Todd Young announces Senate reelection bid
Young, 48, had widely been expected to seek another term and made it official on Twitter on Tuesday morning, saying “more work remains” to be done.
Government & Economic Development
Articles
Fed dialing up pressure on Wall Street to ditch LIBOR
Banks have less than a year before the Fed has indicated it will stop allowing them to enter into new contracts pegged to LIBOR, a bedrock of the financial system being phased out by global policy makers.
Biden team readies wider economic package after virus relief
During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged to deploy $2 trillion on infrastructure and clean energy, but the White House has not ruled out an even higher price tag.
Fraud overwhelms pandemic-related unemployment programs
In Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland, officials have said that for certain weeks in the new year, at least two-thirds of the claims they received were classified as suspicious due to problems verifying identities.
Democratic leaders explore penalties on businesses paying below $15 an hour
Democrats are searching for a way to revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage as part of the proposed $1.9 trillion package aimed at helping the country rebuild from the pandemic.
State seeks to regulate pharmacy benefit managers
Three bills advancing through the Indiana General Assembly would provide tighter regulation of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs).
U.S. consumers boost spending 2.4% as income jumps
Friday’s report from the Commerce Department also showed that personal incomes, which provide the fuel for spending, jumped 10% last month, boosted by cash payments most Americans received from the government.
Finding consensus, struggling with conflict at legislative halfway mark
General Assembly has avoided COVID outbreak, but debated the budget and gubernatorial powers as tempers flared over racial issues.
Biden to order a review of U.S. supply chains for vital goods
The executive order will cover U.S. supply chains for large-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and semiconductors that power cars, phones, military equipment and other goods.
Tech firms say there’s little doubt Russia behind major hack
In the first congressional hearing on the breach, representatives of technology companies involved in the response described a hack of almost breathtaking precision, ambition and scope.
Black Indiana lawmakers seek reprimands after confrontations
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus called Tuesday for lawmakers who sparked confrontations with Black legislators last week to face reprimands and for all lawmakers to undergo mandatory anti-bias training.
Indiana Senate passes bill to strip IndyGo funding, prevent rapid bus line expansion
Senate Bill 141 would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law. It also would prevent IndyGo from moving forward with expansion projects, like the Blue and Purple lines, until it secures private funding.
EPA changes stand, sides with ethanol industry in court case
The federal government announced Monday that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Indianapolis planning to spend $190M to update public facilities
Each project would range from $7 million to as much as $40 million, with funding coming from bonds tied to an expiring pension levy.
Massive breach fuels calls for U.S. action on cybersecurity
The hackers, as yet unidentified but described by officials as “likely Russian,” had unfettered access to the data and email of at least nine U.S. government agencies and about 100 private companies, with the full extent of the compromise still unknown.
Capital Improvement Board ends 2020 with $40M deficit
The agency, which operates the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Victory Field, was hit hard by the pandemic, with annual revenue off more than 50% from the previous year.
Booing, jeering, hallway altercations mar House debate on school district boundaries bill
During the Indiana House session on Thursday, a bill concerning school district boundaries that some are calling racist sparked an emotional and angry debate in and out of the chamber.
AG Rokita declined to sign bipartisan letter condemning Capitol attack
Separately, Indiana’s attorney general is facing calls for records surrounding his decision to remain employed as an adviser to a private company while also holding statewide elected office.
Indiana Senate panel advances bill that would pass along drug rebates to consumers
The bill pitted the two largest companies headquartered in Indianapolis—drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. and health insurer Anthem Inc.—on opposite sides of the issue.
Committee fails to vote on work-share bill, despite business support
The Senate Pensions and Labor Committee on Wednesday discussed Senate Bill 44, which would authorize the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to implement a work-sharing program, but the chairman of the committee refused to vote on the bill.