FEIGENBAUM: Legislative session notable for minimal acrimony
When partisanship did rear its head—Indianapolis Democrats charged a GOP “power grab” in negotiations over changes in Marion County government structure—it was not disruptive.
Government
Articles
Councilors poised to ban criminal-history question
Democratic City-County Councilor Vop Osili said he expects to draft a “ban the box” ordinance this spring or summer.
Budget includes tax cut, more school, road funds
Indiana taxpayers will see their personal income tax rate reduced by 5 percent over the next four years under a budget plan agreed to Thursday by lawmakers. The plan also repeals the inheritance tax retroactive to Jan. 1.
Senate cans hunting plan
A proposal aimed at legalizing five fenced deer-hunting preserves around Indiana has failed in this year’s legislative session.
Low-level felons could get less prison time under plan
Indiana lawmakers have reached a compromise that would direct more non-violent, low-level felons to work release and other local programs rather than sending them to prison.
Size of Indiana income tax cut remains undecided
Indiana's new state budget will include at least a small personal income tax cut, although legislative leaders said Wednesday they weren't certain whether it will be as large as Republican Gov. Mike Pence wants.
GOP concerns derailed Turner’s chance at powerful post
Republican lawmakers bypassed House Speaker Pro Tem Eric Turner for the chairmanship of House Ways and Means committee last year amid concerns over his potential conflicts of interest, sources say.
New lights only the beginning for Brickyard changes
Everything is on the table for consideration, says new Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles.
Mass Ave business owners split over proposed district tax
Opponents of a proposed tax to pay for improvements throughout the cultural district have accused tax advocates of rigging the proposal to ensure its passage.
More Hoosiers favor legal pot than Pence’s tax cut, poll says
A new poll of 600 voters by Howey Politics Indiana shows 39-percent approval for Gov. Mike Pence’s proposed 10-percent tax cut. But 56 percent said they favor decriminalization of marijuana.
Indiana lawmakers drawing close on remaining measures
The leaders of the Indiana General Assembly said Tuesday they will continue meeting daily with Gov. Mike Pence to hammer out a broad range of issues before the 2013 session ends.
Legislature taking tight-fisted stance with casinos
The casino bill approved by the House last week would grant less than a fifth of the tax breaks first proposed in the Senate. It also doesn't permit live table games at the racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville.
Bill OK’d that grants Indiana tuition to some immigrants
Supporters say the change would help a couple of hundred students who had the rules changed on them after they had already started work on their college degrees.
Boots says live dealers dispute won’t kill gambling bill
Lawmakers remain at odds over whether a bill meant to bolster the gambling industry in Indiana should authorize live dealers at the state’s horse track casinos.
Indiana lawmakers approve looser superintendent rules
School district superintendents would no longer have to hold an Indiana superintendent's or teacher's license under a proposal that won final legislative approval on Monday.
Senate bill jeopardizes tax-free online shopping
States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the U.S. Senate on Monday.
Revoked charters could be forgiven $12M in loans
Seven schools whose charters were revoked by Ball State University in January would be absolved of payments along with another school which did not seek to renew its charter.
Republicans to question Ballard’s $6M sports park
The City-County Council’s GOP caucus will grill the mayor’s staff in a private meeting Monday evening about plans for the park, which caught many of them by surprise last week.
Lawmakers seek to piggyback priorities onto other bills
As the Indiana General Assembly nears the finish of its 2013 session, legislators hope to find homes for initiatives that struggled to win approval on their own, such as backing improvements to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and expanding the state’s school voucher program.
Pence surveys flooding in central Indiana counties
The governor spent Saturday in Kokomo, Elwood and Tipton with U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, assessing swampy conditions and meeting with displaced residents.