While many chairs are winding down hearings on the bills assigned to their committees, one of the most anticipated pieces of legislation for the 2025 session had its first committee hearing this week.
Committee passes apprenticeship framework bill, strikes enrollment quota
The measure aligns with a similar effort outside the Indiana Statehouse to expand the ecosystem of apprenticeship opportunities.
Former state lawmaker joins Indianapolis lobbying firm
Matt Whetstone, a former Republican state representative, has jumped back and forth between policymaking and lobbying throughout his career.
Local leaders sound alarm on Braun’s property tax overhaul legislation
Republicans and Democrats testified the bill would decrease local governments’ revenues significantly and affect the quality of some public services.
Universities’ alliance set to boost microelectronics research
Two of Indiana’s top research universities are partaking in a four-way alliance that organizers that allows members to work on microelectronics projects using one another’s facilities and resources.