Indiana lawmakers agree on tougher tobacco sales penalties
Indiana lawmakers are poised to double the fines stores could face for selling smoking or vaping products to anyone younger than 21 years old.
Government & Economic Development
Articles
City moves ahead with tenant rights ordinances while Legislature debates regulation
The city of Indianapolis is charging ahead with a plan to protect tenants from bad landlords despite a bill moving through the Indiana General Assembly that would limit the city’s authority on the issue.
Indiana Senate passes ban on holding cell phones while driving
House Bill 1070, authored by Rep. Holli Sullivan, R-Evansville, would prohibit individuals from using a mobile device while driving unless using hands-free or voice-operated technology.
Some doctors worried by Indiana ‘surprise’ billing proposal
Indiana doctors are raising fears about possible loss of emergency services under a plan to limit “surprise” bills for patients unknowingly treated by providers from outside their insurance networks.
Lawmakers move bill that updates rules for employing minors
Senate Bill 409, authored by Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, eliminates the work permit requirement for minors and tweaks some of the hours they can work.
Lawmakers scrap plan to let schools count high school equivalency as diploma
The pilot would have allowed seniors behind on credits to be counted as graduates in Indiana if they pass a high school equivalency exam and take steps toward career training.
City-County Council pledges to tackle racial, social disparities in Indianapolis
The resolution, co-sponsored by all 25 council members, calls for creating a steering committee tasked with developing a strategy to end racial disparities, with its first task identifying where disparities exist in city policies.
Indiana teacher gun training plan failing amid opposition
A legislative proposal for requiring annual training for teachers who carry guns inside Indiana schools has been scuttled amid a disagreement over whether it infringed on gun rights.
House committee amends bill to keep cities from regulating tenant relations
In response to the move, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the amendment would nullify recent local efforts to protect tenants from predatory landlords.
Indiana Republicans say law adequate despite school fraud
Republicans who dominate the state Legislature have rejected complaints from Democrats that responsibility for the fraud by virtual schools rests with lax regulations dating from the 2011 GOP-driven state education overhaul.
State rallying troops to increase Department of Defense spending in Indiana
Reaching Gov. Eric Holcomb’s goal would entail boosting the amount of federal defense dollars spent in Indiana to at least $10.2 billion in the next five years.
Bill that creates Indiana’s own voter crosscheck system heads to the full House
An Indiana House committee advanced legislation Thursday that would create a voter registration crosscheck system for the state similar to a widely discredited one in Kansas.
Lawmakers considering central Indiana regionalism legislation
Senate Bill 350 would create a regional development authority framework for central Indiana to allow local officials to work together on significant economic development initiatives. The pilot program would be in place for five years.
Indiana panel backs ban on drivers using handheld phones
A state Senate committee voted 8-1 Tuesday to endorse the bill that only permits cellphone use with hands-free or voice-operated technology, except in emergencies.
One thing unites establishment Democrats: Fear of Sanders
Political strategists say it could be impossible to blunt Bernie Sanders as long as a trio of moderate candidates—former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar—stay in the race.
Selby: AG Hill should get 60-day suspension, no automatic reinstatement
The hearing officer presiding over Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s discipline case has recommended that the state’s highest-ranking attorney serve a two-month suspension without automatic reinstatement for violations of two professional conduct rules related to sexual misconduct allegations.
Who’s to blame for the $85M Indiana virtual schools scandal?
Amid the outcry over a new state investigation detailing an alleged $85 million self-dealing scheme at two Indiana virtual charter schools, state leaders are asking why it took years to catch large-scale enrollment inflation and widespread financial conflicts of interest.
16 Tech launches international design competition for $14.5 million bridge
The bridge will be funded by the city of Indianapolis and Lilly Endowment Inc., which two years ago awarded 16 Tech a $38 million grant.
Trump’s story about veteran’s comeback, Opportunity Zone program misleading
Tony Rankins was singled out at President Trump’s State of the Union address as an example of the power of so-called “opportunity zones,” but he doesn’t work at a site taking advantage of the program’s tax breaks and never has done so.
City, Indy Chamber launch financing program for minority-owned businesses
Funding for the program will help smaller businesses pay initial expenditures associated with bidding on contracts—supplies and payroll, for example—without having to put themselves at financial risk through high-interest borrowing.