The state should delay unemployment tax increases on businesses from 2010 to 2011 to help companies retain workers and possibly
wait long enough for a federal bailout, Republicans who control the Indiana Senate said Tuesday.
It seems like everybody at the Indiana Statehouse wants to talk about lobbying ethics these days.
IPL will receive $20 million to help pay for a $48.8 million project to install more than 28,000 smart meters; Midwest ISO
will get $17.3 million toward a $34.5 million project to install 150 phasor measurement units.
Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer wants to revamp state ethics rules so that lawmakers would have to wait a year after leaving
office before becoming a Statehouse lobbyist.
Supporters of a stricter ban on smoking in Indianapolis workplaces said the City-County Council’s decision Monday night to table the proposal will not kill efforts to get legislation passed.
Efforts to broaden Indianapolis’ workplace smoking ban came up short Monday night as members of the City-County Council voted
to table the proposal. The ordinance would have prohibited patrons from lighting up in bars, bowling alleys and nightclubs,
expanding an existing law that prohibits smoking in most public places, including restaurants that serve minors.
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is throwing its weight behind a tougher workplace smoking ban up for consideration tonight
by the City-County Council.
The association representing 470 cities and towns wants lawmakers to pass legislation that would give municipalities the authority
to adopt local option income taxes.
Indiana human services chief Anne Murphy is expected to reveal more details on how the state will handle welfare intake after
its contract with IBM Corp. runs out.
Bloomington-based Cook Group Inc. might have to cut as many as 1,000 local jobs if Congress enacts a tax on medical devices
to pay for health care reform, company founder Bill Cook said in an interview.
It’s good to be among the favored few, those blessed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to scoop up the remnants
of failed banks. Because it was on the FDIC list of approved buyers, Cincinnati-based First Financial Bancorp
was able to acquire Columbus, Ind.-based Irwin Financial Corp.’s banking operations under terms
that would make any deal-maker proud.
The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, as employers remain
reluctant to hire even as the economy shows signs of recovery.
Mayoral Chief of Staff Paul Okeson said the city isn’t sure it makes sense to privatize operations now handled by
the Capital Improvement Board, “but we’re obligated on behalf of the taxpayer to find out.”
Unemployment in Indiana fell for the third consecutive month in September, bucking the national trend of rising jobless rates,
the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Wednesday morning.
Top Senate Democrats intend to try to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws, according
to congressional officials, the latest evidence of a deepening struggle over President Barack Obama’s effort to overhaul the
health care industry.
Lawmakers said Tuesday that Indiana welfare subcontractor Affiliated Computer Services Inc. will come under closer
scrutiny now that Gov. Mitch Daniels has fired IBM Corp. from the project.
An Indiana legislative committee recommends carryout sales of alcohol remain banned on Sundays, and liquor stores stay the
only place to buy cold beer.
Indiana’s state government could lose more than $200 million in casino tax revenue if casinos are approved in Kentucky and
Ohio.
Maryland-based Lockheed Martin will idle 10 percent of the employees at its Indianapolis call center as a result of declining call volumes and “funding issues” that are cutting short a five-year federal contract worth a total of $80 million.
New biomass boilers at four Indiana prisons are projected to save the state $36 million over 10 years. The Indiana Department
of Correction says it dedicated the first of the new boilers last week at the Pendleton Correctional Facility northeast of
Indianapolis.
