Indiana lawmakers kill drug screening for welfare
The measure failed in the last minutes of the General Assembly session Thursday. The House passed the measure 81-17, but the Senate voted 24-24 against the bill.
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Statehouse update: Guns in school parking lots, concussion training, veterans clinics and more
High-profile bills on mass-transit, road funding and business taxes passed the Indiana General Assembly on Thursday, but so did several other pieces of legislation. Here’s a rundown.
General Assembly passes bill to legalize industrial hemp
A bill to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp in Indiana is headed to Gov. Mike Pence after it passed the House on Wednesday night and the Senate on Thursday.
Compromise bill allows state to spend $200M on interstates
The House passed the compromise bill 95-4, even as a number of lawmakers – including Democrats – complained that the legislation doesn’t include any money for local roads.
Preschool pilot program headed to Pence’s desk
The General Assembly has approved a pilot program to send low-income children in five counties to preschool.
Indiana lawmakers pass package of business tax cuts
The corporate income tax and state banking tax would be reduced to 4.9 percent and local governments would be left to decide whether to cut the business equipment tax.
Palladium construction lawsuits costing panel millions
The cash-strapped Carmel Redevelopment Commission has spent more than $6 million since 2009 “responding to, defending and settling” legal claims from contractors involved in construction of the city’s Palladium concert hall.
Lawmakers create an exit plan for takeover schools
A bill passed by the Indiana General Assembly this year could help bring takeover schools out of their status as islands and reconnect them to larger school systems.
Rokita takes on FAA medical rule
General aviation pilots abhor the Federal Aviation Authority’s third-class medical certificate, which requires them to get a physical from an FAA-approved doctor every two years, but the industry has yet to take down that bureaucratic hurdle.
UPDATE: Mayor picks GM site for criminal justice complex
Mayor Greg Ballard will recommend that a proposed criminal justice complex be located on the former GM stamping plant on the western side of downtown—not the airport property that ranked highest in a market study.
Statehouse update: Abandoned houses, hemp, daycare, addicted moms and more
Numerous bills advanced Wednesday at the Indiana Statehouse, including several that were sent to the governor for approval. Here's a rundown:
Criminal code update pleases some, worries others
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said the bill “has been a long time coming” and will provide “sentencing reform that really has been sorely needed.”
Food restrictions back in Indiana welfare bill draft
A contentious measure to screen and drug-test some welfare recipients and to limit food-stamp use to only "nutritional" foods has resurfaced in the Indiana General Assembly with little time left to vote on the bill.
Bosma: $400M for roads, $15M for preschool program
Indiana would spend heavily on new road construction and launch a preschool pilot program under a pair of last-minute deals reached between Statehouse Republican leaders.
Obama seeks overtime pay for more salaried workers
Bypassing Congress, President Barack Obama intends to order changes in overtime rules so employers would be required to pay millions more workers for the extra time they put in on the job.
Deal on mass-transit legislation headed for vote
The compromise language does not include a provision to establish a light-rail system or an increase in corporate taxes. However, the legislation would still allow for an increase in individual income taxes pending voter approval.
Indianapolis leaders tout plan to curb violence
Last year, the city shifted 100 officers to patrol duty to help combat crime. Despite that, Indianapolis suffered 125 homicides in 2013, its highest tally in seven years.
Lawmakers seek to remove Indiana from Common Core
The Indiana Senate voted 35-13 Wednesday to end the state's use of federal Common Core standards and instead adopt a series of state-written guidelines.
UPDATE: Governor to sign Indiana recycling bill
Legislation that sets a goal for Indiana to eventually recycle at least half of its municipal waste is headed to Gov. Mike Pence's desk after passing the General Assembly.
Judge: Case not made for airport justice center site
The judge with authority over Marion County court facilities isn’t convinced that a 35-acre site by Indianapolis International Airport is the best pick for the proposed criminal justice complex.