Indiana House backs ban on higher minimum wages
Cities and counties across the state would be prohibited from setting higher minimum wages under a bill approved by the Indiana House.
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Indiana Senate panel may vote on smoking ban after all
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, the chairman of an Indiana Senate committee, said he might call for a vote on the proposal at the Senate Public Policy Committee's April 6 meeting, but that he likely wouldn't allow any amendments.
Illinois House votes to lift smoking ban at casinos
Tom Swoik, executive director of Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said gambling revenue has dropped 32 percent since the state’s smoking ban was approved. He said the ban has cost state government about $800 million in taxes.
Indiana House faces pressure to finish work on time
House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the five week "vacation" by House Democrats means lawmakers may have to work on Fridays and Saturdays. He said representatives would go with little sleep and eat sandwiches and pizza while working at their desks if necessary to get work done.
State GOP pushing expansive voucher program
Indiana's Republican leadership is pushing ahead with a proposal that would be the nation's broadest use of school vouchers, allowing even middle-class families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to private schools.
Indiana budget faces hundreds of possible changes
More than 330 proposed amendments to the state budget bill were listed online as of Monday night, and Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said more are pending.
House Democrats return to Statehouse
Indiana House Democrats have returned to work at the Statehouse for the first time since they fled to Illinois on Feb. 22 in protest of a Republican reform plan they called an assault on labor and public education.
Fair Finance trustee renews call for return of political donations
The trustee in the Fair Finance bankruptcy has renewed a call for recipients of political contributions from accused Ponzi schemer Tim Durham to return the tainted cash after a federal grand jury indicted Durham on 12 felony counts.
Prosecutors buck effort to trim state prison costs
Angry prosecutors have derailed a legislative plan to reduce Indiana's corrections costs by shortening some criminal sentences, and now the state seen as a national model for fiscal austerity could be forced to find millions of dollars for new prisons.
State unemployment rate drops to 8.8 percent
The February decline marks the first time the state’s jobless rate has been below 9 percent since December 2008. Still, the state lost 1,600 private-sector jobs and 6,300 government jobs in February.
Deputy prosecutor suggested fake attack on Wisconsin gov.
Johnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper said one of his deputies resigned Thursday after admitting he sent an email to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker suggesting the Republican fake an attack on himself to discredit the public employee unions protesting his plan to strip them of nearly all collective bargaining rights.
No breakthrough in talks to end Indiana House walkout
Legislators from both parties threw cold water Thursday on optimism about a breakthrough ending the month-long boycott by Indiana House Democrats.
Maturing Chinese market gives WellPoint new prospects
Premiums for private health insurers in China are expected to rise to $90 billion by 2020 from $9 billion now, and WellPoint Inc. is angling for a big piece of that pie.
Demographic shift steers Lilly’s Asian operations
China remains a small market for Eli Lilly and Co. It generated $320 million in sales for the company in 2010, just 1.3 percent of its $23 billion in sales worldwide. But Lilly has big ambitions in China and is racing to capitalize on its rapid economic growth.
Cummins’ early start revs growth in China
Columbus-based engine maker Cummins Inc. has been building business in China for 30 years, long before many U.S. companies had even begun formulating a China strategy.Cummins now employs 8,000 people in China and racked up 2010 sales of $3.1 billion.
Can China maintain pace of economic growth?
People talk about China’s continued economic growth almost as if it is a foregone conclusion, but not all economists are so sure.
SPECIAL REPORT: Indiana companies charge into China
With economic growth in the United States sluggish, Indiana companies are joining the race to capitalize on the fast-growing Chinese economy—even as hundreds of millions of Chinese move into the middle class and adopt a Western-style thirst for goods and services.
Job-creation claims are hot potato
The city’s decade-record number of job commitments in 2010 could be the most frequently discussed figure in the run-up to this fall’s mayoral election, but the number of commitments is difficult to verify.
Indiana report says drugstores, grocers best at not selling liquor to minors
Liquor stores didn’t do as well, undercutting their argument against allowing other retailers to sell cold beer.
Pentagon issues 90-day stop-work order on GE-Rolls engine
The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday directed General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Group Plc to halt work on a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter until there is more explicit direction in the fiscal 2012 budget.