COVID-19 community relief fund awards more than $7.3M in grants
The grants announced Tuesday range from $20,000 to $750,000 and were awarded to human service organizations in Boone, Hancock, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan counties.
The grants announced Tuesday range from $20,000 to $750,000 and were awarded to human service organizations in Boone, Hancock, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan counties.
Gov. Eric Holcomb is telling Hoosiers to “hunker down” and stay at home for the next two weeks, except for what’s deemed “essential” business and activity. The order raises a bunch of questions about how it will work and what’s allowed. Here are some answers to those questions.
His decision—announced in a Statehouse address streamed online—follows in the footsteps of a handful of other governors across the country, including three of Indiana’s neighboring states: Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
A potential new law governing panhandling throughout the state could have a big impact on downtown Indianapolis, but a legal challenge could stop it from ever being enforced.
Indiana lawmakers were only at the Statehouse for 10 weeks, but they debated plenty of topics.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer and Democratic Party Chairman John Zody announced the agreement Friday morning.
The crowded GOP primary in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District was already creating a difficult situation for candidates to stand out, and the restrictions of large gatherings put in place by Gov. Eric Holcomb to combat the coronavirus pandemic will exacerbate that challenge.
Holcomb’s directives also include extending the closure for K-12 schools and holding onto $300 million in surplus funds that were going to be used to pay for six capital projects in cash.
The governor said the decision will be up to Secretary of State Connie Lawson, a Republican who oversees the Indiana Election Division.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed 84 bills on Wednesday, but has not made decisions yet on several pieces of controversial legislation.
A former Senate budget writer said the hit to the state budget could be bigger than during the Great Recession, when state revenue dropped 15% over two years.
Candidate Woody Myers on Tuesday issued his own plan for dealing with the outbreak, which includes spending some of the state’s surplus revenue and bringing state lawmakers back for a special session.
The party leaders did not suggest any delay in the May 5 primary itself.
State Health Commissioner Kristina Box said Indiana has more coronavirus cases than the 12 that have been confirmed, but she doesn’t believe the virus has become a widespread problem yet because hospital systems aren’t overwhelmed with cases.
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Indiana, the primary election season may look different than normal as candidates cancel in-person events and organizers of public forums and debates opt for no audiences.
“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” Holcomb said in a statement. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”
Top Democratic lawmakers want Gov. Eric Holcomb to provide more information on what the state is doing to respond to the coronavirus threat, but Republican leaders say they trust the governor to handle the situation appropriately.
Despite lengthy debates on reducing health care costs this year, Indiana lawmakers completely eliminated the provision that business leaders said was likely to have the most impact.
Despite a push from Indiana House lawmakers to clarify in state code whether Attorney General Curtis Hill could remain in office if his law license is suspended, state legislators failed to pass a bill before adjourning this year’s session Wednesday night.
After the Indiana Senate passed a compromise on the IndyGo funding feud Wednesday night, the Indiana House killed the measure by not voting on it before adjourning for the year.