Lawmaker Turner worked to nix nursing home ban
A powerful House Republican secretly lobbied colleagues in the final hours of the 2014 session last week to kill a measure that would have been disastrous for his family's nursing home business.
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Council backs city financing plan for $81M tower
The Indianapolis City-County Council voted 18-9 Monday night to provide up to $23 million in city financing for the project, with the stipulation that 30 percent of the workers hired to build the 28-story building live in Marion County.
Apparel firm requests tax break on $15M project
OSP Group is in the midst of re-evaluating its national distribution network and has identified major improvements needed at the center, which employs 625.
Financial emergency sparks cuts in Connersville
The city’s clerk-treasurer estimates the city's general fund will have less than $15,000 in the bank as of May 1, yet its monthly payroll and claims typically exceed $700,000.
Pence signs bill allowing state fair alcohol sales
The law ends a 67-year ban on selling alcoholic beverages at the Indiana State Fair, positioning Indiana to join 48 other states that allow the practice.
Statehouse victories tempered by Senate, budget concerns
Gov. Mike Pence and House Republicans entered the 2014 legislative session with big plans for education, taxes and roads, but they often found themselves running into Senate roadblocks.
Lawsuits challenge Indiana’s gay marriage ban
Ken Falk, chief legal counsel for the ACLU of Indiana, said he expects the growing number of federal lawsuits will be consolidated into a single challenge against the state's marriage law.
Last-minute lobbying kills nursing home moratorium
A leading proponent of a moratorium on nursing-home construction said last-minute lobbying and big promises about jobs and investment killed the bill.
Feds revise for-profit college rules after court block
ITT Educational stock fell Friday after the Obama administration said it has revised its regulatory package for for-profit colleges, rewriting a proposal that the education industry blocked in court almost two years ago.
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.
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: